The Angel of the Battlefield

Angel of the Battlefield

Clara Barton once said, "I have an almost disregard of precedent and a faith in the possibility of something better. It irritates me to be told how things have always been doneÐ'... I defy the tyranny of precedent. I cannot afford the luxury of a closed mind. I go for anything new that might improve the past" (Lewis 1). Also known at the Angel of the Battlefield during the Civil War, Clara Barton is a great heroine for her many achievements such as: establishing a free public school in Bordentown, New Jersey, tending to and distributing supplies to the soldiers in the Civil War, forming the American Red Cross.

Born on December 25, 1821 in Oxford, Massachusetts, Clara Barton was the youngest of five children and the next eldest was ten years older than she (Faust 1). Her father, Stephen Barton, was a farmer and state legislator. Her mother, Sally Stone-Barton, stayed at home like most mothers in those days (Gale "Clara Barton" 1). Clara began to learn how to read and write at an early age because of her older brothers and sisters. At eleven, she experienced nursing for the first time when one of her brothers fell from the roof of the barn and was badly hurt. Clara was very dedicated to her brother and his healing for two years (1). At age fifteen she started teaching in many schools around the area (Faust 1).

She accomplished many things in her years. In 1853, Clara worked at the U.S. Patents Office as the first female clerk, making the same wages as the male clerks ("The Biography" 3). Clara Barton served as a nurse in the Civil War starting in 1861. She was never married but was always very dedicated to helping people. She led a great life and left a lot of good things behind. Clara died in her home in Glen Echo, Maryland on April 12, 1912 ("Clara Barton" 4).

Clara Barton loved teaching and was always helping people in life. She taught for many years in her hometown and then went to New York. She spent a year in the western part of the state getting a formal education. After that, she went to Bordentown, New Jersey and began teaching at a "subscription school", which is where parents of the students had to help pay the teacher's salary ("Clara Barton" 2). It hurt her when she noticed how many children were not attending school simply because their parents could not afford it. This did not seem fair the Barton so she offered to teach for free as long as the town would provide her a building (2). The enrollment of students was amazing. It went from six kids the first day, to twenty the next, and within a year there were hundreds of students attending Barton's free public school (2). It is wonderful to think how many lives Clara Barton changed in her years. Teaching was something she was passionate about and she really proved it. If it were not for Clara Barton those several hundred students would have gone without an education.

Not only was Clara Barton passionate about teaching, she was also very motivated to help others. Her involvement in the Civil War really shows her heroism and passion. She resigned from the U.S. Patent Office in 1861 to begin delivering supplies to the troops in the Civil War (Gale "Clarissa Harlowe" 2). She started her fabulous efforts by collecting bandages, medical supplies and clothing. After collecting items for a while, she was given permission to deliver everything she collected personally (2). When she got to the battlefields, she noticed how horrible the medical services were. Clara Barton was so kindhearted that once she was there, she stayed to help decrease the amount of Chaos in the hospitals ("The Biography" 4).

Clara Barton was a very strong woman and could overcome almost anything. She was called the "Angel of the Battlefield", for her courageous actions and care for the wounded soldiers ("The Biography" 4). It is outrageous to think that the only experience with medicine before the war was when one of her brothers fell off the roof of the barn and she nursed him for two years. Clara Barton had the natural gift to nurse; it was a second nature to her to tend to others.

After the war was over and Clara Barton thought about the chaos in the hospitals, she decided she would do something. An idea was brought before her while she was in Europe. Dr. Louis Appia of the International Convention of