Today we honor Clara Barton, who died this day on April 12, 1912. She has gone down in history as one of the most courageous women in the American Civil War, serving as a nurse on the battlefield, and later as the founder of the American Red Cross.
Clara Barton started early in life down the path of becoming a well-educated and experienced nurse, in an era when women did not attend medical school or receive other formal training in medicine. At age 3, she was sent to school, and at age 10 she began to learn how to treat various injuries and deliver medications, while also pitching in at home with various household duties. More of a tomboy, Clara tended to play with and compete with the local boys, which perhaps helped her later in life in dealing with soldiers in her nursing role. Clara became an educator at age 17, teaching in schools in her hometown of Oxford, Massachusetts. At age 31, she opened her own school in Bordentown, New Jersey. She later moved to Washington, D.C., where she took a government job at a time when women weren’t considered qualified for any serious job responsibilities; Clara didn’t fit in, and she was fired after three years of work at the U.S. Patent Office.
When the war began, Clara immediately responded to the call to serve her country by treating wounded soldiers on the battlefield, including delivering needed supplies, food, clothing and other provisions. In doing this, she initially worked outside of any official channels. Her work proved so valuable to the Union Army, however, that in 1862 she was officially authorized by the War Department to serve at the front lines. Her reputation grew, and citizens began supporting her efforts by donating supplies to the cause.Her presence on the battlefield was not without risk—at one battle she was nearly killed by a bullet that pierced her clothing but did not penetrate her body. In many cases, she performed surgery as a trained medical doctor might, due in part to the shortages of doctors. The services she provided to the Union Army were legendary, and she performed them with unfailing spirit and determination, in the face of the extreme risk to her personal safety. She was quoted as saying, “I am a soldier.” Clearly, she was also a role model for other women, and today she stands out as an early pioneer of the women’s rights movement.
Clara’s war experiences led her to pursue a 15-year odyssey to form the American Red Cross, which held its first meeting in 1881. She initially had met with resistance from the federal government, but she ultimately convinced key politicians that the Red Cross would be a valuable asset not only in time of war, but in response to natural disasters or other catastrophic events. Her work ultimately extended worldwide, as she became involved in similar efforts in Europe and the Middle East. She remained active well into her 80’s. She finally retired in 1904, and wrote her autobiography, “The Story of My Childhood.”
She died at the age of 90 at her home in Glen Echo, Maryland, which today is the Clara Barton National Historic Site. She has been portrayed in countless films and television shows, most recently in the HBO series, The Gilded Age.
So today we honor the memory of Clara Barton, a heroic figure in the history of the Civil War, and in the history of American women in medicine.
