In Pittsburgh’s Masonic Hall that evening on March 2, 1868, Clara Barton spoke to a crowd. She delivered a speech titled “Incidents of Army Life,” which highlighted her experience serving as a nurse and aid worker on Civil War battlefields. 

In the days leading up to the presentation, the Pittsburgh Daily Commercial raved about Barton to its readers, urging citizens to hear the “Angel of the Battlefield” speak on her wartime experiences and tribulations:

“We are happy to discover that Miss Clara Barton, the “Florence Nightingale” of the American army, will visit our city and give her much acclaimed talk on the aforementioned issue at Masonic Hall, as will no doubt be the case for our readers. Miss Barton has delighted audiences across our nation with her authentic ladylike sensibilities and behaviors.”

The New Bedford Mercury reported the following about Miss Barton’s lecture there: “The temper of the address was unexceptionable, especially at the close, when she indulged in no tirade about the neglect of soldiers, but meekly pleaded in their favor, that their services should be remembered and gratefully considered, that their children should not lack bread, nor themselves be dealt hardly with.  Miss Barton is what we call a strong hearted woman; not ‘strong-minded’ in the invidious sense of the term. She is noble in person, has a fine head and face, and is gifted with a rich voice, which she modulates exquisitely.”