Revered as one of the most honored women in American History, Clara Barton is remembered as a pioneering nurse and humanitarian for her involvement on the frontline during the American Civil War. This document aptly demonstrates her detailed involvement in the Civil War, where she played an instrumental role in delivering supplies and supporting soldiers in the field. 

Working as a recording clerk in the U.S. Patent Office, Clara Barton first saw the need for her assistance in 1861, when the first units of the federal troops moved into Washington D.C. In this new state of war, with confusion and chaos plaguing the capital, Barton acknowledged the existence of uniformed men – some wounded, many hungry – who needed immediate attention. Convinced that it was her duty as a Christian to help, Clara began by taking supplies, including food, medicine and clothing to the young men of the Sixth Massachusetts Infantry who had been attacked in Baltimore, Maryland. Interestingly, many of the young men were previous students of Barton from her teaching career, or ‘her boys’, as she called them; it was this personal aspect of her care that distinguishes her from other humanitarians during this period. Her sincere concern for the men and their families extended beyond the end of the war. Indeed, as mentioned in the latter part of the document, Barton was determined to answer as many families as possible who inquired about men who had been reported missing, and with the support of Abraham Lincoln, Barton established the Office of Correspondence with Friends of the Missing Men of the United States Army in 1865.

In August 1862, Barton was finally given permission to work on the front lines, where she could bring her voluntary services and medical supplies to the casualties of the battlefield. On one occasion, following the battle of Cedar Mountain in August 1862, Barton appeared late at night with a large wagon-load of supplies. The surgeon on duty declared her an "angel sent out by heaven", following which she became known as the "Angel of the Battlefield". Indeed, this pioneering approach to humanitarianism allowed Barton to exceed all expectations, often pulling ahead of official military medical units and arriving on the scene to nurse the wounded hours before their arrival. Barton continued her work as a humanitarian pioneer after the Civil War. In 1882 she convinced Chester Arthur to sign the Geneva Treaty, which led to the creation of the American Red Cross.