Clara Barton: "Angel of the Battlefield" (23)

 

In response to the understaffed and dangerous conditions of war hospitals, Clara Barton worked tirelessly with the Union army as one of the first female battlefield nurses.

 

Barton was one of the first to volunteer at the Washington Infirmary to care for wounded soldiers directly following the outbreak of the war. Eventually, however, Barton left the hospital and actually moved to the battlefield. Throughout the war, Barton would travel with Union supply wagons, helping with Union casualties and Confederate prisoners, especially at the Battle of Antietam, where surgeons were incredibly over-worked. Because resources were so limited during the war, most of the medical supplies were either paid for by donations given to Barton or by Barton herself (24).

 

One of Barton's most remarkable accomplishments during the war was her Morris Island Campaign. Morris Island, in South Carolina, was in desperate need of help, as the numbered of injured and sick soldiers was growing rapidly. There, Barton helped by passing out fresh food and mail to soldiers in the trenches (25).