This Day in History: , American Red Cross Founded.
May 21, 1881.
The American Red Cross was founded by
Clara Barton and Adolphus Solomons.
Known as the "Angel of the Battlefield,"
Barton had extensive experience
in humanitarian work.
Following the U.S. Civil War,
she had been commissioned by
President Abraham Lincoln to conduct
a prisoner of war search.
She succeeded in identifying thousands
of Union soldiers dead at Andersonville.
Barton worked with the
International Red Cross in
Europe in the early 1870s.
She remained the head of the
American Red Cross until
her death in 1912