Clara Barton

Clara Barton

Civil War heroine Clara Barton was born on December 25, 1821 in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Before becoming a field nurse in the Civil War, Clara had been a teacher for a short while before she learned about working for the government while working in the patent office. A few years passed and as the Civil War has brewed up, and Clara wanted some way of aiding in the war. At first she only had the duty of getting people to donate supplies but soon she got permission to serve on the battlefield as a nurse. She was said by many soldiers to be like an "angel" when she came to their aid. Clara was nicknamed by newspapers as the "angel on the battlefield". She was fearless when it to came to helping men and left no man behind. After the war ended, Barton helped find over 22,000 missing soldiers. Clara then took a vacation to Europe where she learned about the Red Cross and came back to form the American National Red Cross Association. Clara Barton died on April 13, 1912 at the age of 90. She was known for her brave heroics on the battlefield and the caring of people off the battlefield that made her a national hero and icon.