Clara Barton’s Life: The Founder of Red Cross.

Clara Barton Outline

Introduction

• Introduction to Clara Barton and her childhood aspirations

Early Life and Education

• Background information on Clara Barton's family and upbringing
• Clara's education and early exposure to geography and battlefield knowledge

Clara Barton's Impact on the Civil War

• Clara Barton's contributions as a nurse during the Civil War
• Establishment of a free public school in New Jersey and her move to Washington D.C.
• Clara's work as a government clerk and her historic salary

Transition to Voluntary Work

• Clara's decision to resign and become a volunteer nurse
• Her initial actions in aiding wounded soldiers and raising funds

Official Permission to Aid Soldiers

• Clara Barton's journey to obtain official permission to transport supplies to battlefields
• Her nickname "Angel of the Battlefield" and her dedication to helping soldiers

Superintendent of Union Nurses

• Clara Barton's role as the superintendent of Union nurses and her contributions to medical supplies and care
• Her efforts during the Battle of Antietam and other battles

Aiding Both Union and Confederate Soldiers

• Clara Barton's impartiality in aiding soldiers, regardless of their affiliation
• Her recognition among soldiers and the risks she faced on the battlefield

Post-Civil War Work

• Clara Barton's appointment as General Correspondent for the Friends of Paroled Prisoners and her efforts to locate missing soldiers
• Her role in identifying anonymous graves at Andersonville prison

International Red Cross and American Red Cross

• Clara Barton's involvement with the International Red Cross during the Franco-Prussian War
• Her efforts to establish an American branch of the Red Cross
• Clara Barton's presidency of the American Red Cross and her work during disasters

Conclusion

• Clara Barton's lasting impact and legacy, including her resignation from the American Red Cross and her death in 1912

Clara Barton Essay Example

When Clara Barton was a little girl, her dream was to one day become a nurse and care for others. She was born on December 25, 1821 in Oxford, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Steven and Sarah Barton and had 2 brothers and 2 sisters. Clara was morbidly shy and very sensitive, causing her to be educated by her family. When she was younger her father, who was a captain in the war, taught her about geography and about what happens on the battlefield. Learning this helped her later on in live when she was helping soldiers on the battlefield.

Clara had a huge impact in the United States even today because of her contributions to the civil war. She was a nurse who treated soldiers on the battlefield and saved many lives. When Clara was 17 she became a teacher and let on opened a free public school in New Jersey. The school was a huge success, with the attendance to be over 600 students. However, the school board decided to hire a man instead of Clara to be head of the school. Because Clara opened the school but they refused her the position, she moved to Washington D.C. to look for work.

It was the mid-1850s when Clara was hired to work in the U.S. Patent Office as a clerk. This was the first time a woman had received a substantial job working for the government while also making a man’s salary. Many say Clara was well qualified for the job because of her copperplate handwriting. However, at the beginning of the civil war she resigned to work as a volunteer. Her chance arrived when regiments arrived in Washington D.C. in April of 1861.Clara began by advertising for supplies and distributing supplies to help wounded soldiers

When the 6th Massachusetts Infantry was attacked en route to Washington, D.C., many soldiers were injured and killed. When Clara heard what had happened and about the condition of the soldiers, she immediately took action. She took supplies from her home to aid the injured. After curing these soldiers, Clara Barton started a relief program and began to raise money to provide medical supplies for Union soldiers. However, Clara longed to do more. Finally, in 1862, she was officially granted permission to transport supplies to battlefields. This was the first time a woman was allowed to work in hospitals, camps, or in battlefields. This was only the beginning of what would be her life long career in nursing.

The first time Clara saw combat was in the Battle of Cedar Mountain in 1862. After that, began to travel throughout the war with army ambulances to nurse and provide aid to thousands of soldiers. At first, military officers declined her help because she was a woman. Eventually, she gained the trust from the officials. After this, she began to receive supplies from all over the country. From there on Clara was nicknamed “Angel of the Battlefield” for her amazing work she did while helping wounded soldiers.

In1864, Clara officially became the superintendent of Union nurses and obtained hospital supplies, assistants and military trains to help her. Everywhere she went, people were grateful. She brought three army wagons full of supplies to the Battle of Antietam where she aided the surgeons who were attempting to make bandages out of cornhusks. After seeing the lack of help on the battlefields, Clara began to scout out able-bodied men to give first-aid, carry water, and prepare food for the wounded soldiers. Clara brought her supply wagons with her as she traveled with the Union army. However, Clara would tend to confederate prisoners and some confederate soldiers. Even though she was with the Union, she would help any soldier who passed her path.

As Clara Barton aided injured soldiers in many different battles, she felt she had become part of the war. She would only eat the same food that the soldiers were given, and never considered herself to be better than any of them. After a while, soldiers began to recognize her and felt that safe knowing she was taking care of them. In one battle a bullet brushed passed her shoulder and killed the soldier she was tending to. However, all the soldiers loved her. By the end of the civil war, Clara aided soldiers in a total of sixteen battles including Battle of First Manassas and Second Manassas, Battle of Fredericksburg, Battle of Cold Harbor, Battle of Fort Wagner, and the Battle of Antietam.

In March of 1865, Abraham Lincoln appointed her the General Correspondent for the Friends of Paroled Prisoners. Her job was to respond to anxious families of missing soldiers by locating them among prison lists, parole lists, or causality lists in Maryland. Clara Barton than established the Bureau of Records of Missing Men of the Armies of the United States and published Lists of Missing Men to be posted across the country in order to find the missing soldiers. She traced around 20,000 men. Because of her help, anonymous graves at Andersonville prison were identified and marked.

After the civil war, Clara traveled to Europe for rest as directed by her doctor. While there, she discovered the International Red Cross. She then worked in the Franco-Prussian war in 1870. She then returned home and began to push for an American branch for the Red Cross. She urged the United States to sign Geneva Convention, a treaty that permitted medical personnel to be treated as neutral parties who could aid the sick and wounded during wars. The American Red Cross was founded in 1881.

Clara Barton was the President of the American Red Cross and served from 1882-1904. During this time the Red Cross served in Cuba during the Spanish-American war and oversaw assistance for victims of disasters such as 1889 Johnstown Flood and the 1900 Galveston Flood. Clara resigned in 1904 from the American Red Cross. She died on April 12, 1912 in her home.

Works Cited

1. Burton, D. H. (1995). Clara Barton: In the service of humanity. Greenwood Publishing Group.
2. Felt, J. B. (1986). The life of Clara Barton: Founder of the American Red Cross. Capstone Press.
3. Pryor, E. B. (1997). Clara Barton: Professional angel. University of Pennsylvania Press.
4. Batcher, L. L. (2016). Clara Barton: Courage under fire. Capstone Press.
5. Barton, W. E. (2014). The life of Clara Barton: Founder of the American Red Cross (Vol. 1). Forgotten Books.
6. Hutton, L. M. (1998). The story of Clara Barton. Simon and Schuster.
7. Coombs, M. L. (2005). Clara Barton: Spirit of the American Red Cross. Lerner Publications.
8. Shand-Tucci, D. (1995). Clara Barton: Professional angel. Chelsea House Publishers.
9. Wade, M. R. (1996). Clara Barton: Angel of the battlefield. Carolrhoda Books.
10. Civil War Trust. (n.d.). Clara Barton biography. Retrieved from https://www.civilwar.org/learn/biographies/clara-barton