Clara Barton

Clara Barton was born on Christmas day, 1821 in Oxford Massachusetts. She was the youngest of her 4 siblings by at the least 10 years of age. Growing up in a middle class family, Clara was home schooled until the age of 15, then she became the teacher. As a child, in her spare time Clara enjoyed treating sick and injured pets and neighborhood animals. When she was 11 her brother David got really sick. So then she stood aside her brother for two years. She started to learn about medicine that way. She opened a free school in New Jersey for kids who have health problems. But because she wasn?t a man she couldn?t be head of the school.

Clara was so unhappy that she quit teaching. Later she got a job as a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office. Then she quit her job as a clerk and became a volunteer for the soldiers in the Civil War. First Clara accomplished the task of starting a relief program for the injured soldiers. Next Clara was brought to attention of a medical supply shortage, and quickly organized a donation. As she arrived at the ?Cornfield? she wasted no time before acting as medical staff and distributing her supplies to surgeons. After the battle at Cedar Mountain, she appeared at a field hospital at night with a four-mule-team load of supplies.

She saved hundreds of soldiers in the battlefield that day. That?s why she was known as "the Angel of the Battlefield.?In 1864 Clara was granted the position as superintendent of the Union Nurse. She had some medical problems though. Her problem was that she was suffering from greatly tireless work. She suffered because she had done to many things that tired her out. So her physician sent her on a vacation. While she was there she read a very famous book called ?A Memory of Solferino? by Henry Dunant, the founder of the Red Cross Movement.

The Movement agreed for protection of the sick and wounded during the war.