Two letters sent by Clara Barton while serving in the Spanish-American War

Two signed, typewritten letters sent by Clara Barton while serving as part of the Red Cross mission accompanying United States forces during the Spanish-American War to Harriette L. Reed. 4 sheets total, two on American National Red Cross letterhead.

The first letter, dated May 13, 1898, was written by Barton while aboard the USS Texas, waiting in Key West Harbor. The letter reads in part:

'The clear, fine days are broken; we have dull skies, and no doubt but the rainy season in Cuba has set it. Most of the great ships have been draw off, no one knows where; the hospital ship "Solace" has come into the harbor, but is anchored a long way out. Rumor has it that we shall move on very soon, but no one knows where to place Admiral, nor if we move on without him. Mr. & Mrs. [George] Kennan are in Key West, coming over to us occasionally. I presume their intention is to reach Cuba when we do. If we lie here a little longer, our men will all be genuine tars. They are flying all over the harbor, meeting the wants of this boat and that, carrying provision to one point and to another, and making themselves immensely useful... for the people seem just as earnest and crazy as ever to go to Cuba, they do not know for what; to nurse, they do not know how; to take care of soldiers who as yet need no care, and in short, to do something they never did, do not know how to do, and would not be the persons called, if any one were really needed for the work they propose.'

The second letter, dated August 24, 1898, was written while en route between Santiago and Havana, Cuba. The letter reads in part:

'I am not going to try to describe to you at all what it has been, what Siboney was before it in the days of battle, for one day, God willing, we will sit down together, and I will tell it all to you. We have gone through it apparently unscathed, and yet when we made out a little list the other day of those with whom we started and those we had now, we found that of the twenty in the beginning, eight were on their feet, eleven had sickened, been nursed and gone home, and one had gone to heaven. And yet I do not suppose any one thinks that anything has happened to the National Red Cross at the field... If any one tells you that we have been badly treated; that either the Navy or the Army, or any officer thereof has been otherwise than kind, helpful, courteous, respectful and brotherly, do not believe it... from General Shafter and Admiral Sampson down, nothing could have been finer, nothing more respectful, nothing more attentive, and we are not afraid of the testimony which your soldiers will give when they come home. The Red Cross has worked, and I believe it has won.