Index to Clara Barton's Pages

Index to

Clara Barton's Pages

Civil War era picture of Clara Barton

Image of Clara Barton at age 54,
courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Clara Barton is best known as being the founder of the American Red Cross and, prior to this significant achievement, as a nurse who tended to countless wounded soldiers on Civil War battlefields. Her tireless, compassionate work during the Battle of Antietam in the Civil War would inspire praise of her as being "the true heroine of the age, the angel of the battlefield"—the latter part of the phrase associated with her name thereafter. But why this courageous woman chose to pursue a challenging and difficult career path despite great obstacles, and how much else she accomplished and endured in her long and productive life, is just as noteworthy as the work for which she is well remembered.

The Biography of Clara Barton

"The True Heroine of the Age": Page 1, Page 2

Clara Barton's Pages

A Monument to Clara Barton at Antietam
Places in the Life of Clara Barton
"The Women Who Went to the Field"

Related Pages at this Web Site

Louisa May Alcott's Sketch of a Civil War Hospital Patient
Philip Kearny: An American Soldier's Gallant Fight in the Battle of Solferino

Clara Barton: "The True Heroine of the Age" - Page 1 of Clara Barton's biography covers the first half of her life, from childhood to the Civil War. Page 2 concludes her life story, detailing her years of work with the American Red Cross.

A Monument to Clara Barton at Antietam - A monument to Clara Barton stands at the Poffenberger Farm at Antietam National Battlefield. Included on this page is a photo of the monument, and the text of the monument's inscription.

Places in the Life of Clara Barton - This page includes photos of the old Patent Office building and the American National Red Cross Headquarters in Washington, D.C., along with photos of Clara's final home at Glen Echo, Maryland, established as Clara Barton National Historic Site in 1974.

"The Women Who Went to the Field" - This poem by Clara Barton is a powerful tribute to the courage and endurance of Civil War nurses who came to the aid of countless wounded and dying soldiers on and off the battlefield.

Louisa May Alcott's Sketch of a Civil War Hospital Patient - Louisa May Alcott, author of the novel Little Women, served as a nurse in Washington, D.C. Following her experience in the hospital, she wrote about her account in Hospital Sketches, published in 1863. This page features an excerpt from the book.

Philip Kearny: An American Soldier's Gallant Fight in the Battle of Solferino - The Battle of Solferino, fought June 24, 1859, was key in the Italian Campaign of the Franco-Austrian War, and also found Philip Kearny proving his bravery in combat, earning him the Cross of the Legion of Honor. From the horrors of this battle the International Red Cross was born, founded in 1864 by (Jean) Henri Dunant, eyewitness to the slaughter. This organization would serve as a model for the American Association of the Red Cross, established by Clara Barton in 1881.