Tonight at 9pm, the History Detectives of PBS will attempt to uncover the mystery of a letter that appears to be written by American Red Cross founder, Clara Barton! The 1866 letter, which was found pressed between the pages of an old book, reports the death of a Union soldier during the Civil War to another man living in Pennsylvania.
The History Detectives will attempt to answer the questions: Did Clara Barton actually write this letter? If so, why was she writing about these men?Well, I can’t tell you if she wrote the letter or not, you’ll have to watch the show to find out! But after spending a year with the Red Cross, I do know why Clara Barton would write a letter stating the fate of a Civil War soldier. Before founding the American Red Cross in 1881, Ms. Barton (a.k.a. Angel of the Battlefield) helped to identify approximately 22,000 missing Union soldiers, and delivered the news of their fates to the soldiers’ family and friends.
Today, the American Red Cross continues in the footsteps of our founder, helping to reconnect families separated due to armed conflict or natural disaster both in the US and throughout the world. And just like Clara Barton helped with communication between soldiers and their families nearly 150-years ago, the American Red Cross still helps our military families by providing emergency communications and other services.So watch the show tonight on OPB or watch it online to learn the answers to this history mystery!
Photos courtesy of pbs.org & redcross.org