Grand Army of the Republic

This article is about the U.S. veterans organization. For other uses, see Grand Army of the Republic (disambiguation).
The members of Charles W. Carroll Post 144 pose on the steps of the Norfolk County Courthouse in Dedham, Massachusetts on Dedham's 250th anniversary in 1885.

The "Grand Army of the Republic" (G.A.R.) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), Marines and the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War for the Northern/Federal forces. Founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, and growing to include hundreds of posts (local community units) across the nation, (predominately in the North, but also a few in the South and West), it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member, Albert Woolson (1847–1956) of Duluth, Minnesota, died. Linking men through their experience of the war, the G.A.R. became among the first organized advocacy groups in American politics, supporting voting rights for black veterans, promoting patriotic education, help to make Memorial Day a national holiday, lobbying the United States Congress to establish regular veterans' pensions, and supporting Republican political candidates. Its peak membership, at more than 490,000, was in 1890, a high point of various Civil War commemorative and monument dedication ceremonies. It was succeeded by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (S.U.V.C.W.), composed of male descendants of Union Army and Union Navy veterans.

History

The Grand Army of the Republic badge. Authorized by the U.S. Congress to be worn on the uniform by Union Army veterans.[1]

After the end of American Civil War, various state and local organizations were formed for veterans to network and maintain connections with each other. Many of the veterans used their shared experiences as a basis for fellowship. Groups of men began joining together, first for camaraderie and later for political power. Emerging as most influential among the various organizations during the first post-war years, was the Grand Army of the Republic, founded on April 6, 1866, on the principles of "Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty," in Decatur, Illinois, by Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson.

The G.A.R. initially grew and prospered as a "de facto" political arm of the Republican Party during the heated political contests of the Reconstruction era. The commemoration of Union Army and Navy veterans, black and white, immediately became entwined with partisan politics. The G.A.R. promoted voting rights for then called "Negro"/"Colored" black veterans, as many white veterans recognized their demonstrated patriotism and sacrifices, providing one of the first racially integrated social/fraternal organizations in America. Black veterans, who enthusiastically embraced the message of equality, shunned black veterans' organizations in preference for racially inclusive/integrated groups. But when the Republican Party's commitment to reform in the South gradually decreased, the G.A.R.'s mission became ill-defined and the organization floundered. The G.A.R. almost disappeared in the early 1870s, and many state-centered divisions - named "departments" and local posts ceased to exist.[2]

In his General Order No. 11, dated May 5, 1868, first G.A.R. Commander-in-Chief, General John A. Logan declared May 30 to be Memorial Day (also referred to for many years as "Decoration Day"), calling upon the G.A.R. membership to make the May 30 observance an annual occurrence. Although not the first time war graves had been decorated, Logan's order effectively established "Memorial Day" as the day upon which Americans now pay tribute to all our nation's war casualties, missing-in-action, and deceased veterans. As decades passed, similarly-inspired commemorations also spread across the South as "Confederate Memorial Day" or "Confederate Decoration Day", usually in April, led by organizations of Southern soldiers in the parallel United Confederate Veterans.[3]

In the 1880s, the Union veterans organization revived under new leadership that provided a platform for renewed growth, by advocating Federal pensions for veterans. As the organization revived, black veterans joined in significant numbers and organized local posts. The national organization, however, failed to press the case for similar pensions for black soldiers. Most black troops never received any pension or remuneration for wounds incurred during their Civil War service.[4]

The G.A.R. was organized into "Departments" at the state level and "Posts" at the community level, and military-style uniforms were worn by its members. There were posts in every state in the U.S., and several posts overseas.[4]

The pattern of establishing departments and local posts was later used by other American military veterans' organizations, such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars (organized originally for Spanish–American and Philippines Wars [formerly referred to as the "Philippine Insurrection"]) and the later American Legion (for the First World War and later expanded to include subsequent World War II, Korean, Vietnam and Middle Eastern wars).

The G.A.R.'s political power grew during the latter part of the 19th century, and it helped elect several United States presidents, beginning with the 18th, Ulysses S. Grant, and ending with the 25th, William McKinley. Five Civil War veterans and members (Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, and McKinley) were elected President of the United States; all were Republicans. (The sole post-war Democratic president was Grover Cleveland, the 22nd and 24th chief executive.) For a time, candidates could not get Republican presidential or congressional nominations without the endorsement of the G.A.R. veterans voting bloc.

Reverse of the Grand Army of the Republic Badge.

