ext three years. Clara got permission from President Lincoln to startthis campaign to search for missing soldiers. Clara and other volunteersaccomplished this feat by writing vast amounts of letters to obtain informationthat might lead them to know whether or not the missing soldiers were stillalive. While performing this duty for the nation, Clara was given a great honorby becoming the first woman to head a government bureau: the Missing SoldiersOffice. Through all her efforts, information on close to 22,000 soldiers wasretrieved before 1868 when the office was closed down.After three long years of relentless searching, Clara desperately needed abreak. On doctors orders, Clara went to Europe to recover her emotional andphysical health. While in Europe, Clara took on two more interests: theInternational Red Cross and the Treaty of Geneva. Clara was able to observethe Red Cross in action and volunteered her services during the Franco-RussianWar, however she could not actually work for the organization because she wasa woman. Clara was again honored for her heroism with Germanys Iron Crossin 1871.Claras experiences in Europe inspired her to return home and startsomething similar to what she had observed in Europe. As soon as she returnedto America in1873 she began her crusade to persuade the United States to signthe treaty of Geneva. This treaty, which had already been signed by twelve othercountries, provided relief for sick and wounded soldiers. Clara also took on theresponsibility of lobbying for ratification of the American Red Cross whichfinally occurred in 1881. Clara served as president of this organization until1904 when she was forced to resign due to overwhelming criticism about herstyle of leadership. While president of the American Red Cross, Clara made animportant contribution to the organization as a whole by realizing that it wasimportant to take care of suffering people not only in wartime, but duringpeacetime...
