BGuthrie Photos: Clara Barton’s Missing Soldiers Office -- Exhibit: Standard Placards

Clara Barton’s Missing Soldiers Office -- Exhibit: Standard Placards:

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Specific picture descriptions: Photos above with "i" icons next to the bracketed sequence numbers (e.g. "[1] ") are described as follows:
1. CBMSOP_140228_027.JPG: US Colored Troops at Fort Lincoln
2. CBMSOP_140228_037.JPG: Cemetery For the Nation: The large number of hospitals in the city resulted in the unfortunate need for places to bury the dead. The cemetery at the Soldiers' Home and the newly-created cemetery at Arlington were the largest, but many hospitals had their own burial grounds. Relatives of the deceased could come and claim their bodies for burial back home -- at their own expense.
3. CBMSOP_140228_047.JPG: Distractions From War: The city had numerous places of entertainment, from theaters and opera houses, to saloons and bawdy houses. In fact, Washington became infamous as a place to go to escape the horrors of war. Officers, soldiers and civilians all partook of the many distractions offered by the more enterprising citizens of the city.
4. CBMSOP_140228_057.JPG: A City In Peril Washington had no natural defenses and was surrounded by a population that at least partially supported the Confederacy. At the beginning of the war it became apparent that the city needed fortifications. By December 1862, there were 53 forts, 22 batteries, 643 guns, 75 mortars, 900 artillery men, 25,000 infantry and 3,000 cavalry in Washington. In July of 1864, during Confederate Lt. Gen. Jubal Early's raid, Union troops successfully defended the city from its closest brush with danger.
5. CBMSOP_140228_061.JPG: Clara Barton Lived and Worked Here The Discovery In 1997, the US General Services Administration (GSA) discovered clothing, papers, and other nineteenth century items in the attic of 437 Seventh Street, NW. This discovery brought attention to a suite of rooms on the third floor that had served as Clara Barton's home, storeroom, and office. The rooms and artifacts, including a sign identifying Room 9 as the Missing Soldiers Office, provide new insight into Clara Barton's experience of the Civil War and her efforts to relieve the suffering of Union soldiers and their families. GSA maintains a preservation easement on the third floor. Work is underway to conserve these spaces and open them to the public as a museum. Hundreds of Socks Among the artifacts found in the attic above Clara Barton's rooms were 171 whole socks, as well as nearly 100 carefully severed sock tops and bottoms. Why save dirty and worn socks? Harsh weather conditions and constant walking took a toll on soldiers' feet. Fresh socks were needed to prevent blisters, frostbite, and gangrene. Unprepared for the war, the Union Army could not keep the troops adequately supplied. Charitable organizations, such as the Sanitary Commission, exhorted women to knit socks for soldiers. Perhaps Clara Barton collected these used cotton socks on the battlefield, bringing them home to wash, mend, and eventually redistribute to troops. "It was a kind of a tent life, but she was happy in it." -- Frances Vassall, close friend of Clara Barton Even in the turbulent war years, Clara Barton strove to make her quarters as attractive and functional as possible. Evidence of her activities can be seen in the large room created by removing dividing walls to accommodate battlefield supplies; the mail slot cut into the office door to accommodate the volumes of correspondence for the Missing Soldiers Office; and the number 9 painted on the door, corresponding to the sign directing visitors up the steep stairs to the third story. The white striped wallpaper still hanging in her small personal chamber and the trove of colorful paper remnants found in the attic tell of her love of pattern and skill at creating "home" wherever she went. 21,000 Families Received Letters In early spring 1865, the closing days of the Civil War, Clara Barton found herself inundated with requests from families anxious for word of their missing loved ones. In response, she established the Office of Correspondence with Friends of the Missing Men of the U.S. Army (Missing Soldiers Office). But how did Barton and a handful of clerks manage to provide information to over 21,000 families in the span of less than four years, using nineteenth-century technology and operating out of her rooms in this building? Although Barton and her assistants wrote an astonishing 41,855 letters, even more was accomplished using form letters. Preprinted for a variety of purposes, 58,693 form letters were sent as part of a highly efficient information exchange. In addition, 1,500 names were printed on large sheets titled, "Roll of Missing Soldiers." These rolls were posted throughout the country, with the request that information be sent to the office at 437 Seventh Street. By the end of 1868, five editions were published and 99,057 copies distributed. In cooperation with the General Services Administration (GSA), the National Museum of Civil War Medicine is developing an interpretive program to operate a museum focused on Clara Barton's period of occupancy in GSA's preservation easement species. The museum is scheduled to open in 2011.
6. CBMSOP_140228_064.JPG: Hundreds of Socks Among the artifacts found in the attic above Clara Barton's rooms were 171 whole socks, as well as nearly 100 carefully severed sock tops and bottoms. Why save dirty and worn socks? Harsh weather conditions and constant walking took a toll on soldiers' feet. Fresh socks were needed to prevent blisters, frostbite, and gangrene. Unprepared for the war, the Union Army could not keep the troops adequately supplied. Charitable organizations, such as the Sanitary Commission, exhorted women to knit socks for soldiers. Perhaps Clara Barton collected these used cotton socks on the battlefield, bringing them home to wash, mend, and eventually redistribute to troops.
