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Primary sourceBook1898

The Red Cross in Peace and War

Clara Barton · 1898

Clara Barton's own 1898 book describing Red Cross relief efforts at the Johnstown flood, the Russian famine, and the Spanish–American War.

Barton wrote this book herself, recounting her leadership of Red Cross relief efforts.

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Plain solid dark blue book cover with a slightly darker spine strip along the left edge. No title, text, or images are visible.
Clara Barton, The Red Cross in Peace and War, 1898.

About this source

What it is

Written by Clara Barton and published in 1898, this book is her personal account of American Red Cross relief work, including the response to the Johnstown flood, famine relief in Russia, and work during the Spanish–American War in Cuba. Copies are held by the Library of Congress and the Internet Archive.

Why it matters

This book shows Barton in her own words, describing how she expanded the Red Cross beyond wartime medical care into peacetime disaster relief. It is a primary source for understanding both her organizational leadership and how she wanted her work to be remembered.

Look closer

  • What does Barton choose to emphasize about the Red Cross's role in these disasters?
  • How might writing her own account shape how later generations view her work?
  • What kinds of events does she include, and what might she have left out?

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.

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