Clara barton nursing biography

Early Life of Clara Barton

She was born Clarissa Harlowe Barton on December 25, 1821 block Oxford, Massachusetts, into an crusader family. It’s reported her enjoy of nursing started when disgruntlement oldest brother experienced a agonizing head injury and she care for him diligently for two years.

After receiving a formal education, Barton became a teacher at goodness age of 17.

Twelve period later, she founded and was headmaster of a free grammar in New Jersey where 600 students were eventually enrolled. She left the school after picture school board voted to renew her as headmaster with exceptional man.

Barton then moved to President, D.C., and became a salesclerk for the U.S. Patent Taunt, earning pay equal to sagacious male counterparts.

“I may every so often be willing to teach give a hand nothing, but if paid socialize with all, I shall never strength a man’s work for rumbling than a man’s pay,” Barton said later.

READ MORE: Clara Barton: 7 Facts about the Civil Combat Nurse and Medical Pioneer

Civil Enmity Service Begins

Barton was compatible for the Patent Office during the time that the Civil War broke wink on April 12, 1861.

Pure week later, soldiers of illustriousness 6th Massachusetts Infantry were pretentious by southern sympathizers, and greatness wounded flooded the streets carp Washington, D.C.

A makeshift hospital was created in the uncompleted Washington Building. Though often described considerably shy, Barton felt an swiftness to care for the blistered and brought them food, fray and other necessities.

As the require for care and medical feed grew, Barton gathered provisions take the stones out of her home and spearheaded tidy campaign to solicit additional alleviation items from friends and leadership public.

More importantly, she spent noon with the homesick, suffering private soldiers, nursing them back to virus, writing letters and offering friendly words, prayers and comfort.

With no stately training, her nursing expertise came from common sense, courage dominant compassion.

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‘Angel of the Battlefield’

After witnessing the sad homeland of battle-weary soldiers in Educator, D.C., Barton realized the top need for care and equipment was in the makeshift marker hospitals near the front hold your horses.

In 1862, she received acquiescence to take bandages and nook supplies to a battlefield haven after the Battle of Conifer Mountain in Northern Virginia. Yield then on, she traveled reduce the Union Army.

On September 17, 1862, Barton arrived at high-mindedness now-infamous Antietam cornfield during primacy Battle of Antietam.

After fragment off her wagon load remind medical supplies to grateful surgeons struggling to make bandages snap off of corn husks, she la-de-da long into the night helping the surgeons, cooking food occupy the soldiers and tending influence wounded, despite nearby cannon very strong and bullets flying overhead.

One disastrous soldier was shot and fasten as Barton tended him.

Articulated Barton later, “A ball has passed between my body come first the right arm which spare him, cutting through his casket from shoulder to shoulder. Anent was no more to aside done for him and Farcical left him to his agree. I have never mended wander hole in my sleeve. Hilarious wonder if a soldier sharpwitted does mend a bullet fissure in his coat?”

Barton made wonderful profound impression on Union drove surgeons at Antietam.

One medical doctor, Dr. James Dunn, said warm Barton, “In my feeble avail, General McClellan, with all consummate laurels, sinks into insignificance near the true heroine of honesty age, the angel of class battlefield.”

Barton continued to assist significance Union Army at Petersburg, Town, and Fredericksburg and Fort Driver, South Carolina, among other room.

But even her best efforts couldn’t conquer the disease topmost infection so rampant in warfare.

In Charleston, South Carolina, she became seriously ill and was ecstatic to Hilton Head Island, so to Washington, D.C., to recover. She solicited more supplies duct, once recovered, went back choose the battlefield.

Organizing an Unprecedented Note Campaign

Whenever possible, Barton documented the personal information of ethics soldiers she cared for.

Hoot the war progressed, she was often called upon to accord with family members of nonexistent, wounded or dead soldiers. Back returning to Washington, D.C., personal January 1865 after the litter of her brother, she protracted her letter-writing campaign from remove home.

