The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1893-10-07
Origin of the Krd Cro.. socletr.

L'u from thclr lOn' Gethscninc ny thee
captain r.. L. Hu gins First Lieutenant
Minnesota Heavy Artillery.
Origin OF the Red Cross society.
Miss Clara Barton, so famous as the
head OF the Red Cross society in this
country, began her career almost by
chance. At the outbreak of the civil
war Miss Barton was copying clerk
III the patent office at Washington.
She did not anticipate am serious diff
hculty between the North and South.
however, and even after Fort Sumpter
imagined that compromise would be
effected. But on the 18th of April,
Is6l, a regiment from her own state,
Massachusetts,, was passing through
baltimore and was assailed by mob
Of disaffectcd persons and a number
killed. Miss Barton, in speaking re-
Gently TO "A writer for the New York
Sun OF these old DAYS, said:
Il was greatly moved, and, going
INTO the street, found every here
sorcbodings of ILL Washington was
full of the partisans of the south. and
there We're many cxclamations of joy
over the incident at Baltimore. Tx
sited, alarmed and scarcely knowing
where | went. ! fell into the current
and was swept away along TO the
baltimore and Ohio depot. There |
saw forty men covered with blood.
many OF them faint and helpless,
landed from the ears and borne away
ior shelter and treatment. They
found resting place at what was
then the iniirnary on Judiciary
square, and ] followed them. | did
what | could for their relief, and was
BIZ deeply interested that went again
The next day and the next. and on
many subsequent days On Sunday
the 2lst went to tn" capitol where
thc regiment was CHARTERED. | took
with me five negroes. carrying baskets
vt provisions, which | distributed
among the soldiers. Some Of the men
@erG from my own town and greeted !
ne with the feeling that they had
found friend Before left the men
NJ gathered around and | stood on
the steps that ted to the vice prcsi-
dents "Aaiv ANA read them the news
2apcr acco@ntS of their journey and
the assault at Baltimore
H.was in this spontaneous way that
Clara BurtOns work began. She had
no special training for the hospitaI.
put Der heart was full! Of pity and the
3ct66 was grGat. Washington was
soon Sarroundcdby camps and the sick /
GlltI wounded were brought there from !
the .truut. Bcforc long Miss Barton ,
-esigred her position in the patent Of I
+ifc and. gave herself up entirely to the /,
8urk She soon realized that the (
great necessity was for immediate at +
tention to the woundcd, and full! Of ,
Thought, she procured pass from Sur
yeNn General Hammond and, loading (
a railroad car with supplies, went TO
Culpcpcr courthouse, which was .
crowded with Union soldiers from the \
battle of Cedar Mountain, August ..
JSG2. Next she loaded an army wagon /
With supplies and Joined McClcllan's I
army in Maryland She arrived on
She eve of the battle of Antictam and /
early the next morning she took her .
wagon TO the shelter of barn and /
there remained all day caring for I
the wounded and dying. by night .
her faec was so blackened by gun
powder that she could scarcely be- !
recognized from one of her own con-
tFabandS, After the close of the war /
Miss Barton was 50 exhausted that /,
abe finally. in 1869, sailed for Europe |
Then came the Franco-Prussian war,
End Miss Barton became minister
ing angel in Germany and France as !
she had been in America. The pin
she wears, the red cross of Geneva in
gold circle, was given her by the
grand duchess Of Baden. The Ger
man emperor also conferred on her
several decorations Later came the
Iohnstown flood, where Miss Barton
led the work of rescuc, and, last of
all, she has turned her plying
thoughts toward Siberia She is often
compared TO Florence Nightingale,
but, unlike her, Miss Barton's sympa-
thiGs do not turn in one direction only.
She is full of sympathy for all who
suffer. .... ...