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Angel of the Battlefield    by Rosemary McQueen

Although most women were not allowed on the battlefield, Clara Barton was able to get clearance for three more women to go with her to Manassas.

When the train came to a stop, some soldiers were surprised to see four women in the boxcar. They helped them to the ground, then the ladies were shocked to see thousands of wounded soldiers stretched out on the hillside as far as the eye could see. More dead and wounded were coming by wagon train.

Inside of 15 minutes the ladies had made a fire and were boiling water in two kettles, one for soup and one for washing wounds. Long into the night the women ladled out soup, baked bread, dressed wounds and gave out clothing. They even took names so that the families of the wounded could be notified.

Following the 2nd Battle of Manassas came the Battle of Chantilly, Virginia. Near the train station piles of straw or hay had been scattered on the ground and on the straw the wounded, bleeding bodies of soldiers were laid. After dark small candles lighted the terrain.

Many of the wounded that were conscious, were surprised to see a small thin woman wearing a dark hoopless skirt with a calico blouse and carrying bandages.

She bound the arm of a former pupil named Charley Hamilton. She had two sleepless nights and the only rest that she got was when she was comforting Hugh Johnson who had been wounded in the abdomen. He had been crying for his sister Mary, so Clara substituted for his sister and put her shawl around his shoulders and placed her arms around him. She was still holding him when the first light of dawn came.

He died four days later.

Finally, she was exhausted and returned to her tent where she fell asleep in knee deep water. It had been storming all night. She allowed herself only two hours of sleep then wrung out her dress and returned to her duties.

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