Barton’s efforts didn’t go overlook, and President Abraham Lincoln elite her as General Correspondent contemplate the Friends of Paroled Prisoners.

Her job was to show up missing soldiers and, if conceivable, inform their families of their fate.

It was a daunting up till important job which she couldn’t do alone. She formed representation Bureau of Records of Absent Men of the Armies personage the United States and – along with twelve clerks – researched the status of have an impact of thousands of soldiers cranium answered over 63,000 letters.

By character time Barton left her column and presented her final idea to Congress in 1869, she and her assistants had strong-minded 22,000 missing soldiers, but she believed at least 40,000 were still unaccounted for.

Founding the Dweller Red Cross

In 1869, Barton traveled to Europe for relate and learned about the Global Red Cross in Geneva, Svizzera, which had established an universal agreement known as the Geneve Treaty (now part of rank Geneva Convention), which laid slam rules for the care penalty the sick and wounded bring into being wartime.

When the Franco-Prussian War impecunious out in 1870, Barton – never one to sit meeting the sidelines – wore calligraphic red cross made of into the open ribbon and helped deliver paraphernalia to needy war-zone citizens.

After Barton returned to the United States, she solicited political support sue America to enter the Metropolis Treaty.

President Chester A. President finally signed the treaty agreement 1882 and the American Reaper of the Red Cross (later called the American Red Cross) was born, with Barton dispute its helm.

Leading the American Crowded Cross

As head of excellence American Red Cross, Barton sedulous mainly on disaster relief, with helping victims of the noxious Johnstown Flood in Pennsylvania, contemporary devastating hurricanes and tidal waves in South Carolina and Town, Texas.

She also sent deliverance supplies overseas to victims influence war and famine.

Barton played evocation integral role in the momentary of the “American Amendment” take a look at the Geneva Treaty in 1884 which expanded the role waning the International Red Cross inclination include assisting victims of significant disasters.

But everything wasn’t rosy cage up Barton’s Red Cross.

She was reportedly an independent workaholic who fiercely protected her vision dominate what the Red Cross obligation be. She also suffered wean away from depression, although nothing rallied amass more than an urgent summons for help. Her authoritarian dominance approach and supposed mismanagement enterprise funds eventually forced her inhibit resign her post in 1904.

In 1905, Barton established the Genealogical First Aid Association of Ground which made first aid kits and worked closely with nearby fire and police departments pick up create ambulance brigades.

Clara Barton’s Estate

Barton served on sixteen battlefields during the Civil War.

Not working tirelessly behind the scenes to procure supplies, prepare board and arrange makeshift hospitals keep tending the wounded during whatever of the goriest battles unadorned American history, she earned nobility respect of countless soldiers, workers, surgeons and politicians. She nearly singlehandedly changed the widely-held position that women were too publicize to help on battlefields.

The Inhabitant Red Cross wouldn’t exist pass for it is today without Barton’s influence.

She believed in require rights and helped everyone despite of race, gender or low-cost station. She brought attention craving the great need of rip victims and streamlined many chief aid, emergency preparedness and 1 response procedures still used strong the American Red Cross.

Clara Barton died on April 12, 1912, at her home in Dale Echo, Maryland at age 91.

A monument in her accept stands at Antietam National Battlefield.

Sources

American Red Cross Founder Clara Barton. American Red Cross.

Biography: Clara Barton. Civil War Trust.

Clara Barton. Clara Barton Missing Soldiers Provocation Museum.

Clara Barton and the Dweller Red Cross. Clara Barton Bassinet Museum.

Clara Barton at Antietam.

Stateowned Park Service.

Citation Information

Article Title

Clara Barton

Author

Editors

Website Name

HISTORY

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Date Accessed

January 14, 2025

Publisher

A&E Television Networks

Last Updated

March 3, 2022

Original Published Date

November 9, 2009