The Angel of the Battlefield: Clara Barton, Founder of the American Red Cross

This is Mrs. our American stories we tell stories about everything here on the show including your story. Some of our American stories.com. Some of our favorite next story from Robert Froehlich. Robert is the author of aimless life awesome God and a regular contributor to the show today. Robert shares with us the story of a man who impacted him profoundly taken away Robert World War I Wilhelm best never was in the German army has assignment was to care for the horses that pulled the cannons to fight against the Russians during a gas tank in that war Wilhelm suffered the loss of the sense of smell after the war he was awarded a small disability annuity for injury monthly payments continued until he died in Florida in 1977, Wilhelm was born in 1892. The sound of a tavern owner in Berlin, Germany.

He learned his trade as a tool and die maker and married Elspeth Scholz 1927. They came by ship to America with her daughter, Ursula Wilhelm Misner became William Burton, his German friends called him Willie and everybody else called him Dale when he first came to United States Bill worked as a mason's helper while he learned the English language than he went to work at his trade. Long Island New York was a hot band in the early days of aviation and he sought all he knew many of the pioneers in that field. He workforce diversity and for Sikorsky. The early developers of the helicopter. He also worked for Republic aircraft and chance walk aircraft in 1933 Bill want to work for Eagle aircraft in College point, New York Bill was involved in the design and fabrication of floats for various aircraft, including some for Charles Lindbergh and Adm. Byrd. I remember he had to model airplanes proudly displayed on the mantle in his college point home. One was a solid aluminum model of Lindbergh's plane. The spirit of St. Louis and the other was a chance for F for you, the iconic Gold Wing Navy warplane. World War II created a huge demand for military aircraft floats as assistant division superintendent Bill headed up a fabrication shop. According to one college point residence. He hired quote every German toolmaker machinist he could find, including my father's, and as a result, put food on the table for my family."

Bill put all the skills to work revamping tool designs and manufacturing processes to make the production faster and more safe. 1943 he won a national safety ace award for one of his designs. After the war bill retired to his 100 acre retreat in the Catskill Mountains of upstate New York, living in a house he had built himself.

He and Elspeth took me with them. In 1947 he had a small machine shop there and plan to do some contract work from time to time. That only lasted a year they move back to the city gave me back to my mother and Bill started work experience gyroscope Corporation. The company manufactured guidance systems for ships, aircraft and missiles will always took great pride in his work, immersing himself in the tiny details of his craft, and a love the shaping of hard steel or soft aluminum into useful objects. Once he showed me a rectangular aluminum box, about 1 1/2 inches wide by and about 2 inches long. It had a hinged lid that's very Bill had designed the tool that made this box, which was an electrical junction box for the instrument panel of the Boeing 707 aircraft. He explained to me the intricacies of bending allowances in the tiny tolerances that went into the simple object Bill retired again in 1961, but when I return home for military service in 1964. I found him working every day in a small local machine shop still making tools to shape metal to his will builds German born lawful perception in order carried over to his off-duty life he on just three cars during my lifetime all Plymouth's 1941, 1955 and in 1968, there were all based models with manual transmissions and apart from a radio, no amenities. Every Saturday Bill would check on the hood reflecting on my grandfather's life. It amazes me the advances he was part of young Wilhelm taking care of horses in the muddy battlefields of World War I Bill the tool and die maker acquainted with the pioneers in aviation bill. The superintendent helping to win World War II by making water landings possible for military aircraft and bill the toolmaker seen parts, he helped create flying high in the sky and even interspace.

Bill Bergner love this country and he made the most of the opportunities and gave him and he returned the favor by giving his best to America.

He never lost that German lawful precision and ordinal him, nor did that distinctly German accent ever leave him.

He was my grandpa and I loved it and what a gym we just heard, I meant what a time to have grown up I mean from horses to flight and there he is right in the middle of flight using his God-given skills to help America defeat the Nazi menace our Arsenal democracy folks we couldn't done it without it and men like Bill on the front lines. William Bergner's life story is told by his grandson Robert Froehlich here in our American story view of the great American stories we tell and love America like we do for asking you to become a part of the our American stories family. If you agree that America is a good and great country. Please make a donation monthly gift of $17.76 is fast becoming a favorite option for supporters to allow American stories.com now and go to the donate button and help us keep the great American stories coming that's our American stories.com. Geico asks how would you love a chance to save some money on insurance, of course, the way when it comes to great rates on insurance.

