Barton received a message as she was caring for troops that her father had fallen ill, she left the field to be with her father. She remained with her father until after he passed and honoring her father’s wishes she returned to the battlefield. In 1864 she became a superintendent nurse for the Army of the James. While she was helping soldiers she saw a large number of letters from family and loved ones distraught over a missing loved one. Deciding to help put the loved ones at ease, Barton established an office to help locate soldiers who had disappeared in the line of