Clara Barton - an extraordinary American

In addition to her heroic and self-sacrificing work caring for wounded and dying soldiers under fire on the battlefield during the Civil War, she also lobbied tirelessly for better conditions in military hospitals, and she founded the American Red Cross in 1881.
But one of her greatest contributions to her belovèd soldiers actually was finding them, and ending the anguish of their waiting families.....

Tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers disappeared during the war, many of whom were lost due to incomplete paperwork, while others were lost simply because the military never bothered to look for them.

As her fame grew, when the war was ending Barton began being overwhelmed by requests from heartbroken families, asking for her help in finding their boys.
And because she was Clara Barton, she did.

Through systematic detective work, Barton traced missing men through their units, interviewing comrades who may have seen something or may have known what had happened, but just never had been asked before.

If her name alone did not open official doors for her, the force of her conviction did.
And when all other methods failed, Barton and her team at the "Missing Soldiers Office" in Washington compiled and published nationwide a list of men who had vanished, called The Rolls of Missing Men.

Through her efforts, around 22,000 missing U.S. soldiers were found - some living, some dead - and their families given closure that otherwise they never would have known.
Around 400,000 soldiers, North and South, were reported missing during the Civil War.
Many had been captured and later returned home.

Many had deserted and turned up elsewhere after the war.

Far too many had perished, and were buried beside prison camps and battlefields across the country, beneath simple soldiers' stones marked not with a name, but with an allegiance, with a number, or with that word that kills all hope of closure, Unknown.

Thanks to Clara Barton, so many families were able to rejoice at the return of their loved one, or begin to grieve, finally knowing for certain he was never coming home to them.

~*~

No more the bugle calls the weary one.
Rest, noble spirit, in thy grave unknown.
I'll find you and know you
among the good and true,
When a robe of white is given
for the faded coat of blue.
~ J.H. McNaughton