“The Angel of the Battlefield”: The Life of Clara Barton

Clarissa Harlowe Barton, also know as Clara Barton, was born on December 25, 1821 in North Oxford, Massachusetts (Sahlman 1). Clara was the daughter of Stephen Barton, a farmer, and Sarah Barton, an at home mother. Clara was the youngest of five children, with two brothers and two sisters. Clara’s brothers and sisters took on a large part in caring for Clara when she was young and were responsible for most of Clara’s education. Clara started school at the age of three, which at the time was not an uncommon age to start a formal education (Biography 1). With her brothers and sisters help, Clara was able to spell three-syllable words, at the age of four (Sahlman 1). Clara f

In July 1854, Clara accepted a job as a recording clerk in a Patent Office. She worked there copying patent applications and regulations (Biography 3). In 1857, Clara lost her job when her employer resigned. But through all this, Clara never gave up her love for helping others. While unemployed Clara financially supported her nephew who had tuberculosis. Clara did this until she ran out of money (Biography 3). Shortly after ending the care for her nephew Clara was called back to her job at the Patent Office. A few months later in April 1861, the Civil War had begun (Biography 3).

In 1873, Clara returned to the United States and began a long crusade for the Treaty of Paris and the Red Cross (Sahlman 2). To help educate the public and draw support for her campaign Clara published a pamphlet, “The Red Cross of the Geneva Convention: What It Is” (Biography 2). And after several years of persistence, all Clara’s hard work paid off. On May 21, 1881 the American Red Cross was born and Clara became the president (Biography 2).

Through at first, Clara was not fully welcomed on the battle field, but with her persistence she became an asset on the front line. In 1862, Clara was allowed to deliver supplies to the front line and continued to do so for the next two years (Sahlman 1). On the battlefields Clara would feed the wounded, bandage their wounds, read them their last rites and comfort them with her words (Biography 4). She also assisted in many surgeries becoming immune to amputations that were preformed with out chloroform (Biography 4). For all that she did while on the field Clara was remarked as, “the true heroine of the age, the angle on the battlefield” (Biography 4).

Clara continued her work as the president of the American Red Cross for several more years. In 1902, Clara was presented with the Silver Cross of Imperial Russia, for her relief work in Russia several years before (Biography 3). But finally on May 14, 1904, at the age of 82, Clara Barton resigned her position as president of the American Red Cross (Biography 3).

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