With membership strictly limited to "veterans of the late unpleasantness," the GAR encouraged the formation of Allied Orders to aid them in various works. Numerous male organizations jousted for the backing of the GAR, and the political battles became quite severe until the GAR finally endorsed the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War as its heir. Although a male organization, the GAR admitted its sole woman member in 1897. Sarah Emma Edmonds served in the 2nd Michigan Infantry as a disguised man named Franklin Thompson from May 1861 until April 1863. In 1882, she collected affidavits from former comrades in an effort to petition for a veteran's pension which she received in July 1884. Edmonds was only a member for a brief period as she died September 5, 1898; however she was given a funeral with military honors when she was reburied in Houston in 1901.[5]

The GAR reached its largest enrollment in 1890, with 490,000 members. It held an annual "National Encampment" every year from 1866 to 1949. At that final encampment in Indianapolis, Indiana, the few surviving members voted to retain the existing officers in place until the organization's dissolution; Theodore Penland of Oregon, the GAR's Commander at the time, was therefore its last. In 1956, after the death of the last member, Albert Woolson, the GAR was formally dissolved.[2]

GAR Parade during the 1914 Encampment in Detroit, Michigan

Memorials, honors and commemorations

The Stephenson GAR Memorial, located on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Memorials to the Grand Army of the Republic include a commemorative postage stamp, a U.S. highway, and physical memorials in numerous communities throughout the United States:

G.A.R. Commemorative issue of 1948
The Chicago Cultural Center (1893), built on land donated by the GAR, maintains a memorial hall to the Grand Army
Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Opera House, Valparaiso, Indiana. c. 1898
A G.A.R. marker at Brush Creek Cemetery, near Irwin, Pennsylvania

State posts

With the exception of Hawaii, every state had GAR "posts" (forerunners of modern American Legion Halls or VFW Halls), even those of the former Confederacy. The posts were made up of local veterans, many of whom participated in local civic events. As Civil War veterans died or were no longer able to participate in GAR activities, posts consolidated or were disbanded.[82] Posts were assigned a sequential number based on their admission into the state's GAR organization, and most posts held informal names which honored comrades, battles, or commanders; it was not uncommon to have more than one post in a state honoring the same individual (such as Abraham Lincoln) and posts often changed their informal designation by vote of the local membership.

Many states held annual encampments based on the national encampment model. These state encampments filled both a social and political function, as state GAR leaders were elected, political platforms voted upon, and veterans' issues were discussed openly. Much like the national organization, state GAR leaders could wield strong political influence.

See:

In popular culture

John Steinbeck's East of Eden features several references to the Grand Army of the Republic. Despite having very little actual battle experience during his brief military career, cut short by the loss of his leg, Adam Trask's father Cyrus joins the GAR and assumes the stature of "a great man" through his involvement with the organization. At the height of the GAR's influence in Washington, he brags to his son:

I wonder if you know how much influence I really have. I can throw the Grand Army at any candidate like a sock. Even the President likes to know what I think about public matters. I can get senators defeated and I can pick appointments like apples. I can make men and I can destroy men. Do you know that?

Later in the book, references are made to the graves of GAR members in California in order to emphasize the passage of time.[83]

Another Nobel Prize winning author, Sinclair Lewis, refers to the GAR in his acclaimed novel Main Street.[84]

Charles Portis's classic novel, True Grit, makes reference to the GAR.[85]

The GAR is briefly mentioned in William Faulkner's novel, The Sound and the Fury.[86]

Willa Cather's short story The Sculptor's Funeral briefly references the GAR.[87]

The GAR is mentioned in the seldom sung second verse of the patriotic song You're a Grand Old Flag.[88]

The GAR is referenced in John McCrae's poem He Is There! which was set to music in 1917 by Charles Ives as part of his cycle Three Songs of the War.[89]

In Ward Moore's 1953 alternate history novel Bring the Jubilee, the South won the Civil War and became a major world power while the rump United States was reduced to an impoverished dependence. The Grand Army of the Republic is a nationalistic organization working to restore the United States to its former glory through acts of sabotage and terrorism.[90]

A replica of the USS Kearsarge displayed at the 1893 GAR National Convention in Indianapolis, Indiana

