Clara Barton National Historic Site

Clara Barton and the American Red Cross

You have never known me without work; while able, you never will. It has always been a part of the best religion I had.

In an era when women rarely ventured outside the sphere of family and home, this shy woman rose from a middle-class background to the ranks of American heroes. Her journey is one of determination, bottomless compassion, and an ability to seize opportunities that came her way.

Civil War

Clarissa Harlowe Barton was born the youngest of five children on December 25, 1821, in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Stephen and Sarah Barton raised their family to value education and public service above personal gain. Clara, as she was known, started teaching school at age 17. In 1854 she moved to Washington, D.C., and worked as a clerk in the U.S. Patent Office; she was one of only a few women employed by the Federal Government. Situated in the nation’s capital at the outbreak of the Civil War, she was ready for the work that would earn her worldwide fame. "This conflict is one thing I’ve been waiting for," she told a friend. "I’m well and strong and young – young enough to go to the front. If I can’t be soldier, I’ll help soldiers." At first she solicited donations of supplies for Union soldiers, which she stored in her home. Beginning in 1862 she went onto the battlefields, risking her life to nurse the wounded and dying, and writing letters to soldiers’ families. Barton worked alongside other relief groups, such as the U.S. Sanitary Commission and U.S. Christian Commission, but she preferred to work alone, unhampered by organizations and interference.

After the Civil War, Clara Barton continued her charitable activities, using her growing fame to lend prestige to her causes. She opened an office to seek information on missing soldiers. She helped identify thousands of gravesites in the former prison camp at Andersonville, Georgia, and was instrumental in establishing its national cemetery. She also spoke publicly in support of rights for African Americans and women. In her writings and lectures Barton projected confidence and authority. Yet the private Clara Barton was often fearful and fragile. By 1869 she needed a rest. She traveled to Europe and there learned of a worldwide war relief movement. Jean-Henri Dunant, a Swiss banker, had witnessed an 1859 battle in Italy. More than 30,000 dead and wounded were left on the battlefield. Horrified, Dunant publicized the need for battlefield relief in his book, Un Souvenir de Solferino. His work inspired the 1864 Treaty of Geneva, which set international conventions for treatment of the wounded and established the International Red Cross to aid those suffering as a result of war.

Franco Prussian War

Barton worked with war-stricken civilians during the Franco Prussian War. When she returned to the United States she was determined to promote the idea of the Red Cross at home. It was a difficult job. She endured bouts of poor health, uncooperative government officials, and public apathy. She persevered, and in 1882 the U.S. Senate ratified the Treaty of Geneva. That year the American Red Cross was officially chartered. Clara Barton ran the American Red Cross with the highly personal style she had exhibited during the Civil War. As president from 1881 to 1904 she directed relief, garnered supplies, and expanded the organization. Barton’s greatest innovation was to engage the Red Cross in peacetime and natural disaster aid, with more than 18 relief efforts to her credit. Largely because of her influence, the International Red Cross officially recognized peacetime work through its 1884 "American Amendment" to the Geneva Treaty.

Spanish American War

During the Spanish American War of 1898 76-year-old Barton directed relief efforts from Cuba. Though the Red Cross aid was timely and competent, the war exposed the limitations of its inner workings as well as its inability to meet the needs of the modern nation. Alarmed, several Red Cross members began to press for Barton’s resignation. They considered Barton too old, disorganized, and unbusinesslike to deal with the expanding Red Cross. She resigned in 1904.

Barton returned to her voluminous correspondence and her interest in the feminist movement. In 1905 she established the National First Aid Association of America to educate communities about emergency preparedness. At home in Glen Echo she read, wrote, gardened, and enjoyed the antics of her cats and horse. Here she remained until her death in 1912.