[Photo: Clara Barton ] Clarissa Harlowe Barton was a pioneer American teacher, nurse, and humanitarian. She has been described as having a "strong and independent spirit" and is best remembered for organizing the American Red Cross. Barton joined the war effort in 1862, and established an agency to distribute supplies to wounded soldiers. Barton provided frontline medical care during several battles, including the Battle of Antietam, the Siege of Petersburg, the Siege of Richmond, and more. In 1864, she was in charge of nursing at IX Corps Hospital in Virginia, which treated wounded soldiers from Petersburg.