September 1869

On the advice of her doctor, travels to Europe to regain health. While visiting in Switzerland she meets Dr. Louis Appia, and, for the first time, hears about the International Red Cross.

July 18, 1870

Napoleon III declares war on Prussia and its German allies, beginning the Franco-Prussian War.

September 17, 1870

Meets the Grand Duchess of Baden Germany, Louise, daughter of Kaiser Wilhelm and establishes a life-long friendship. Under sponsorship of the Grand Duchess and the International Red Cross, Miss Barton leaves for the battlefield and the besieged city of Strasbourg, France. She meets Antoinette Margot, who becomes her co-worker, travelling companion and translator. In Strasbourg, they organize relief and establish sewing factories in order to provide clothing for the residents and employment for women.

1871

Directs relief work in Paris for six weeks, establishes workrooms in Lyon, and provides assistance in Besançon and Belfort.

1872 - 1873

Suffers from nervous exhaustion and temporarily loses eyesight. Travels in Europe in attempt to recuperate.

October 1873

Returns to the United States, but nervous strain continues to plague her. Her condition worsens when her sister, Sally Barton Vassall, dies May 24, 1874.

1876

Moves to Dansville, New York, first to a sanitarium and later to her own home. Relaxation, a healthful diet, and congenial company allow her to regain her health. Meets Julian Hubbell, a chemistry teacher, who eventually becomes her most devoted worker.

1877 - 1881

Concentrates on educating the public and garnering support for an American society of the Red Cross. Writes and distributes the pamphlet, The Red Cross of the Geneva Convention: What It Is. Meets with President Rutherford B. Hayes to inform him about the Red Cross and enlists the aid of friends to help publicize the organization.

May 21, 1881

American Association of the Red Cross is formed. Miss Barton is elected President at a meeting held June 9 in Washington, D.C.

August 22, 1881

First local Society of the American Association of the Red Cross is organized in Dansville, New York. Over the next few months, additional chapters are formed in other towns and cities.

Autumn 1881

Michigan - Forest Fires. Some 1.5 million acres are destroyed and nearly 500 lives are lost in just over five hours. The American Red Cross assists in rebuilding more than 50 dwellings and distributes tons of materials. Dr. Julian Hubbell acts as the first American Red Cross field agent.

March 16, 1882

On March 1, President Chester A. Arthur signs the Treaty of Geneva. Following unanimous ratification by the United States Senate, the U. S. joins the International Red Cross.

Spring 1882 and 1883 Mississippi River - Floods.

Directs American Red Cross relief work during flooding along the Mississippi River and its tributaries, aboard the ship Mattie Belle.

May 1883

Appointed Superintendent of Massachusetts Reformatory Prison for Women in Sherborn. She accepts the temporary position at the request of Governor Benjamin F. Butler, and resigns after eight months. Speaks at the International Conference on Prison Reform held in Saratoga, New York.

1884 - 1890

Delivers numerous lectures promoting the Red Cross.

February 1884 Ohio River - Floods.

Severe flooding leaves over 5,000 families homeless. Miss Barton directs the relief effort and the American Red Cross distributes $175,000 in cash and supplies.

August 1884

Travels to Europe as one of three U.S. delegates to the International Conference of the Red Cross at Geneva, Switzerland. Official recognition accorded the "American Amendment," providing peacetime disaster relief, due in large part to Miss Barton's support.

December 1884

Dansville, New York Typhoid Fever Epidemic. The American Red Cross provides financial and medical assistance to the stricken town.

November 1885 Galveston, Texas - Fires.

Railroads provide free transportation as the American Red Cross donates supplies, including 130 barrels of flour.

December 1885 Balkan War Relief.

At the request of the International Red Cross, American Societies provide financial assistance during the Bulgarian and Serbian War. The Depauw and St. Louis Societies in Missouri provide $500 and $200, respectively.

March 1886

Moves to Washington, D.C.

Summer 1886

Attends the National Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) in San Francisco, California.

September 1886 Charleston, South Carolina - Earthquake.

Clara Barton travels to the scene and the American Red Cross donates $500. Offers made by Miss Barton for additional assistance are not accepted.

1887 Central Texas - Drought.

Miss Barton's report of the situation motivates the state legislature to send $100,000 to the stricken area.

June 1887

Miss Barton volunteers the services of the American Red Cross at the National Drill and Encampment of the GAR in Washington, D.C. In six days, 200 cases of illness are treated in a mobile hospital.

September 1887

Serves as delegate to the International Congress of the Red Cross at Carlsruhe, Germany.

1888

Miss Barton attends meetings of various woman's suffrage associations and speaks at several of the rallies in New York, New Jersey, and Massachusetts. Serves as a vice president and is a featured speaker of the First International Woman's Suffrage Conference in Washington, D.C.

