& Nursing

• With the development and growth of the American Red Cross and the progression of nursing in America, women’s roles changed drastically and enabled them to make a difference in American society.

Born December 25th, 1821 Youngest of 5 children in a

middle class family and was home-schooled

At the young age of 11 she stayed home and took care of her younger invalid brother

She became a school teacher at age 17 and founded her own school six years later

Worked as a recording clerk in the U.S. Patent Office when federal troops of the Civil War arrived in 1861

During the 1800s, anyone could become a nurse, no skill or formal training was required

Family members generally cared for each other “Professional” nurses were little more than servants who

took care of people when their families were unable to These people were responsible for feeding, bathing,

changing bandages, administering medication, or assisting doctors in surgery

Women weren’t allowed on the battlefields during this time so most nurses were male soldiers, however, in the community, women nurses were much more frequent

1. No national army2. For soldiers food, blankets, and medical

supplies were scarce3. There were few hospitals or military

bases to send soldiers to

Clara Barton began by taking supplies to young soldiers of the Sixth Massachusetts Infantry who had been attacked in Baltimore Maryland

Barton took wounded men to her sister’s home in the city and others were housed in whatever space available including the Senate Chamber in the Capitol building

She collected items such as sewing needles, thread, thimbles, scissors, pens, buttons, strings, salves, pens, buttons, and tallow, made bandages, and asked for food donations

When people found out about Barton’s war efforts they began sending supplies for the troops directly to her instead of to the army, they thought it would get to the soldiers faster this way

Hospitals constantly ran out of supplies and there weren’t enough nurses and doctors so Barton asked her friends and others to send supplies and got a huge response

Many soldiers were dying on the battlefield of simple infections and minor wounds because they weren’t being treated quickly enough

Barton pleaded with the government and the army to let her work on the battlefield

Finally in the summer of 1862, Colonel Dan Rucker agreed to let her take supplies to troops in Fredericksburg, Virginia along with six wagons and drivers to carry the supplies

On the battlefield, Barton whispered words of comfort to the men and treated their wounds the best she could, she also unloaded blankets, food, and medicine, cooked hot meals, applied bandages, and assisted doctors in surgery

She earned the nickname “Angel in the Battlefield” for these actions

First time in history women were allowed on the battlefield

This is one of Clara Barton’s many diary entries. It describes her presidency of the American Red Cross and depicts circumstances she

faced when dealing with the Johnstown, Pennsylvania flood. This shows the involvement that she had in the American Red Cross and the

opportunities that it posed for other women to help."Keeping Memories." American Treasures of the LIbrary of Congress. 18 May 2009.      19 May 2009 <http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm011.html>.

Whose voice rang for freedom when freedom was sold. And Husband, and Etheridge, and Harlan and Case, Livermore, Alcott, Hancock and Chase, And Turner, and Hawley, and Potter and Hall, Ah! the list grows apace, as they come at the call: Did these women quail at the sight of a gun? Will some soldier tell us of one he saw run? Will he glance at the boats on the great western flood, At Pittsburgh and Shiloh, did they faint at the blood? And the brave wife of Grant stood there with them then, And her calm, stately presence gave strength to his men. And Marie of Logan; she went with them too; A bride, scarcely more than a sweetheart, 'tis true. Her young cheek grows pale when the bold troopers ride. Where the "Black Eagle" soars, she is close at his side, She staunches his blood, cools the fever-burnt breath, And the wave of her hand stays the Angle of Death; She nurses him back, and restores once again To both army and state the brave leader of men.  She has smoothed his black plumes and laid them to sleep, Whilst the angels above them their high vigils keep: And she sits here alone, with the snow on her brow - Your cheers for her comrades! Three cheers for her now. And these were the women who went to the war: The women of question; what did they go for? Because in their hearts God had planted the seed Of pity for woe, and help for its need; They saw, in high purpose, a duty to do, And the armor of right broke the barriers through. Uninvited, unaided, unsanctioned ofttimes, With pass, or without it, they pressed on the lines; They pressed, they implored, till they ran the lines through, And this was the "running" the men saw them do. 'T was a hampered work, its worth largely lost; 'T was hindrance, and pain, and effort, and cost: But through these came knowledge, - knowledge is power.- And never again in the deadliest hour Of war or of peace shall we be so beset To accomplish the purpose our spirits have met. And what would they do if war came again? The scarlet cross floats where all was blank then. They would bind on their "brassards" and march to the fray, And the man liveth not who could say to them nay; They would stand with you now, as they stood with you then, The nurses, consolers, and saviours of men.  

