The Angel Of the Battlefield
Clara Barton
She watched the gruesome battle continue, hidden behind the farmhouse with the other nurses. Bloodshed, regret, horror, and anger pervaded the air. Suddenly the rebels turned around and marched tiredly in the opposite direction, their boots covered in the blood of both enemies and friends. The remaining Union soldiers cheered as the retreat progressed, despite the saddening sight of dead bodies and limbs knocked off, the surrounding grass colored a sickening apple red. She was distressed at this view but, nevertheless, was the first nurse to walk onto the field, crouching next to a soldier with a minor hand injury. She opened her first aid kit for rags and water. It was labeled, Clara Barton.
Who was Clara Barton?
Clara Barton. Teacher. Clerk. Nurse. Humanitarian. Founder of the American Red Cross. Her bravery and kindness made her eager to make the world a better place. She saved lives, taught others of her knowledge and experiences, and formed an organization to help people in all varieties of emergencies. Clara Barton was the Angel of the Battlefield.
What did Clara do as a volunteer in the war?
Clara Barton was a nurse in the Civil War and also in the Spanish-American War. Civilwar.org says, "when the Civil War broke out, she was one of the first volunteers to appear at the Washington Infirmary to care for wounded soldiers. After her father’s death late in 1861, Barton left the city hospitals to go among the soldiers in the field." She also taught the healthy soldiers about first aid and preparing food and water for the wounded. After the Civil War, she was appointed by President Lincoln as General Correspondent for the Friends of Paroled Prisoners, which meant she located missing soldiers in prison and listed them to be shown across the country for relatives and friends of the soldiers.
What did Clara do to found the American Red Cross, and who does this organization help?
Clara visited Switzerland as a member of the International Red Cross in 1869 for a vacation because of overworking and poor health. After seeing the organization's relief efforts, Clara returned home and spent over a decade on planning and creating the American Red Cross. In 1880, the organization finally begun. Today, the Red Cross of the US has relief efforts for victims of natural disasters, economic depressions, and wars all over the world.
How did Clara Barton's personality make her achieve what she did?
Clara was a determined woman and always worked her hardest, leading her to directly care for the soldiers in the army and travel with them to give supplies to different groups of the army. She diligently formed an organization even though it took her 11 years, trying over and over even thought it was lobbied several times. Her generosity made her risk her life for others suffering in the war and a well-known philanthropist. History.com wrote, "Her energy and commitment to humanitarian causes over a forty-year period has made her a household name, a symbol of charitable self-sacrifice."
1800s American Red Cross Advertisement
Clara formed the US branch of the Red Cross after working with it in Europe. She saw what they did to help the community and felt it would enhance lives in America.
Clara Barton
Clara was a courageous woman, not content to just distribute supplies to needy. She wanted to work directly with the soldiers and help as much as she could.
Battle of Antetiam
The Battle of Antetiam alone had a higher casualty rate than the American Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, and the Mexican-American War combined. Clara Barton cared for the wounded soldiers after the battle.
In conclusion, Clara Barton had courage like no other woman in US history. She formed an organization selflessly, only to help the needy. Her Civil War work was not only for Union wounded soldiers, but for prisoner Confederates as well, regardless of them being enemies. Without this woman, many more lives could have been lost that Clara made sure lived.