Through Battle Dispatches, Letters, and Other Records, Discovering the
Wartime Service of America's Most Famous Nurse
"I always tried to succor the wounded until medical aid and supplies
could come up--I could run the risk; it made no difference to anyone if
I were shot or taken prisoner." So recorded Clara Barton, the most
famous woman to emerge from the American Civil War. In an age when few
women worked in hospitals, much less at the front, Barton served in at
least four Union armies, providing food and assistance to wounded
soldiers on battlefields stretching from Maryland to South Carolina.
Thousands of soldiers benefited from her actions, and she is
unquestionably an American heroine. But how much do we really know about
her actual wartime service? Most information about Barton's activities
comes from Barton herself. After the war, she toured the country
recounting her wartime experiences to overflowing audiences. In vivid
language, she described crossing the Rappahannock River under fire to
succor wounded Union soldiers at Fredericksburg, transporting critical
supplies to field hospitals at Antietam, and enduring searing heat and
brackish water on the sunscorched beaches of South Carolina. She
willingly braved hardship and danger in order to help the young men
under her care, receiving in return their love and respect. Most of
Barton's biographers have accepted her statements at face value, but in
doing so, they stand on shaky ground, for Barton was a relentless
selfpromoter and often embellished her stories in an effort to enhance
her accomplishments.
In Clara Barton's Civil War: Between Bullet and Hospital,
distinguished historian Donald Pfanz revisits Barton's claims, comparing
the information in her speeches with contemporary documents, including
Barton's own wartime diary and letters. In doing so, he provides the
first balanced and accurate account of her wartime service--a service
that in the end needed no exaggeration.