February 1888 Mount Vernon, Illinois - Tornado.

Miss Barton and the American Red Cross assist 3,000 homeless by providing food, shelter, clothing and establishing a school.

March 15, 1888

Brother, David Barton, dies.

August 1888 Jacksonville, Florida - Yellow Fever Epidemic.

Miss Barton visits the affected areas and coordinates relief with the Howard Association. Red Cross nurses immune to the disease are provided by the chapter in New Orleans.

May 31, 1889 Johnstown, Pennsylvania - Flood.

Arrives to direct relief operations on scene with over 2,000 dead and thousands of homeless victims. During four months of work over $200,000 in supplies and $39,000 in cash are provided. This disaster relief program becomes the most celebrated effort in the early history of the American Red Cross.

1890's

Red Cross provides disaster relief following fires in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a drought in South Dakota and severe storms across Kentucky, Texas, and Iowa.

1891

A building is constructed for Miss Barton as part of Edwin and Edward Baltzley's National Chautauqua in Glen Echo, Maryland, a few miles northwest of Washington, D.C. The building will primarily be used as a Red Cross warehouse for several years.

1892

Writes poem The Women Who Went to the Field.

March 1892 Russian Famine Relief.

Supervised by Clara Barton and Julian Hubbell, the American Red Cross sponsors its first overseas operation. Flour and cornmeal shipments feed 7,000.

1893 - 1894 Sea Islands, South Carolina - Hurricane.

After a hurricane and tidal wave leave over 5,000 dead, the American Red Cross labors for ten months to aid the predominantly African-American population of the barrier islands.

1896 Turkey - Armenia Famine Relief.

Travels to Armenia to assist starving and sick citizens, encouraging farming, hygiene, and domestic industry. Miss Barton distributes over $115,000 in aid, despite the dangerous conditions during religious wars.

February 28, 1897

The warehouse in Glen Echo, Maryland becomes Clara Barton's permanent residence and national headquarters for the American Red Cross. She occupies the remodeled house until her death in 1912.

1898

Directs American Red Cross relief work in Cuban resettlement camps. This humanitarian work on behalf of civilians continues until 1900.

February 15, 1898 Explosion of the U. S. S. Maine.

"I am with the wounded," Clara Barton writes to President William McKinley following the explosion of the U. S. S. Maine, as she and American Red Cross workers are already on the scene in Cuba. The blast kills 266 crew members. Two days earlier, she had dined aboard the ship with Captain Charles Sigsbee.

April 25, 1898 U. S. Declares war on Spain.

Clara Barton continues to coordinate civilian relief, establishes orphanages, and supports military hospitals. The first relief ship to enter the harbor at Santiago following its surrender is The State of Texas, with Miss Barton and Red Cross workers aboard. Also meets Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, and provides supplies and cares for wounded Rough Riders and other soldiers following skirmishes near Siboney.

October 1898

Elected Honorary President of The National Society of the Spanish War. Miss Barton resigns from the position after learning from Susan B. Anthony that the society did not accept African-American members.

1899

Publishes The Red Cross in Peace and War.

June 6, 1900

Incorporation of American National Red Cross provides for a limited protection of the insignia.

September 8, 1900 Galveston, Texas - Hurricane and Tidal Wave.

Based in Galveston and Houston, Miss Barton directs her last major field relief work in the wake of a storm which left 6,000 dead. In two months, the operation distributes $120,000 worth of money and supplies and one and a half million strawberry plants.

May 1902

Heads U. S. delegation to the International Conference of the Red Cross in St. Petersburg, Russia.

1903

American Red Cross establishes short-lived Department of First Aid for the Injured.

1903

Although aligned with the Universalist Church, Clara Barton becomes a defender of Mary Baker Eddy and the Christian Science faith. Like many people of the Victorian era, Miss Barton also has interests in faith healing, astrology, and spiritualism.

December 1903 Butler, Pennsylvania - Typhoid Fever Epidemic.

Miss Barton travels to the scene, distributes supplies, and then turns the relief project over to local authorities.

1904

Publishes A Story of the Red Cross.

May 14, 1904

Resigns as President of the American National Red Cross, in wake of mounting criticism of her management style, ability and age.

April 1905

Establishes the National First Aid Association of America and serves as honorary president for five years. The organization emphasizes basic first aid instruction, emergency preparedness and develops first aid kits. Ambulance brigades are formed in conjunction with police and fire departments, as well as in industrial settings.

1907

Publishes The Story of My Childhood. Miss Barton intends to publish a series of short autobiographies detailing her life. This is the only volume she completes.

April 12, 1912

Clara Barton dies at her home in Glen Echo, Maryland at the age of 90. Burial follows in the family cemetery plot in Oxford, Massachusetts.