A Story of the Red Cross

by Clara Barton, S. Patricia Bailey

Clara Barton was one of those diminutive New England women of the nineteenth century who was determined to make the world a better place. In 1881, she founded the American Red Cross to help the unfortunate victims of wars and disasters. She served as its president from 1882 to 1904. The Red Cross of today stands as a living memorial to the lifelong efforts of this valiant lady. Here Miss Barton tells the story of the first 25 years of the historic organization she founded. She shares details about the relief the Red Cross brought during the Texas Famine, the Mount Vernon Cyclone, the Johnstown Flood, the Sea Island Hurricane, and the Galveston Tidal Wave. The stories become all the more dramatic as a living, eyewitness account told in Clara Barton's own words.

Genres: History, Biography, Audiobook, Nonfiction, Memoir, Classics, Historical

MP3 Book

First published January 1, 1904

About the author

American administrator Clarissa Harlowe Barton, known as "Clara," worked battlefield relief during the Civil War and organized the Red Cross in 1881.

This nurse pioneered and founded. This hospital nurse and patent clerk taught. People then not very formalized nursing education, and she taught self, attended no school, and provided care. Noteworthy Barton advocated humanitarian and rights at a time before the right of women to vote. The national hall of fame of women inducted her in 1973.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clara_B...

Reviews

[Majenta · Rating 5 out of 5]

Erie, Waterford, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania are mentioned! But "Pittsburgh" is misspelled (I've seen it thus misspelled before) and "Erie" bears a typo that represents it as "Eric."
But what a fantastic read about the early years and decades of the American Red Cross.

Thanks for reading.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stilted language & bare-bones reporting didn't make this a great memoir or a comprehensive view of the Red Cross, but there was a lot there between the lines & that made it more interesting. A little extra knowledge of some of the disasters is required to really enjoy this, though. She says at the end that she listed 20. She also mentions their standards of never asking for donations, how they reported, the Geneva Conferences, & some international issues. All briefly.

She says she'd never written anything like this before because it would seem self-serving. It did come across that way at times, but she went way beyond what anyone could expect, especially from a woman of her standing & times, so she deserves a large heaping of congratulations. The conditions she & her people endured for months at a time were appalling.

It was great that there wasn't much in the way of racial or social prejudice. There was more of the latter which I found surprising. She mentions of how they couldn't possibly give the normal handout to someone of higher social standing.

There was a large streak of religion in this that would have been funny if it wasn't so tragic. It amazes me that they could give thanks for working things out after a disaster. Seems like thanking a serial killer for killing the family next door.

This was fairly short, well narrated & interesting. Definitely recommended. It's a great organization & has been since it started.

[Vel Veeter]

This is a kind of institutional memoir and document of advocacy written by Clara Barton, found of the American Red Cross, and published in 1904. The book begins with Clara Barton’s responding to a query by a young letter writer (whether real or emblematic) and so begins a nonfiction account that is similar to Virginia Woolf’s Three Guineas in its format and design. The letter writer asks Clara Barton not to simply tell the history of the Red Cross or explain its motivating rationale, but to tells a story that shows both in this portrayal. And so Barton begins to talk about the origins of and then representative examples from the history of the organization.

What’s interesting about this book is that you can feel the argument developing as she writes. The Red Cross relies on donations, relies on government contract (as she indicates a few times to be paid back, not to accept direct funding), and relies on its reputation to continue to be able to do its work. If the book is to be trusted, and it does come off as more or less reliable, the organization’s mission has been more or less altruistic from the beginning.

The stories begin during the Civil War, move on to the Jonestown Flood, the floods in Louisiana and Texas in the 1890s, and surprisingly in Turkey after the Armenian massacre.

The book has the exact problems you could imagine. There’s a heavy strain of benevolent racism and white savior narrative in response to the floods in Louisiana. But there’s also a kind of witness-bearing of the Armenian massacre which was erased from Turkish public record for most of a century. I wouldn’t read this for any purpose than as an historical text and accounting of public advocacy.

[Roberta Westwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting

This book was first published in 1904, giving history of the Red Cross until then. Primarily focused on the USA, but includes annual international conferences and overseas relief examples. It is written by the woman who headed it up. Some of the language is reflective of the time it was written, so one has to look past that to the essence of the story. Gives a good sense of first things to be done in disaster relief situations. I’d be interested in a more recent comprehensive history of this unique organization.

[reneeNaDaCherry · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked these tidbits of history and the organization started by a woman named Clara Barton. Starting the Red Cross in 1881 was quite an accomplishment at that time. Remember, this was the industrial age where women were expected to marry and have babies. Point blank.

[Britt · Rating 2 out of 5]

A really short read that isn’t going to give you a comprehensive look at the infamous Clara Barton. It’s a short explanation from her about what the Red Cross does and she gives some examples. Her trip to Galveston Texas was the most interesting piece.

[James Dakis]

Dry and reads like a report

While this may be a true reflection of the early years of the American Red Cross, it read like nothing more than a series of mission reports.

[Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good story about the first years of the Red Cross. An amazing start and hopefully it holds on to those original values for years to come.

[Jane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every memoir is a bit self-serving, and this one is no exception. However, if even a quarter of it is true, it's an extraordinary reminder of the hardships Americans overcame in the 19th century, and how they transformed this country. Even more remarkable is Clara Barton herself. It's incredible that she was 60 years old when she established the American Red Cross. She was 77 when she went to Cuba to help alleviate famine among the people and support American troops. Imagine being that age and living in an open encampment in the middle of summer, feeding and nursing over 500 wounded and dying men. Then they had to battle an epidemic of yellow fever. She was close to 80 when she spent over three months in Galveston after it was devastated. Makeshift cremation facilities ran for nearly 3 months, with the stench of human and animal remains everywhere. Clara Barton's achievements would be extraordinary in these times, much less than a century and a half ago. This is a short and very thought provoking and enjoyable read.

[Bobby Daugherty · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book on the formation of the Red Cross by the founder of the Red Cross.