Clarissa Harlowe Barton

(http://www.redcross.org/about-us/history/clara-barton ())

It is the Civil War, and you are on the battlefield when you get hit by a stray bullet. There is no medic in sight, then suddenly, a Woman appears. She pulls you out of the battle, and nurses you along with others back to health.This person is Clara Barton, also known as the "Angel of the Battlefield." ("Clara Barton ' American Red Cross Founder") "Clarissa Harlowe Barton was born on Christmas Day, 1821, in a farmhouse in the small Massachusetts town of North Oxford. Clarissa (shortened to "Clara") was the last child in a family of three girls and two boys. Barton later recalled her middle-class background as a "humble life" in "small environments." Her brothers taught her to drive nails, tie knots, and ride a pony bareback. Her mother and sisters taught her to sew, cook, make soap, and tend the garden, activities that were suspended every Sunday when the family piled into the pews of the Old Oxford Universalist Church. Her soldier father's teaching underscored his belief that "next to Heaven our highest duty was to... serve our country and... support its laws" ("Clara Barton" Historic World Leaders). One day, Clara's brother hurt himself, which resulted in Clara having to learn how to nurse. She spent two years nursing him back to health. ("Clara Barton" Historic World Leaders) She used this knowledge later in her life, when she assisted soldiers in the Civil War, and Various other battles. Along with her assistance in the battlefield, she also founded the American Red Cross in 1881, which she ran until 1904. ("Clara Barton ' American Red Cross Founder") Clara passed away on April 12th, 1912. ("Clara Barton ' American Red Cross Founder") To be a hero, a person must have some form of bravery and they need to care for others more than themselves. Clara Barton has a caring nature and is selfless, which makes her a hero others should aspire to be.

( (http://mercystreetpbs.com/clarabarton/))

One reason Clara Barton is a hero is her Caring nature. You can see an example of this when her brother fell and became ill. "During a barn raising, her brother David fell from a timber and suffered a persistent headache and slight fever. The recommended treatment of cupping and leeching was prescribed. Nursing him, Barton's hands became schooled to "handling the great loathsome crawling leeches which were at first so many snakes." After almost two years and little relief, a young physician suggested the "steam cure." A secondary prescription of rest, healthful foods, and banishment of leeches exacted a cure, and Barton's nursing once again gave way to normal family activity, as she helped her older sister Sally with her children in endless family chores and for a time enjoyed working in her brothers' mill" ("Clara Barton" Historic World Leaders). When her brother fell ill, Clara dropped everything she was doing to learn nursing and help her brother. She did this for two years, until he healed, showing how she is a very caring person. A more notable example of her caring nature is her creating the American Red Cross, and running it for over a decade. "In 1892, she organized assistance for Russians suffering from famine by shipping them 500 railroad cars of Iowa cornmeal and flour. After a hurricane and tidal wave left over 5,000 dead on the Sea Islands of South Carolina in 1893, Barton's Red Cross labored for 10 months helping the predominantly African-American population recover and reestablish their agricultural economy. In 1896, Barton directed relief operations on behalf of victims of unrest in Turkey and Armenia, the sole woman and only Red Cross advocate the Turkish government allowed to intervene. During her last relief operation, in 1900, Barton distributed over $120,000 in financial assistance and supplies to survivors of the hurricane and tidal wave that struck Galveston, Texas, and caused more than 6,000 deaths" ("Clara Barton ' American Red Cross Founder"). Not only was she the one that brought the Red Cross to America, but she also ran and organized it for years. Clara wanted to make sure that the American Red Cross was helping as many people as possible, which is why she ran it for over a decade. Through her actions, Clara has shown that she is a caring person who wants to improve everyone's future.

Another reason that Clara Barton is a hero is that she is selfless. As mentioned earlier, Clara assisted many soldiers on the battlefield. She didn't just focus on helping the Union soldiers, though. She tended to both sides. Her admirers said that, despite her love of the Union cause, when she worked in the battlefield, she never discriminated between soldiers from the North or the South. Although she did not yet know about the Red Cross of Geneva, she was already an advocate of total neutrality in war relief efforts" ("Clara (Clarissa Harlowe) Barton" Science and Its Times) She put any prejudice she may have had past her, and helped anyone that had been wounded, She may have not agreed with their viewpoint, be she realized they were still people, and she helped them. She also put her own well being aside to help others in a war zone. An example of this is during the battle of Antietam. "Barton was never satisfied with remaining with medical units at the rear of the column-hours or even days away from a fight. At Antietam, she ordered the drivers of her supply wagons to follow the cannon and traveled all night, actually pulling ahead of military medical units. While the battle raged, she and her associates dashed about bringing relief and hope to the field. She nursed, comforted, and cooked for the wounded. In the face of danger, she wrote, "I always tried . . . to succor the wounded until medical aid and supplies could come up-I could run the risk; it made no difference to anyone if I were shot or taken prisoner'" ("Clara Barton ' American Red Cross Founder"). In an attempt to get to the wounded soldiers quicker, her and her group rushed ahead of the other medical units, and ran straight into the battlefield. She believed that the lives of the soldiers were more important than her own, which is why she went so close to the battle, even though she could be captured or killed. Clara Barton has made it clear that she gives the lives of others a higher priority than her own, and she helps anyone who has been hurt, making her selfless.

I consider Clara Barton a hero because she heavily cares for others, and is selfless. She spent years aiding soldiers and she founded the Red Cross, which she ran for over a decade. Clara Barton is an inspiration because she saw her times as a Nurse and President of the Red Cross not as a job, but a commitment to assisting others all over America. "With the news that her sister was ill with stomach cancer, in 1873 Barton returned home. Days after Sally's death in May of the following year, Barton suffered a nervous breakdown and remained an invalid for two years. Several medical men were consulted to treat her variety of symptoms. By 1876, she signed herself into a sanitarium in Dansville, New York, where an emphasis was placed on "psychohygiene," a combination of cheerful atmosphere, healthful foods, exercise and intellectual stimulation. In time, Barton regained her strength. Her health restored, she turned her attention to forming an American Red Cross Society to help those engaged in the war between Russia and Turkey in 1877" ("Clara Barton" Historic World Leaders). She never gave up, and even during difficult times, she wanted to assist others. To this day, Clara's achievements have led to thousands of lives being saved by the efforts of the American Red Cross, proving that she is the embodiment of a hero.