The women who went to the field, you say, The women who went to the field; and pray What did they go for? just to be in the way!- They'd not know the difference betwixt work and play, What did they know about war anyway? What could they do? - of what use could they be? They would scream at the sight of a gun, don't you see? Just fancy them round where the bugle notes play, And the long roll is bidding us on to the fray. Imagine their skirts 'mong artillery wheels, And watch for their flutter as they flee 'cross the fields When the charge is rammed home and the fire belches hot;- They never will wait for the answering shot. They would faint at the first drop of blood, in their sight. What fun for us boys,-(ere we enter the fight;) They might pick some lint, and tear up some sheets, And make us some jellies, and send on their sweets, And knit some soft socks for Uncle Sam's shoes, And write us some letters, and tell us the news. And thus it was settled by common consent, That husbands, or brothers, or whoever went, That the place for the women was in their own homes, There to patiently wait until victory comes. But later, it chanced, just how no one knew, That the lines slipped a bit, and some 'gan to crowd through; And they went, - where did they go? - Ah; where did they not? Show us the battle, - the field, - or the spot Where the groans of the wounded rang out on the air That her ear caught it not, and her hand was not there, Who wiped the death sweat from the cold, clammy brow, And sent home the message; - "'T is well with him now"? Who watched in the tents, whilst the fever fires burned, And the pain-tossing limbs in agony turned, And wet the parched tongue, calmed delirium's strife Till the dying lips murmured, " My Mother," " My Wife"! And who were they all? - They were many, my men: Their record was kept by no tabular pen: They exist in traditions from father to son. Who recalls, in dim memory, now here and there one.- A few names where writ, and by chance live to-day; But's a perishing record fast fading away. Of those we recall, there are scarcely a score, Dix, Dame, Bickerdyke, - Edson, Harvey and Moore, Fales, Wittenmeyer, Gilson, Safford and Lee, And poor Cutter dead in the sands of the sea; And Frances D. Gage, our "Aunt Fanny" of old,

By: Clara Barton

People’s perception of women during this

time

Women’s role in the

war

Women’s duty to country

and to the troops

Women will forever be there to

assist in war or in times of disaster

"The Women Who Went to the Field" was written by Clara Barton as a toast to women who served in the Civil War.  The poem was read during a reception on November 18, 1892 at the Willard Hotel in Washington, D. C. for the Potomac Relief Corps, a unit of the National Woman's Relief Corps.

"Clara Barton." Nps.gov. National Park Service. 19 May 2009      <http://www.nps.gov/clba/historyculture/fieldpoem.htm>.

As the war continued, the army became more organized and better supplied

The War Board had much to do with this and began handling financial matters and ordering equipment and supplies for the troops

They appointed Dorothea Dix to create the official Department of Women Nurses

She worked to promote better prison conditions, and improve the treatment of people with mental illnesses

The army had finally realized the value of women in the war effort The Civil War provided many opportunities for women to bravely

serve their country

◊ Clara Barton struggled with discouragement, depression, and insecurity as well as rejection and betrayal. She overcame these obstacles to be one of the most influential women in history by founding the American Red Cross, advancing nursing in America, and paving the way for women to take part in and make a difference in their society.

This picture shows the nurses and officers of the U.S. Sanitary Commission during the Civil War in Fredericksburg, VA in May of 1864. Since the women are in the picture with the highest ranked men in the war it shows that their social status had skyrocketed through their role of nursing during this time.

