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Birth
Clarissa Harlowe Barton was born, the youngest of five siblings. Born in North Oxford, Massachusetts. -
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Education
Clara Barton did not go to school. She learned everything she did from her older sisters and brothers who taught her at home. -
School
L. N. Fowler advised Clara's parents to send her to school. -
Teaching
Clara Barton passed examinations and started teaching in areas near Oxford, Massachusetts. -
Dorothea's Death
Clara Barton's sister, Dorothea (Dolly) Barton died. -
Building A School
Clara Barton established a school for the children of her brother's mill workers. -
Sarah's Death
Clara Barton's mother, Sarah Barton, died. -
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Public School
She founded the first free public school in Bordentown, New Jersey. -
DC
Clara moved to Washington, DC, where she worked as a recording clerk. She was paid $1,400 per year. -
Massachusetts
Barton returned to Massachusetts and lived with relatives and friends after her position at the Patent Office was eliminated by the administration of President James Buchanan. -
Baltimore, Maryland
Several soldiers arrived in DC, beaten and Clara temporarily quartered them in the Senate Chamber of the US Capital and provided supplies from her own household. -
Bull Run
Tended to soldiers as they arrived in DC. Established a distribution agency after receiving additional supplies sent in response to an advertisement. -
Stephen's Death
Her father, Stephen Barton, died. On his deathbed, his encouraged Clara to continue her patriotic support for the Union. -
Supplies
She gained official permission to transport supplies to battlefields. -
Cedar Mountain
This was the first documented battle at which Clara Barton served in the field. Arriving on August 13, she spent two days and nights tending the wounded. Before leaving, she provided assistance at a field hospital for Confederate prisoners. -
South Mountain
Aided the wounded at battles near Harper's Ferry and South Mountain. -
Antietam
Arrived prior to battle with the Army of the Potomac. Provided surgeons. During the battle she was nearly killed when a bullet passed through the sleeve of her dress, killing the wounded man she was attending. Although lacking medical training, at the insistence of a wounded soldier, she extracted a bullet from his cheek, using her pocket knife. Working for several days following the conflict, Miss Barton was weakened by typhoid fever. -
Hilton Head
Arrived at Hilton Head, South Carolina, in preparation for the anticipated bombardment of Charleston. She joined Captain David Barton, her brother and an Army Quartermaster, and Steven E. Barton, her fifteen year old nephew who was serving in the military telegraph office. She met and befriended Colonel John J. Elwell. -
Slavery
Met Frances D. Gage, together they worked to educate former slaves and prepare them for their life beyond slavery. Barton developed an interest in the growing movement for equal rights among women and African Americans. -
Private Homes
Arranged for the opening of private homes for the care of wounded with the assistance of Senator Henry Wilson, chairman of the Military Affairs Committee. -
Diet
Barton is placed in charge of diet and nursing at a X Corps hospital near Point of Rocks, Virginia, appointed by Army of the James Commander Major General Benjamin F. Butler. The "flying hospital" served the wounded from the almost daily fighting outside Petersburg. -
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Stephen's Death
Barton cared for her dying brother, Stephen Barton. -
Andersonville
Aided largely by records kept by prison survivor Dorance Atwater, Barton assisted in the locating and marking of nearly 13,000 Union graves. She raised the US flag at the dedication of Andersonville National Cemetery on August 17, 1865. -
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Lectures
Delivered over 200 lectures throughout the northeast and midwest regarding her Civil War experiences. She shared platforms with other prominent figures including Frederick Douglass, Ralph Waldo Emerson, William Lloyd Garrison, and Mark Twain. She often earned $75 to $100 per lecture. -
Suffrage Movement
Met Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. The resulting friendships aligned Miss Barton with the suffrage movement. -
Europe
On the advice of her doctor, Clara Barton travelled to Europe to regain her health. While visiting Switzerland, she met Dr. Louis Appia, and, for the first time, read about the International Red Cross. -
Closing Office of Correspondence
Closed The Office of Correspondence with Friends of the Missing Men of the United States Army, having received and answered 63,182 letters and identified 22,000 missing men. -
Friendship
Barton met and established a lifelong freindship with the Grand Duchess Louise of Baden, daughter of Kaiser Wilhelm I. Under the sponsorship of the Grand Duchess and the International Red Cross, Clara left for the besieged city of Strasbourg, France. She met Antoinette Margot, who became her co-worker, travelling companion, and translator. In Strasbourg, they organized relief efforts and established sewing factories in order to provide clothing for the residents and employment for women. -
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Eyesight
Temporarily lost her eyesight. Move to England to recuperate. -
Sally's Death
Clara Barton's sister, Sally Barton Vassall, died. -
New York
Moved to Dansville, New York, first to a sanitarium and later to her own home. Relaxation, a healthful diet, and congenial company allowed her to regain her health. She met Julian Hubbell, a chemistry teacher, who eventually became her most devoted follower. -
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Red Cross
Concentrated on educating the public and garnering support for an American society of the Red Cross. She wrote and distributed the pamphlet, The Red Cross of the Geneva Convention. What It Is. She met with President Rutherford B. Hayes to inform him about the Red Cross and enlisted the aid of friends to help publicize the organization. -
Red Cross Formed
The American Association of the Red Cross was formed. Barton was elected president at a meeting held June 9 in Washington, DC. -
Superintendent
Was appointed superintendent of the Massachusetts Reformatory Prison for Women in Sherborn. She accepted the temporary position at the request of Governor Benjamin F. Butler, but resigned after eight months. She spoke at the International Conference on Prison Reform held in Saratoga, New York. -
David's Death
Clara's brother, David Barton, died. -
Suffrage Meetings
Attended meetings of various women's suffrage associations and spoke at several rallies in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. She served as a vice president and was a featured speaker of the First International Woman's Suffrage Conference in Washington, DC. -
Poem
Wrote, The Women Who Went To The Field. -
Book
Published, A Story Of The Red Cross -
Clara Barton's Death
Clara Barton died at her home in Glen Echo, Maryland, at the age of 90. Burial followed at the family cemetery plot in Oxford, Massachusetts.
