Clara Barton Essay

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When you take a visit to the doctor’s, what do you notice? You often see diligent nurses walking around, collecting information or tending to patients. How did nursing become such a respected and honorable job? What allowed them to take advantage of opportunity and make an impact on patients everywhere? The answer lies in Clara Barton, the “battlefield angel” who not only advanced nursing and charity work, but also gave women and nurses a newfound respect which will carry over for years to come. During 1861, when the Civil War began, rivalries between the north and south were already vicious, which meant the war would only bring out tons of bloodshed. The already intensified battle for or against states rights, expansion, and slavery hit its …show more content…

Barton exemplified courage and determination by doing this, as it was no easy task. She writes in a journal, “People talk like children about ‘transporting supplies’ as if it were the easiest thing imaginable to transport supplies by wagon thirty miles across a country scouted by guerrilla bands” (Hillstrom and Hillstrom 6). Through this short passage, Clara Barton identifies that bringing medical care to the field was not a simple task, indirectly glorifying her work even more and proving it an arduous task. This new idea of direct relief on the battlefield was a huge change in medical care and was exactly what soldiers needed. They would not have to wait to travel to a care center or hospital, likely not making it, to receive care. Now, there was a huge increase in the chances of soldiers surviving an injury because it was treated on the spot. This provided global and future implications as so many more lives would be spared and eventually only more advancements in this medical technique would develop. A surgeon from the Union could testify first-hand to Barton’s heroic deeds: “I thought that night if heaven ever sent out a homely angel, [Barton] must be one [since] her assistance was so timely” (Hillstrom and Hillstrom 7). The surgeon compares Barton to an angel that came to the rescue, which was exactly what this nurse was. Barton presented herself not only when injured soldiers needed her most, but also when the nation needed her the most, during the most deadly conflict of the nation. Clara Barton earned her nickname, the Battlefield Angel from her timely arrival on the battlefield and quick relief she provided for those injured in war, inspiring many other leaders in the medical field to do the same. Today, most everyone is able to recognize Clara Barton by her nickname, illustrating that her timely and

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