Clara Barton Character Analysis

Clara Barton once said, “This conflict is one thing I've been waiting for. I'm well and strong and young - young enough to go to the front. If I can't be a soldier, I'll help soldiers.”Throughout her lifetime of philanthropy, Barton never failed to show her kindred spirit to everyone she encountered, from students to soldiers. Born on Christmas Day in 1821 in Oxford Massachusetts, Barton was the youngest of five children, being at least ten years younger than her other siblings. At a young age her heart was went out to the injured soldiers on the battlefields as she empathized with their sufferings through the war stories her father read to her. Despite the bravery displayed throughout her actions, she started off as a very shy child. In fact, she challenged this character trait and refused to let it limit her when she immersed
She also cared for the 6th Massachusetts after being injured in the Baltimore Riot, and organized relief for the soldiers. Hearing of the wounded from First Bull Run, she poured herself into aiding the soldiers and arranged a donation fund to acquire medical supplies. During the Civil War, she sought out how she could best help the war effort and filled the need for organization as well as the administration of medicine, food and supplies to the army. She independently orchestrated assistance on the war front, using supplies she bought herself. Her work with caring for the wounded was tedious and incessant, and recounted, “I cannot tell you how many times I have moved with my whole family [the Army] of a thousand or fifteen hundred and with a half hour’s notice in the night.” She traveled to many camps and outposts throughout the war, witnessing some of the most gruesome battles in the Civil War. Throughout her efforts, she was present for Cedar Mountain, Virginia. Second Manassas, Virginia. Antietam, Maryland. and Fredericksburg,