When I was young, I remember reading a fictional book about the Civil War. It followed a young soldier enlisting into the Union and while during a battle, witnessed something truly incredible. He saw a woman wearing full black, picking up wounded soldiers during the fighting and bringing them back to a tent where she would see to their wounds. But she did not just pick up Union soldiers, she picked up Confederate soldiers also. Any person who was injured on the battlefield was deemed worthy enough to be saved by her. The famous women turned out to be none other than Clara Barton, the founder of the American Red Cross.
If you have been keeping up with my previous posts, then you’ve probably noticed that I like to write about famous people a lot. But if I had to choose just one person to say they are the most impressive, then Clara Barton is that person. Clara Barton was one of the first women to work for the Federal Government. She worked as a recording clerk in the United States Patent Office. It was during this time when the Civil War kicked off. Clara Barton decided that the best way to help the soldiers would be to get medical supplies to the battlefield by going there herself.
So that’s what she did. She risked her life every day during the war to find missing soldiers and treat the wounded from both sides of the conflict. She would also be wearing her famous black dress and became somewhat famous on both sides of the battlefield. Soldiers began to call her “Angel of the Battlefield” and “The Little Lone Lady in Black Silk”. But I think this impartiality towards treating whoever needs help is a great indicator of what she would accomplish later in her life.
After the war, Clara Barton would travel to Europe. It would be when she would visit Switzerland that she would discover the beginnings of the Red Cross. She would become so moved and inspired by what they were doing there, which was providing medical and distress aid to anyone who needs it neutrally, that when she went back to the United States, she would be determined to get the United States involved with the Red Cross effort. She would go to different influential people she knew and tried to get them to help her start the American Red Cross. One of these people would be the famous abolitionist, Fredrick Douglass, who was one of her close friends. But in 1881, when Clara Barton was 59, the American Red Cross was finally able to be founded with her as it’s president.
The American Red Cross would go on and do many things while she was president. The first crisis that they went to was a flooded town in Pennsylvania where they provided shelter, medical service, and food to the citizens. One of the next crises that the American Red Cross responded to towards hurricane relief in South Carolina. This hurricane left over 30000 African Americans homeless where they provided shelter, medical supplies, and food to the survivors.
https://www.redcross.org/about-us/who-we-are/history/clara-barton.html
http://www.pbs.org/mercy-street/uncover-history/behind-lens/nursing-civil-war/
This is a cool story and one that I have never heard about until reading this. She sounds like an impressive lady and I like the fact that not only was she helping wounded Union soldiers, but confederate ones as well. Its cool to know that the American Red Cross stems from a women as honorable as this.
Wow. I definitely agree that this is one of the most amazing people I have ever read about. I did not actually know the story of Clara Barton until reading this post, however I want to read more into her now that I have her backstory. I find it super interesting that she treated any soldier who needed it. I don’t know anyone around today that would be that impartial. The story of her going on to start the red cross after is even more amazing. To be friends with famous influential people like Fredrick Douglas and others, and eventually starting one of the most influential organizations around today, is an incredible feat and she deserves all the credit.