Clara Barton: A Brief Biographical Sketch

Clara Barton: A Brief Biographical Sketch

Originally published in 1884 as a portion of the book â€œOur Famous Women: An Authorized Record of Their Live and Deeds,â€ this Kindle edition, equivalent in length to a physical book of approximately 24 pages, describes the life and work of the American teacher, social activist, and nurse who founded the American Red Cross.

Sample passage:
Clara Barton was in Washington when these soldiers of her own State arrived there from Baltimore, where the first blood of the war had been shed. She was among those who met them at the station; she saw the forty wounded men taken to the Infirmary, and the rest quartered at the Capitol; and she visited both with such help as she could command. On account of the suddenness of the call, little provision had been made, in a regular way, for the hungry crowd at the Capitol, and she caused food to be brought in great baskets, and distributed among the men, while she read to them from the Speakerâ€™s desk an account of their own progress from Boston to Washington, as it had been recorded in the daily papers. From that hour she identified herself with the soldiers in their risks and sufferings.

During the campaign of the Peninsula, her custom was to go down the Potomac on the boats which carried provisions to the army and returned loaded with wounded men, taking with her such things as would give them relief and refreshment until they could be cared for in the hospitals. In this way she became a medium of communication between the soldiers and their friends at homeâ€”she writing letters for the men, and receiving such comforts and delicacies as were entrusted to her care for them. Not only was her own room soon filled with these contributions; she hired several spacious storerooms, which continually overflowed.

It became a serious problem how to get these thingsâ€”the offerings of individuals, of churches or of town societiesâ€”to the persons for whom they were intended. As regiments were ordered further away from Washington, the difficulty increased. But Miss Barton determined that if she could compass it, they should at least reach the rank and file of the army. Meanwhile, other matters perplexed and troubled her yet more.

On her errands of mercy down the river, she was constantly distressed at the sight of sufferings which might have been avoided, could the wounded men have been attended to on the battlefield where they fell. They were sent up from the swamps of the Chickahominy, covered with mud and gore, in which they had lain for days. There was no relief for them, except of the voluntary kind Miss Barton gave, until they were landed at Washington.

About the author:
Lucy Larcom (1824-1893) was an American writer of poetry and prose. Other works include â€œA New England Girlhood,â€ â€œMy Mountains,â€ and â€œThe Unseen Friend.â€

Country	USA
Author	Lucy Larcom
Binding	Kindle Edition
Format	Kindle eBook
Label	A. J. Cornell Publications
Manufacturer	A. J. Cornell Publications
NumberOfPages	17
PublicationDate	2011-07-08
Publisher	A. J. Cornell Publications
ReleaseDate	2011-07-08
Studio	A. J. Cornell Publications

Clara Barton: A Brief Biographical Sketch

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