Who is Clara Barton?
Wednesday, April 16th, 2008Who is Clara Barton?
Clara Barton was an American teacher and nurse who lived during the late 1800’s. She is best remembered for organizing the American Red Cross.
After the Battle of Bull Run in April of 1862, the first major land battle of the American Civil War, Barton put years of nursing experience to good use. She established an agency that would collect and distribute supplies to injured soldiers and, later that same year, obtained permission to travel behind the lines to deliver medical supplies and care for the wounded. In 1865, President Abraham Lincoln placed Barton at the head of searching for missing Union Army men, a work she continued after the conclusion of the war.
On a trip to Europe in 1870, Barton became involved with the International Committee of the Red Cross. When Barton returned to the United States, she started a campaign to begin an American branch of the Red Cross. Barton became the organization’s first president in 1881, a position she held until her resignation in 1904.