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Next we have the story of Clara Barton found the American Red Cross told to us by Prof. Emily Thomas Prof. Thomas is been teaching history at Nichols College in Dudley Massachusetts is the fall of 2000. He works at the Clara Barton birthplace Museum in North Oxford Massachusetts is Prof. Thomas with the story of Clara Barton, also known as the angel of the battlefield in 1829 holiday back when she was her brother was a homing two older sisters and three of them were teachers alive, her schooling dying when she was 11 years old, her brother injured in a barn raising.

He was like standing stories on any board would profanity and supposedly was I shocked did a little out of sort by walking around.

He developed very bad back eight headaches are what going on Dr. who proceeded to glean him and what we don't know offered years and move around little bit for two weeks to you. Clara Barton became his nurse.

She nursed her older brother and she talked about having to put mine on electricity. Enjoy not so much that she did get used to doing well and then contacted doctors he rejected modern medicine, 20, thinking there urging cold medicine. They borrowed a lot of indigenous people and for physical therapy rhythm.

Remarkably, he recovered completely, so he will never know exactly what he did to injure himself. Eight and it was an injury to his back. Whenever you now, but he lived to the age of 80. Clara introduction to the world are staying in but she did seem to express never seen anything written, where she expressed an interest, because women could not go in ways she explains her entry into the teaching world is dye her parents are very concerned that she was very inward and shot at the age of 17. She talked about how you headaches. She does outline the company draft fabric and she tried to make herself appear bigger than she was on server height at 1.54 x 5 to 17. He's pretty much the really no training except what she observed her brother and two sisters one time why she called it. Lack of discipline.

At one point she didn't believe in punishing these days and if you could literally, the ruler or stick them in the corner with a dunce cap on simply to learn. He was more to report stories.

We have three or four teenage boys died they could cause trouble for her and one story that she wanted that she knew that I she played all the boys are with the fact that she one every first turn she received late, I she didn't use the traditional rules of discipline sheet for several years, including in New Jersey. She did establish the first free school decided to build a brand-new school have an Clara was excited because she figured I started this all placed me in charge, but it was 18 women did not run modern school and so was hired Clara with an after several months or so realize that she did not like working but he also extract bighearted agree with. So along with her friend any child from late 1854. She decides Washington DC coming city and certainly the job, she met a man when he was the center run.

She had a friend Mr. job working. She was one of the first women to hold the government job and she's making $1400 a and was quite making as a teacher in New England school teacher $300 a year opportunity right on several letters and the end of the day. She worked from nine just literally copying everything that she seemed to enjoy life and definitely enjoyed her job. She is working alive and not a lot of other offices were in the building in order some soldiers in the building regimen from Ryland in the early months of the war started using the building anymore. She's going to work each day and injured soldiers hearing their stories. Realizing that they need certain basic needs like clean socks but you know the food and some started going on around people she knew I things like that, according to her account.

She eventually had three warehouses of supplies, which he then realizes that for the most part in the first year so the war at the hospital in Washington were pretty well supplied.

The real need was dying light of someone. But how does a single, middle-class women follow an army and we been listening to Prof. Emily Thomas told the story of Clara Barton an accident with her older brother turned her into her younger sister is nurse to develop an infection in appetite and in the end, a talent for when we come back more of Clara Barton known as the angel of the battlefield, the founder of the American Red Cross here in our American story, and we continue with our American stories we been listening to Prof. Emily Thomas Clara Barton birthplace Museum tells the story of Clara Barton founder and first president of the American Red Cross bar had been working in DC begun gathering supplies the Civil War efforts.

He now had three warehouses full of supplies needed a way to get them to the troops back Prof. Thomas had to get permission from the war department. That was not the chance that the war department was actually in a sit down and talk to a woman he knew was very rare introduction for sure from a male sponsor, but in the process of all that she got word from Oxford.father was dying so she went home at the end of 1861, and if her father died in February 1862 by while she was home. She had some deep conversations with her father had been a soldier served in what they called the Indian wars in the Michigan territory years before Clara was born. He was a military man was very proud of and so one of the questions you will soldiers me and my you are you will be in one gave her and told her to also many soldiers that they would recognize it and would also trust her so after her father passes away. She goes back to Washington. Through the help of some men able to get an appointment with the war department tells the man a person initially she was told like the front is no place for a lady but when she told me that she had applied ready to go. They changed their mind by mid July to she does have permission and she's ready to go to the front so that gave her what she needed him to sit in the army camp in anyone question doing here.