See also

References

  1. 10 U.S.C. § 1123
  2. 2.0 2.1 Glenn B. Knight. "Brief History of the Grand Army of the Republic". suvcw.org. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  3. John E. Gilman (1910). "The Grand Army of the Republic". civilwarhome.com. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 "A Brief History of the Grand Army of the Republic". Grand Army of the Republic Museum and Library. Retrieved 2011-03-05.
  5. "Sarah Emma Edmonds, Private, December 1841–September 5, 1898". Civil War Trust. Retrieved 2011-06-12.
  6. Richard F. Weingroff (July 27, 2009). "U.S. 6-The Grand Army of the Republic Highway". US Department of Transportation-Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  7. A. Gary Gibson (1999). "Remembering the Grand Army of the Republic Fifty Years Later". Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
    B. "G.A.R. Issue". Smithsonian National Postal Museum. Retrieved Jan 11, 2014.
  8. "U.S. Stamps 1951". stampscatalog.info. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  9. "Grand Army of the Republic". The Historical Marker Database. 29 May 2009. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  10. "GAR Plot". Mountain View Cemetery. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  11. "Sacramento Historic City Cemetery Self-Guided Tour". OldCityCemetery.com. 2005. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  12. "Events". United Veterans Council of Santa Clara County. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
  13. "New England Civil War Museum". NewEnglandCivilWarMuseum.com. 4 December 2010. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  14. Hybrid satellite image/street map of Stephenson GAR Memorial in Washington, D.C., from WikiMapia
  15. "Stephenson Grand Army of the Republic Memorial". dcmemorials.com. 2006. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  16. "Stephenson Grand Army of the Republic Memorial". Smithsonian American Art Museum, Art Inventories Catalog. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  17. "Union Ridge Cemetery". Find A Grave. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
  18. "The People's Palace: The Story of the Chicago Cultural Center". CityofChicago.org. 1999. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  19. Kenneth Lowe (27 May 2011). "Wet conditions fail to stop Greenwood Cemetery ceremony". Herald & Review. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  20. "Civil War Monument, Minier, IL". Waymarking.com. 28 July 2008. Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  21. "National Headquarters GAR Museum". Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  22. "Illinois State Capitol-A Walking Tour" (PDF). Illinois Secretary of State. May 2001. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  23. "A Brief History of the Memorial Opera House". Valparaiso Memorial Opera House. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  24. "The Capitol Today-Third Floor". Iowa Legislature. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  25. "Iowa Profile". State of Iowa. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  26. "Montgomery County: Red Oak". IowaCivilWarMonuments.com. 30 November 2007. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  27. "Henry County-Mt. Pleasant". IowaCivilWarMonuments.com. 30 May 2010. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  28. "Dallas County-Redfield". IowaCivilWarMonuments.com. 25 May 2008. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  29. "Black Hawk County Memorial Hall". Cedarnet.org. June 23, 2004. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
  30. "Black Hawk County Soldiers Memorial Hall". National Park Service. Retrieved 2011-02-24.
  31. "Baxter Springs City Cemetery Soldiers' Lot". cem.va.gov. 6 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  32. "Schmidt, Kobach to commemorate Memorial Hall Anniversary" (Press release). Kansas Attorney General. 12 October 2011. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  33. "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form" (PDF). Kenton County Public Library. 17 July 1997. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  34. "Chalmette National Cemetery". Civilwarhome.com. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  35. "Our Fathers Saved Sundial". Monument City Blog. June 16, 2009. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  36. "Hartsuff Post 74 Grand Army of the Republic Hall". Rockland GAR Hall. 18 December 1998. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  37. "Grand Army of the Republic Monument, Algonac, Michigan". Department of Michigan-Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. 19 March 2006. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  38. "The Soldier's Monument". Bay City Tribune. 19 August 1893. Retrieved 2014-11-20.
  39. "Now Guards the Soldier's Rest". Bay City Tribune. 9 March 1902. Retrieved 2014-11-20.
  40. Jenny Nolan (January 28, 1997). "The Grand Army of the Republic". The Detroit News. detnews.com. Retrieved 2010-10-15.
  41. Dan Austin (July 5, 2013). "A preservation battle worth fighting". The Detroit Free Press. p. 11A. Retrieved 2013-07-05.
  42. The Detroit Free Press, "Republic Restaurant...", by Sylvia Rector, page D1, February 12, 2015
  43. "Monuments & Memorials". Governor Henry H. Crapo Camp No. 145. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  44. "Civil War Monument". Grand Rapids Historical Commission. Retrieved 2014-02-26.