7. CBMSOP_140228_067.JPG: "It was a kind of a tent life, but she was happy in it." -- Frances Vassall, close friend of Clara Barton Even in the turbulent war years, Clara Barton strove to make her quarters as attractive and functional as possible. Evidence of her activities can be seen in the large room created by removing dividing walls to accommodate battlefield supplies; the mail slot cut into the office door to accommodate the volumes of correspondence for the Missing Soldiers Office; and the number 9 painted on the door, corresponding to the sign directing visitors up the steep stairs to the third story. The white striped wallpaper still hanging in her small personal chamber and the trove of colorful paper remnants found in the attic tell of her love of pattern and skill at creating "home" wherever she went.
8. CBMSOP_140228_073.JPG: In cooperation with the General Services Administration (GSA), the National Museum of Civil War Medicine is developing an interpretive program to operate a museum focused on Clara Barton's period of occupancy in GSA's preservation easement species. The museum is scheduled to open in 2011.
9. CBMSOP_140228_075.JPG: 21,000 Families Received Letters In early spring 1865, the closing days of the Civil War, Clara Barton found herself inundated with requests from families anxious for word of their missing loved ones. In response, she established the Office of Correspondence with Friends of the Missing Men of the U.S. Army (Missing Soldiers Office). But how did Barton and a handful of clerks manage to provide information to over 21,000 families in the span of less than four years, using nineteenth-century technology and operating out of her rooms in this building? Although Barton and her assistants wrote an astonishing 41,855 letters, even more was accomplished using form letters. Preprinted for a variety of purposes, 58,693 form letters were sent as part of a highly efficient information exchange. In addition, 1,500 names were printed on large sheets titled, "Roll of Missing Soldiers." These rolls were posted throughout the country, with the request that information be sent to the office at 437 Seventh Street. By the end of 1868, five editions were published and 99,057 copies distributed.
10. CBMSOP_140228_080.JPG: Clara Barton Lived and Worked Here The Discovery In 1997, the US General Services Administration (GSA) discovered clothing, papers, and other nineteenth century items in the attic of 437 Seventh Street, NW. This discovery brought attention to a suite of rooms on the third floor that had served as Clara Barton's home, storeroom, and office. The rooms and artifacts, including a sign identifying Room 9 as the Missing Soldiers Office, provide new insight into Clara Barton's experience of the Civil War and her efforts to relieve the suffering of Union soldiers and their families. GSA maintains a preservation easement on the third floor. Work is underway to conserve these spaces and open them to the public as a museum.
11. CBMSOP_140228_087.JPG: Clara Barton Lived and Worked Here Clara Barton and the Civil War While living in rooms on the third floor of 437 Seventh Street, NW, Clara Barton conceived of a series of volunteer-based initiatives that would eventually lead to the formation of the American Red Cross in 1881. Two months after the start of the Civil War, in June 1861, Barton rented two rooms here, just blocks from the US Patent Office where she was employed as a clerk. Dividing her time between work and battlefield support, Barton's living quarters were transformed into a storeroom for supplies and a base for relief operations. In 1865, at the close of the war, Barton organized the Missing Soldiers Office to gather and disseminate information about soldiers missing in action, initially housing this ambitious operation in her living quarters before expanding into adjoining rooms. While directing the Missing Soldiers Office from 1865 to 1868, Clara Bartom embarked on a highly successful lecture tour, furthering her national acclaim.
12. CBMSOP_140228_096.JPG: A Hospital Center: Soon after the First Battle of Bull Run in July 1861, Washington became one of the largest hospital centers for the Union Army, and remained so throughout the war. At least 66 hospitals were opened in the city, some for few months and others for years. Surgeons, nurses, hospital stewards, volunteers, and members of the Veteran Reserve Corps all served at these hospitals.
13. CBMSOP_140228_099.JPG: A Changing Economy: The sudden jump in the population of the city led to a scarcity of housing, and higher prices for goods, food and lodging. Temporary structures were built in many areas, and Freedmen's camps sprung up in both the city and its outskirts. The large numbers of clerks and copyists needed for the war effort brought young men and women into Washington, many of whom stayed on after the war.
14. CBMSOP_140228_107.JPG: An Unfinished City In 1861, Washington was still being developed when war broke out and accelerated the process. Pennsylvania Avenue was the only street paved in cobblestones -- the rest were dirt. The Washington Monument, Capitol dome, Patent Office and Post Office were all incomplete, and the city's drainage and sanitation systems were notoriously deficient. The influx of new residents helped shaped the city into a true nation's capital.
15. CBMSOP_140228_110.JPG: Filled with Soldiers When the Civil War broke out in 1861, Washington was filled with new recruits, many of whom were away from home for the first time. Preserving order among these newly-minted soldiers was done by the Regular Army and various state militias from the north. A large number of troops remained in Washington throughout the war, guarding the capital from the enemy.