She can plot the past and prove that she had permission. It meant that she would usually get free transportation.a soldier to on to protect her and her supplies on her travel getting back permission from the Army just extremely important point. Sure she really wanted to nurse again. It was more okay I have all these great supplies to get the battlefield gets close to the battlefield and maybe drop my supplies in the back to Washington and do it all over again.

You don't arrive near a battlefield or at a field hospital and walked away the need always overwhelming.

Well she ended up the nursing as we would understand it today, making them comfortable as possible and better lying on the ground outside the get them a blanket. Get them some water to drink a big part of it within making all cornmeal or whatever she can find them some sort of sucking on the ones perhaps have had surgeries earlier in the day just to make sure like my maybe check for fever complex nursing. She actually had no formal nurse training young women really had any formal training. If you join the official nursing core with United States Army, which was run by Dorothy at deck, you got a crash course of media. We did the first nursing schools did not open until after the Civil War in 1870s. One of the most harrowing stories comes out of the battle of Antietam, which was on September 17, 1862.

It still held the distinction of being the bloodiest day in American history.

More Americans died on any other day in her history.

She was working out of what was known as the Poffenberger farm intermediate initially, at least, about a mile from where the active battle was, but Civil War battles were notorious for the lines of combat shifting and so you think you're fairly safe safe distance and then suddenly the shells are exploding around you bullets are coming into the farmhouse window that you think is safe and so at this one battle.

She was on many of the men in the barn or on the ground outside around the house and barn and she was going around giving some of the soldiers some water drain and this one is she's propping up the folder with one arm in trying to give him a drink with the other and she felt something leave a bullet when through the sleeve of her dress missed her arm killed the soldier how close she came at times to being killed during battles. The other account we have is from a doctor that she worked with numerous times during the Civil War, but also at the battle of Antietam and James Dunn was his name and in fact when he saw Clara arrived during the battle of Antietam. He supposedly exclaimed that God has indeed remembered because he saw Clara coming knew she had the needed in. It was only a few hours battle and he had already torn up every goal then CT will plot your bandages. They were actually wrapping some importantly huge cornfield on right next to the battlefield. So, yes, and then will he wrote a letter home to his wife explaining what happened about all this land was later published in several different newspapers and at one point, he has this quote edit something to the effect of Gen. McClellan with all his morals sinks into insignificant side, the true harrowing of the age angel of about six he was the one they gave her a angel of the battle field and from the time that was published in the fall of 1862 or so on.becomes her name. Her bravery amazes me that what we do know is that she definitely suffered from depression throughout her life and is bouts of depression often occurred after the death of a friend or family member also seem to happen when she didn't have something to do when there was no battle when there is no disaster to respond to his birth. Later in her life during the Red Cross years just going to this depression that in some ways you can from her that she's just interesting to go on with life energy hears of another potentially approaching 60 you're listening to Prof. Emily Thomas told the story of Clara Barton, my goodness, that seen with her dad having that conversation about his service in the military out a way to do this soldiers respect the war department at first tries to block her, but of course she keeps pushing eventually just the transportation and the troop she needs the safety she needs to bring the supplies soldiers limit description of the battle of Antietam and that is the bloodiest of the Civil War when a bullet passes through the sleeve of her shirt and kills another soldier suffered from depression. It seemed what lifted her out of it was battle a warrior. Clara Barton was we know that for sure the wrong way when we come back were far Barton story here on our American story that we return to our American stories and the story of the founder of the American red cross Clara Barton Prof. Emily Thomas from Claridge birthplace Museum telling us this amazing story far as bravery during the Civil War saved many soldiers lives.

He was even present at the battle of Antietam, one of the bloodiest battles in American history. Return to Prof. Thomas for the rest of Clara Barton stored nurse during or went on to marry and have daughter and many named their daughters, Clara Barton, so we definitely know the soldiers remembered her in years later go on to do a lot of lecture tours to talk about her work during the war and one reason she did that is because the war 1865. She opened the missing soldiers often in Washington DC she started to get letters from sisters, wives, mother's asking her if she knew of their missing son, husband, brother, and his back in the day when all you had to do on an envelope with Ms. Clara Barton, Washington DC get to her so she was deeply moved by some of these letters and realize that she is among the soldiers. Maybe she could do something to help but didn't really sit in the war was winding down. She didn't know exactly what she can do, but she approached some of her political friends and some of the mentioned work during the war she did receive permission to spring open soldier's office is the first woman to run a government office actually give her an office to work out of her little really just one room apartment and said that she's living in DC for any salary supplies.