  45. "Custer Post Cenotaph and Burial Area". National Motorcycle Tour. Retrieved 2014-05-07.
  46. Molly Miron (31 May 2011). "Service of remembrance held at Greenwood Cemetery". Bemidji Pioneer (bemidjipioneer.com). Retrieved 2011-05-31.
  47. "G.A.R. Park". City of Detroit Lakes. Retrieved 2013-03-04.
  48. "The Grand Meadow GAR Hall". Mower County Historical Society. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  49. "Hastings Veterans Memorials". Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs. 2010. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
  50. 50.0 50.1 "Goodhue County and Minnesota in the G.A.R.". private Anthony. 9 February 2011. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
  51. "Soldiers and Sailors Monument". City of St. Paul, Minnesota. Retrieved 2012-02-19.
  52. Onions, Thomas (21 March 2010). "Park Cemetery GAR Memorial". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  53. Fischer, Jr., William (27 July 2013). "Phil Kearny Post No. 19 G.A.R. Memorial". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  54. "Forest Lawn Walking Tour". Forest Lawn Cemetery Association. March 1999. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
  55. "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form-Citizens Hall" (PDF). National Park Service. 9 December 1999. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  56. 56.0 56.1 56.2 56.3 56.4 56.5 "New Jersey Civil War Monuments". Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War-New Jersey. 23 June 2010. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
  57. "William Winterbottom". Find a Grave. 19 February 2003. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  58. "Jersey City, New Jersey". Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, New Jersey Department. Retrieved 2012-05-29.
  59. Intile, John (5 May 2011). "Grand Army Of The Republic Memorial". Historical Marker Database. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  60. Mike Foley (29 June 2009). "GAR Monument (photo)". Find a Grave. Retrieved 2012-11-22.
  61. Banjamin R. Maryinak (2001). "The Soldiers & Sailors Monument in Lafayette Square". Buffalo Architecture and History. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  62. "Grand Army Plaza". New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  63. "War Memorial Tour of Columbia". Columbia University. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  64. "'81 Endows University Flagstaff, to Mark Fortieth Anniversary". Columbia Alumni News 12 (33). June–July 1921. p. 538. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  65. "History of Mount Olivet Cemetery". MountOlivetCemeteryNYC.com. Retrieved 2011-04-26.
  66. "Grand Army of the Republic Monument". Center for Heritage Renewal, North Dakota State University. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  67. "Grand Army of the Republic Sundial Lest We Forget". State of Ohio. Retrieved 2011-02-14.
  68. "Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery". oregonmetro.gov. January 1, 2005. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
  69. "Espy Post Collection". Andrew Carnegie Free Library and Music Hall. 2010. Retrieved 2010-09-14.
  70. Jan Ackerman (13 August 2001). "Soldiers & Sailors hall winning war on neglect". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 2011-06-01.
  71. "GAR Memorial Junior Senior High School". publicschoolreview.com. Retrieved 2011-04-25.
  72. "Grand Army of the Republic Monument Fort Hill Cemetery". Southeast Tennessee Tourism Association. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  73. "Vermont Named State Highways and Bridges" (PDF). Vermont Board of Libraries. April 28, 2008. Retrieved 2011-03-03.
  74. "History". Rutland Free Library. 2010. Retrieved 2011-02-15.
  75. "GAR Cemetery Park, Seattle, Washington". The Friends of the Grand Army of the Republic Cemetery Park. Retrieved 2007-05-04.
  76. "Civil War Cemetery". City of Snohomish. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  77. Warner (20 October 2010). "Grand Army of the Republic Monument". Snohomish County Tribune. Retrieved 2011-12-20.
  78. Amzie Browning (31 May 1909). "Browning 004". Tacoma Public Library. Retrieved 2013-04-25.
  79. "Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Inscription". The Historical Marker Database. 7 March 2010. Retrieved 2012-03-08.
  80. "Capitol Exterior". Wisconsin.gov. Retrieved 2011-03-02.
  81. "Soldiers Monument". Historical Marker Database. 8 July 2010. Retrieved 2013-12-24.
  82. "List of posts and location by department". Library of Congress. 2001. Retrieved 2014-07-03.
  83. "Steinbeck-East of Eden". edstephan.org. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
  84. Lewis, Sinclair (12 April 2006). "XXXV". Main Street (PDF). Project Gutenberg. Retrieved 2015-01-06.
  85. Portis, Charles (5 December 2010). True Grit. New York: Overlook Press. Retrieved 2015-01-16. (subscription required (help)).
  86. The Sound snd the Fury-Glossary. University of Mississippi Press. 1996. p. 54. ISBN 0-87805-936-9. Retrieved 2011-04-20.
  87. "The Sculptor's Funeral". Classic Reader. Retrieved 2015-01-16.
  88. George M. Cohan (1906). "You're a Grand Old Flag (Annotated Music)". Library of Congress Performing Arts Encyclopedia. New York, NY: F. A. Mills. Retrieved 2013-04-24.
  89. "He Is There!". Song of America. Retrieved 2011-03-17.
  90. Moore, Ward (1 January 2009). Bring the Jubilee. Wildside Press. ISBN 978-1434478535. Retrieved 2015-01-16.

Further reading

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grand Army of the Republic.