This is Sister M.M. Joseph of the Sisters of Mercy and she along with others of her order served in the military hospital at Beaufort, NC. This proves that women of all kinds were coming from all over the county to help in the war and take advantage of the opportunities that had been created for them.

Founded on May 21st, 1881 by Clara Barton Upon visiting Europe she heard of the Swiss-inspired

International Red Cross movement and was eager to bring the Red Cross to America

Barton headed the ARC for 23 years Conducted its first domestic and overseas disaster relief

efforts Aided the U.S. in the Spanish-American War Campaigned for the inclusion of peace-time relief work

“American Amendment” Received charters in 1900 and 1905

Still remains in effect today Establishes purposes of the organization giving relief to the

members of the Armed Forces and their families and providing national and international disaster relief

Before WWI, the ARC introduced its first aid, water safety, and nursing programs

The war skyrocketed its success Between 1914 and 1918 membership grew from 17,000

to more than 20 million adult members and 11 million junior members

The public contributed $400 million in funds and materials for American and Allied forces and refugees

The ARC staffed hospitals and ambulance companies and recruited nurses to serve in the military

When the worldwide influenza of 1918 came to America, nurses came forward to help treat it

After WWI, ARC focused on veterans and enhanced its programs in safety training, accident prevention, home care for the sick, and nutrition education

The Red Cross organized non-professional women to aid in relief work to help the war effort

Many women joined the Red Cross as nurses, rolling bandages, knitting socks, and working in military hospitals

A women’s bureau was created by the Red Cross War Council to recruit women of all classes everywhere to raise funds and make supplies

Women were also given the opportunity to go overseas as members of the Voluntary Aid Detachment of the Red Cross This gave them independence and required them to leave the

house Opportunities within the Red Cross and in the war gave way

to other organizations such as the Young Women Christian Association and the National Organization for Girls Gave women a new confidence and independence to not only

participate in society but to lead groups and organizations of their own

In April of 1918 the Navy had 160 nurses on active duty As the Nurse Corps expanded to meet growing war demands,

the amount of nurses increased by 8 times Many women volunteered to join the Voluntary Aid

Detachment (VAD) and First Aid Nursing Yeomanry (FANY) In the FANY women drove ambulances, ran soup kitchens, and

organized baths for the soldiers Medical training was basic but they were able to help many

badly wounded soldiers and give them basic medical treatment out on the battlefields

◊ With these responsibilities and others brought upon them by the war, women were able to establish themselves as active members of their society through the Red Cross and their roles as nurses.

World War II called once again for the services of the ARC to the U.S. military, Allies, and Civilian War victims

Enrolled more than 104,000 nurses for military service, prepared 27 million packages for prisoners of war and shipped supplies overseas

Started a blood program that collected 13.3 million pints of blood for the armed forces

Introduced the first nationwide civilian blood program which now supplies more than 50% of blood in the country

The American Red Cross Society is the largest humanitarian organization in the U.S.

It responds to over 67,000 disasters each year including floods, earthquakes, outbreaks of disease and illness, household fires, and transportation incidents

Through the development of nursing and the opportunities presented by the American

Red Cross, women

established themselves as

active members of their society.

"Clara Barton: Founder of the American Red Cross." American Red Cross. 18 May      2009 <http://www.redcross.org/museum/history/claraBarton.asp>.

Ditchfield, Christin. Clara Barton: Founder of the American Red Cross. New York,      NY: Scholastic Inc., 2004.

Kim, Tae H. "Where Women Worked During World War I." Seattle General Strike      Project. 2003 . 18 May 2009 <http://depts.washington.edu/labhist/      strike/kim.shtml>.

"Red Cross History." American Red Cross. 13 May 2009 <http://www.redcross.org/ portal/site/en/menuitem.86f46a12f382290517a8f210b80f78a0/ ?vgnextoid=271a2aebdaadb110VgnVCM10000089f0870aRCRD&vgnextfmt=default>.