16. CBMSOP_140228_128.JPG: Armory Square Hospital, 7th and B Streets, SW
17. CBMSOP_140228_139.JPG: Civil War Unknown Monument, Arlington National Cemetery, 1922
18. CBMSOP_140228_151.JPG: 9th US Veteran's Reserve Corps, 1865
19. CBMSOP_140228_159.JPG: Clara Barton's Missing Soldiers Office
20. CBMSOP_140228_166.JPG: "Our big city, grown up so strangely like a gourd all in a night; places which never before dreamed of being honored by an inhabitant save dogs, cats, and rats, are converted into 'elegantly furnished rooms for rent,' and people actually live in them with all the city airs of people really living in respectable houses, and I suspect many of them do not know what they are positively living in sheds, but we, who have become familiar with every old roof years agone, know perfectly well what shelters them." -- Clara Barton, letter to a wife of an army surgeon, December 24, 1861
21. CBMSOP_140228_176.JPG: Throughout her career, Clara Barton filled a number of roles, some more well-known than others. Before the Civil War she was an educator, establishing the first free public school in Bordertown, New Jersey. During the war she was both a nurse, in field hospitals and as Superintendent of Nurses for the Army of the James, and a first aid practitioner, bringing much-needed supplies to soldiers at the front and surgeons in the battlefield hospitals. Barton was a pioneering American woman, working in the male-dominated Patent Office and supporting women's right to vote. She was an author and public speaker after the Civil War, sharing her stories of service with the public. Barton may be best known as the founder of the American Red Cross in 1881, an organization which "prevents and alleviates human suffering in the face of emergencies by mobilizing the power of volunteers and the generosity of donors." Barton also became an international relief organizer, and a champion of international humanitarian law, encouraging the banning of inhumane weapons fo war and championing the availability of immediate battlefield care.
22. CBMSOP_140228_179.JPG: Above all, Barton was a humanitarian. In all her roles she sought to improve the condition of those who were suffering and, thereby, improve the condition of the world itself. She promoted cooperation among individuals, agencies, and even countries as a way to better serve the greater good. "The Red Cross means, not national aid for the needs of the people, but the people's aid for the needs of the Nation." -- Clara Barton, from 1895 address "What is the Significance of the Red Cross?"
23. CBMSOP_140228_201.JPG: One of the lesser-known aspects of Clara Barton's humanitarian efforts is that she created the Missing Soldiers Office in March of 1865, and operated the service for nearly four years. The MSO helped to find information on missing Civil War soldiers, an effort that brought closure to grieving families who otherwise may never have learned the final fate of their loved ones. Inquiries would come into the office and the names would be checked against known burial lists, hospital records, prison rolls and casualty lists. Appeals would be published in newspapers across the country and forwarded to veterans asking for information on missing men. Approximately 63,000 letters of inquiry were received, and Barton and her assistants successfully located information related to the final dispositions of over 22,000 missing men.
24. CBMSOP_140228_204.JPG: Clara Barton's Missing Soldiers Office occupied much of the third floor of a boarding house on 7th Street in Washington, DC. After the office closed, Barton's landlord, Edward Shaw, remained at the site. The rooms were nearly untouched until they were rediscovered by the US General Services Administration in 1997. Items belonging to both Barton and Shaw were found and recovered by the GSA. In 2012, the GSA and the National Museum of Civil War Medicine signed an agreement to create a museum in the space, ensuring that Barton's legacy of caring will be known for generations to come. "Our war closed int he spring of '65. Almost four years longer I worked among the debris, gathering up the wrecks, and sometimes, during the lecture season, telling a few simple war-stories to the people over the country, in their halls and churches." -- Clara Barton, excerpt from post-war lecture, from The Life of Clara Barton: Founder of the American Red Cross, Vol II. "March 11, 1865. To the friends of missing persons; Miss Clara Barton has kindly offered to search for the missing prisoners of war. Please address her at Annapolis, Maryland, giving name, regiment, and company of any missing prisoner. A. Lincoln" "My rolls are now ready for the press; but their size exceeds the capacity of any private establishment in this city, no printer in Washington having forms of sufficient size or a sufficient number of capitals to print so many names." -- Clara Barton, May 31, 1865, letter to President Andrew Johnson asking if the Government Printing Office could print the missing soldier rolls.
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2014 photos: Equipment this year: I mostly used my Fuji XS-1 camera but, depending on the event, I also used a Nikon D7000. Trips this year: three Civil War Trust conferences (Winchester, VA, Nashville, TN, and Atlanta, GA), Michigan to visit mom in the hospice before she died and then a return trip after she died, and my 9th consecutive San Diego Comic-Con trip (including Las Vegas, Reno, Carson City, Sacramento, Oakland, and Los Angeles). Ego strokes: Paul Dickson used one of my photos as the author photo in his book "Aphorisms: Words Wrought by Writers". Number of photos taken this year: just over 470,000.
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