A Story of the Red Cross; Glimpses of Field WorkBarton, Clara
History
A Story of the Red Cross; Glimpses of Field Work
Barton, Clara
American National Red Cross
Whoever has enjoyed this quiet, sheltered harbor, protected on three
sides by beautiful wooded hills, will not require to be reminded of it.
At six o'clock our anchor sunk in the deep, still waters and we had time
to look about and see the beginning of the war. The marines were camped
along the brow of a hill. On our right a camp of Cubans, and all about
us the great war-ships with their guns, which told of forthcoming
trouble. Captain McCalla, who was in command of Guantanamo, had sent his
compliments and a launch, leading us in to our place of anchorage. The
courtesies of the navy so early commenced at Key West were continued
throughout the war.
By invitation of Commander Dunlap our entire company visited the Solace
the following day. If that beautiful ship or its management had left
room on the records of our country's meed of gratitude, for more words
of appreciative praise, I should be glad to speak them. Only those
familiar with the earliest history of the Red Cross in our country, and
the methods by which our navy alone--of all the Red Cross nations--had
gained even an approximately legal place, can judge what the sight of
that first naval relief ship in American waters was to me. It brought
back so vividly the memory of the day in 1881 when President Arthur
called me to him to carefully explain the conditions of the treaty which
he had just signed, and that, Congress having generously included the
navy in its treaty for war, he would provide to hold it carefully until
the probable widening of the original treaty would include the _navies_
of the world, as well as the armies.
Before the day closed news came to us of a serious character. The daring
Rough Riders had been hardly dealt by. Hamilton Fish and Allyn Capron
had been killed, and the wounded needed help. Wherever they might be, it
must be possible to reach them, and it was decided that no time be lost.
Our men commenced work in the hold of the ship to get at medical
supplies and dressings, and the captain took his orders. I find in my
diary at the close of that day the following paragraph: "It is the Rough
Riders we go to, and the relief may be also rough, but it will be
_ready_. A better body of helpers could scarcely be gotten together."
Nine o'clock of the same night found us at Siboney, which can scarcely
be called a harbor, for it has no anchorage. The next morning at
daybreak we stood on deck to see the soldiers filing up over the hill,
in heavy marching order, forming in lines by ones and twos, winding up,
in and out among the hills, higher and higher. As we watched them they
were a moving line trailing on toward the clouds, till lost in the mist,
and we could only think, as we looked at them, on how many and on which,
is set the mark of death? He knew no more than we--poor fellow--and
with his swinging, steady gait, toils up and up and waits for--he knows
not what.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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