How Did Clara Barton Contribute To The Civil War

When one thinks of the Civil War, they normally think of the generals or the soldiers actually fighting in the battles. But what about the people behind the scenes? Who cared for these soldiers and brave men before, during, and after battles? Clara Barton is one of the most honored women in American history exactly for this. She is known as the Angel of the Battlefield. This is because she helped and aided many wounded soldiers during the war, she found thousands of missing men, and she established the American Red Cross.

Clara Barton was born in Massachusetts in 1821, being the youngest of six children. Before Barton devoted her time to the Civil War, she was a clerk, a book keeper, and a teacher for several years. Clara Barton became a

Because she wanted to do more with her life, Barton began her Civil War service when she decided to take supplies to the men of the Sixth Massachusetts Infantry. These men were attacked in Baltimore, Maryland. Barton soon realized that some of these men were some that she had grown up with or even taught. She immediately started calling them, “her boys”. Barton was one of the first volunteers to appear at the Washington Infantry to care for wounded soldiers. In the late 1861, Barton went to go among the soldiers in the field instead of in the hospitals. 1 During the Battle of Antietam, Barton’s supplies and presence was greatly needed. There was overworked surgeons who were not able to perform to the best of their abilities. Barton is said to have prayed for strength to meet the “terrible duties” ahead. During this battle, Clara Barton worked very close to the battlefield. While treated a soldier, a bullet once tore through her sleeve and killed the soldier she was aiding.2 She rarely left the hospital tents, to which, day and night, came a

All of Barton’s supplies came from the army quartermaster in Washington, D.C., donations, or her very own money. However, after the war ended she was reimbursed for buying supplies by Congress.1 Barton was never satisfied with just helping the wounded the soldiers. She wanted to do more. This is why she established the Office of Correspondence with Friends of the Missing Men of the United States Army. President Abraham Lincoln encouraged the friends of missing persons to give her their name, regiment, and company so she could locate them. 3 With this Clara Barton and her assistants located over 22,000 missing