Clara Barton Essay

Clara Barton was a woman of incredible stamina and valor to whom America as a whole owes much. Her efforts in the Civil War are well remembered and well documented. Her bravery in helping wounded soldiers on the battlefield set her apart from other women of her time, initiating her social work for years to come. The skills she learned as a child she used for the good of humanity. The far reaching influence of Clara Barton’s tireless work helped to drastically improve the healthcare of the United States, and expand medical horizons.
Clara experienced a special childhood. She was very sheltered by her family and with that came immense shyness that she would later have to overcome. Her older brothers and sisters each took special interest in …show more content…
Her horseback riding lessons would serve her well on the battlefield as she would find herself “…on a strange horse in a trooper’s saddle, flying for life or liberty in the front of pursuit.”. Clara’s father “Captain” Barton and his many battle stories along with military and political lore familiarized her with the ways of war. When she found herself amidst combat, she writes that she was “far less a stranger to the conditions… and never addressed a colonel as captain, got my cavalry on foot, or mounted my infantry” which was more than most women of that time or ordinary men could …show more content…
In Fredericksburg, she was the only woman to be found in the town that was about to be devastated by the effects of war. The Marshal General Patrick, who served as a Union volunteer, informed her that she was alone and in great danger. After asking her if she wanted protection, she responded by saying that I am “the best-protected woman in the United States.” The soldiers nearby responded with “that’s so, that’s so” and gave a cheer. On that day, many of her ‘dear boys’ would be killed and horribly wounded but she worked all night to give them medical attention and to keep them warm to which they were ever