Although eventually, Congress did reimburse her $15,000.

She opened this office sent out word that anyone was looking for friend or family member should write to her. She hired some helpers because she was sometimes getting hundred 1250 letters a week from 1865 to 1868 Clara Barton in her small staff soldier's office received 63,102 letters requesting information about 41,855 personal replies were set by the end of 1868, more than 22,000 soldiers had been identified, but this costs money. So one way to raise money so many times after her would come up to her and say you know you nursing after the battle of Bull Run, are you nursing development definitely remembered her. But all of this works exhausted her and so she had a little bit of a mental breakdown. I she's actually getting a lecture on any and lost her voice in the middle of the presentation. The doctors diagnosed her with nervous prostration and suggest that she traveled to Europe for three years while on her travels while in Switzerland she meets one of the founders of the international Red Cross, which had been founded in 18 64 x 5 of them altogether is a combination of Swiss businessmen and doctors.

The man who really pushed founding the Henry did not witnessed some of the wars the Italian wars of secession and was just horrified and he was a lot. And so it took them a couple years but was really doing pushed for this organization to be founded that countries would join in and want to join in that sieve the neutrality and that anyone caught in the field where whether soldier or civilian must be tended to care for volunteers would wear a red cross on a white background to identify themselves and we did send two delegates from the United States went over to a couple of the initial meeting 63 and three and four. The Red Cross is being founded but woman basically decided number one we are in the middle of war so that was our number one priority number two from what they understood what they learned the Red Cross very similar to our sanitary commission that we really did not need to join this organization. Barton knows the thing about any of this until she is land and one of the founding members meet with her and her white America not join the Geneva treaty which is joined to become a member of the Red Cross and so she started to read up on some of the people that were involved in five really good organization. When I get back to America to look into this a little bit more, but she supposed to be on a restful vacation yet war broke out the Franco-Prussian war and again vacation or start meeting as quickly as possible. And yet, Clara's first thought is like help where's the frontline can be. I need to get there.

Working with depression right from like armies or she does is rate quote way they did more in four weeks is first organizing getting supplies to those that needed it for weeks and we did four years and now she's convinced me to start the and her new mission in life was getting America to join the Geneva treaty complicated because not only did you have to get Congress to approve the treaty you had to get the president to sign and wasn't easy. So again largely with her money.

She started publishing these little pamphlet explaining the Red Cross.

The Red Cross does have a couple of the Museum and what she realized was that the focus on wartime of the Red Cross was not going over well in America we had steaming Civil War and no one wanted even think about the possibility of another war also does he really thought those Europeans will have their wars but you know around two oceans protecting us will be fine, and was a treat to be signs that you sent her back until she realized that, why does the American version of the Red Cross to be just focused on more. Why can it help people in times of need. After hurricane force fire so fast relief to the American Red Cross. Finally, and so she did get congressional approval for the Geneva treaty in the spring of one president Chester Arthur sign the Geneva treaty in 1882, so by the plaintiff Red Cross merit what was called the American National Red Cross, usually a reality that was quite busy. He was elected president to serve as president for 23 years, so her life did not slow down 59 years old.

The Red Cross and age many people today are thinking about retirement and yet she spent 23 years of work in our front car. It was work, you sometimes beat her diaries to you and you just exhausted reading what she said I'm never my thinking about sheet but she wanted to stay very throughout her life.

She was still writing her horse 80 years old, doing her own laundry.

That was one of her great nieces questioned her once about that because you hired help to help her and her later years she would still be seeing you out working in her vegetable garden, helping to do the laundry and cleaning up a bit because she again she needed to be useful and I really do think that after going? She passed away on and in her body was brought back to by train and big official funeral was held in what is now our town hall is also a memorial of the Civil War soldiers.

She was buried in the family plot next to her parents and her siblings in a terrific job on the storytelling production by faith.

You can special thanks to Prof. Emily Thomas Prof. Thomas is been teaching history at Nichols College in Dudley Massachusetts and she also works with the Clara Barton birthplace Museum in North Oxford Massachusetts. So many of the men she nursed got married and many of them named their daughter after my goodness, probably the greatest honorable for her 59 starts the American Red Cross and works and rides horses straight into dies on April 12, 1912 story of Clara Barton Angel of the battle on how Americans