Clara Barton was an American Civil War nurse, founder of the American Red Cross, and a teacher. She was born on December 25, 1821 in North Oxford, Massachusetts. During the Civil War, Barton served as a nurse for the Union Army and is known as the "Angel of the Battlefield". She established and later led the American Red Cross in 1881, which became an official part of the United States government in 1905. Barton also worked to improve conditions for wounded soldiers and prisoners of war. She died on April 12, 1912 in Glen Echo, Maryland.