Skip to main content

Primary sourceBook1898

The Red Cross: A History of This Remarkable International Movement in the Interest of Humanity

Clara Barton · 1898

Clara Barton's own 1898 history of the Red Cross movement, including her accounts of war relief and disaster response.

Barton wrote this history herself, recounting her role in building the Red Cross movement.

Ask Clara Barton about this sourceView the original(opens in new tab)
Front cover of a dark grey cloth book. Gold-stamped title reads THE RED CROSS across the top. A horizontal cream band across the middle carries a large red Greek-style cross. Author name Clara Barton is written in script at the bottom.
Clara Barton, The Red Cross: A History of This Remarkable International Movement in the Interest of Humanity, 1898.

About this source

What it is

This is a book written by Clara Barton in 1898, describing the history of the Red Cross movement. It includes her firsthand accounts of relief efforts during the Franco-Prussian War and American disasters.

Why it matters

Barton was a founder of the American Red Cross, and this book is her own record of how the international movement grew. It reveals her view of humanitarian work as spanning war, disease, and natural disaster, and shows how she positioned herself as both participant and historian of the cause.

Look closer

  • Why might Barton have chosen to write the history of the movement herself, rather than letting someone else tell it?
  • What does the opening chapter, about the Battle of Solferino and Henri Dunant, suggest about the origins Barton wanted readers to understand?
  • What kinds of events does the book cover beyond war?

This book is part of the curated material that grounds the AI version of Clara Barton on Humy.ai — when students ask about related events, the AI can quote it and cite it.

More Clara Barton sources

Meet the AI Clara Barton →
Black-and-white studio portrait of an older woman with dark hair pinned up in curls, wearing a dark dress with an ornate white lace collar and a dark brooch at the neck. She faces left with a slight closed-mouth smile. Copyright stamp reads 1904, J. E. Purdy, Boston.Photograph

Primary source

Clara Barton, 1821-1912

J. E. Purdy · 1904

Front facade of a two-and-a-half-story wood-sided house with a steep central gable, two stone end towers with dark red conical roofs, a full-width front porch with white columns, and a second-floor balcony. Wooden benches sit on the porch.Artifact

Primary source

Clara Barton House

1891

Black-and-white head-and-shoulders portrait of an older woman with dark hair pulled back, wearing a high lace collar, a dark pendant brooch at the throat, and a dark dress, facing the camera against a dark background. Copyright text in the lower left corner reads 1904, J. Eyre Purdy, Boston.Photograph

Primary source

Clara Barton, head-and-shoulders portrait, facing front

J. Eyre Purdy · 1904

Plain solid dark blue book cover with a slightly darker spine strip along the left edge. No title, text, or images are visible.Book

Primary source

The Red Cross in Peace and War

Clara Barton · 1898

Front cover of a bound book with dark brown spine and tan paper boards. A white label at top left reads '973.771 At9 cop. 2'. A faint 'Digitized by Google' watermark appears at bottom right.Document

Primary source

A List of the Union Soldiers Buried at Andersonville

Dorence Atwater; Clara Barton · 1866

Ready when you are

Start chatting with Clara Barton now.

20 messages free · No credit card · Available in 50+ languages.

Trial Humy for freeGet a quote for institutions