Angels of the BattleField
How Clara Barton Saved Thousands
Who Is Clara
- Clara was a nurse during the civil war. She started by taking medical supplies to the young men of the Sixth Massachusetts Infantry who had been attacked in Baltimore, Maryland.
- Barton prodded leaders in the government and the army until she was given passes to bring her voluntary services and medical supplies to the scenes of battle and field hospitals. Following the battle of Cedar Mountain in northern Virginia in August 1862, she appeared at a field hospital at midnight with a wagon-load of supplies drawn by a four-mule team. The surgeon on duty, overwhelmed by the human disaster surrounding him, wrote later, “I thought that night if heaven ever sent out an angel, she must be one—her assistance was so timely.” Thereafter she was known as the “Angel of the Battlefield”.
- Barton climaxed her Civil War activity when she participated in establishing a national cemetery around the graves of the Union men who died in the notorious Andersonville Prison in Georgia.
- After the war ended in 1865, Clara Barton worked for the War Department, helping to either reunite missing soldiers and their families or find out more about those who were missing. She also became a lecturer and crowds of people came to hear her talk about her war experiences.
- Clara showed an interest in helping people when her brother got very sick and she had to nurse him back to health. This led the way to her nursing soldiers and eventually creating the american red cross.
Clara Barton Sign
Clara Barton was the first missing persons specialist and the first woman to run a government bureau. In a government office building that sits halfway between the White House and the Capitol sat an office with this sign.
Clara and the Red Cross
Clara was the founder and first president of the Red Cross.
The death of Clara
Many people respected Clara because of her contributions to the war effort. When she died there was a small section in the newspaper that told of the sad news.
Helping Soldiers
"I may be compelled to face danger, but never fear it, and while our soldiers can stand and fight, i can stand and feed and nurse them."
Comforting the Wounded
She not only would help the soldiers with their wounds but also comfort them when they were being worked on or in pain.
Plaqe
This is describing the many things that Clara did.