Grand Army of the Republic

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Stephenson GAR Memorial, Washington, D.C.

The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army who had served in the American Civil War. The GAR was among the first organized interest groups in American politics. It was succeeded by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW).

1 History
2 Memorials
3 Theodore Penland
4 In popular culture
5 See also
6 External links
7 Notes

[edit] History

The GAR was founded by Benjamin F. Stephenson, M.D., on April 6, 1866, in Decatur, Illinois. Its organization was based partly on the traditions of Freemasonry, and partly on military tradition; it was divided 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.

The organization wielded considerable political clout nationwide. Between 1868 and 1908, no Republican was nominated to the presidency without a GAR endorsement. In 1868, General Order #11 of the GAR called for May 30 to be designated as a day of memorial for Union veterans; originally called "Decoration Day," this later evolved into the U.S. national Memorial Day holiday. The GAR was also active in pension legislation, establishing retirement homes for soldiers, and many other areas which concerned Union veterans. The influence of the GAR led to the creation of the Old Soldiers' Homes of the late 19th century, which evolved into the current United States Department of Veterans Affairs.

The GAR created the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) in 1881 to ensure the preservation of their own mission after Union war veterans had all died. The GAR also generated several auxiliary organizations such as the National Woman's Relief Corps^[1], Ladies of the GAR^[2], and Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865, many of which are still active. A comparable organization for Confederate veterans was the United Confederate Veterans.

There was some controversy over the fact that the membership badge of the GAR closely resembled the Army's version of the Medal of Honor, causing confusion and animosity among veterans. The issue was resolved with a re-design of the latter in 1896.

The GAR reached its largest enrollment in 1890, with 490,000 members. It held an annual "National Encampment" every year from 1866 to 1949. In 1956, after the death of the last member, Albert Woolson, the GAR was formally dissolved. Its records went to the Library of Congress, Washington, D.C., and its badges, flags, and official seal went to the Smithsonian Institution.

[edit] Memorials

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.

There is a GAR cemetery in Portland, Oregon. Salmon Brown, son of John Brown (of the song "John Brown's Body") is buried there.
Another GAR cemetery is on Seattle, Washington's Capitol Hill, just north of Lake View Cemetery. Established in 1895, it was turned over to the Parks Department in 1922.^[3]
A monumental memorial honoring Benjamin F. Stephenson, M.D., stands near the National Archives building and the Navy Memorial in Washington, D.C.^[4]^[5] The GAR Memorial Foundation erected the monument using funds that the U.S. Congress had appropriated in 1907. The memorial was dedicated in 1909.^[6]
U.S. Highway 6 is known as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway for its entire length.^[7]
Vermont Route 15 is known as the Grand Army of the Republic Highway.
Cornelius S. Chase Post 50 was in Titusville, Pennsylvania and its original charter and some documents, including its handwritten by-laws are on display at the Cleo J. Ross Post 368 American Legion in Titusville.
There is a Grand Army of the Republic Conference Room at the Wisconsin State Capital in Madison, Wisconsin.
G.A.R. Memorial Junior Senior High School is in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
A GAR memorial and several gravesites are in Union Ridge Cemetery Norwood_Park, Chicago.
a GAR memorial is in Greenwood Cemetery in Bemidji, Minnesota.
A cemetery with the graves of several GAR members who were former slaves originally from Tennessee is southwest of Murphysboro, Illinois.
There is a GAR memorial, and many gravesites, in the Evergreen Cemetery, Red Oak, Iowa.

Theodore Penland was the last National Commander of the Grand Army of the Republic and one of the last surviving Union Army veterans of the American Civil War. He served as a Private in the state troops of Indiana, but from this low rank rose to command of an organization that, at its height in 1891, had numbered a half million members. He became a symbol of the American transition from a predominantly rural federation to the strongest nation in the free world, as the evolution to hegemony took place during his lifetime.

[edit] Theodore Penland

Monument in honor of the Grand Army of the Republic, organized after the war.

Theodore Augustus Penland, the last commander of the GAR, was born on January 23, 1849 in New Paris, Indiana (Elkhart County), but was a resident of Portland, Oregon at the time of his death in nearby Vancouver, Washington at the age of 101. When he died on September 13, 1950 there were only eight other surviving Union Army veterans: Joseph Clovese, Hiram Randall Gale, Lansing A Wilcox, Douglas T Story, Israel Adam Broadsword, William Allen Magee, James Albert Hard, and Albert Henry Woolson. With two wives, both named Elizabeth, Penland had ten children, and at the time of his death had almost fifty living descendants.

Penland enlisted in the Union Army at Goshen, Indiana in early 1865 and served with Company A of the 152nd Indiana Infantry. He served guard duty along the Potomac River and was discharged at Charlestown, West Virginia on August 2, 1865. While his service was short and undramatic, his family's contributions to the war had been extreme. His father John Penland, born March 21, 1817, died January 4, 1863 (age 45 years) as a result of wounds received in the Battle of Stone's River Campaign, Murfreesboro, TN. His grave marker in the Stones River National Cemetery is in Section: D, Grave Number: 1444. Two of his brothers, also Union Army soldiers, were imprisoned at Andersonville Prison and died shortly after the end of the war.

His post-war vocations of farming and railroad work, and the lure of adventure, drew him repeatedly to the American West. In 1868 he walked from Indiana to California, lived briefly in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and took up residence in both Sacramento, California and Nevada. He worked in the Sierra Nevada Mountains on the Union Pacific Railroad through 1869 when the golden spike completed the transcontinental line at Promontory Point. After a brief return to Indiana, his other residences included Michigan, Los Angeles, San Diego, and, ultimately, Portland; he continued world travels to Australia and New Zealand, and later retraced his transcontinental walks by journeys in airplanes.

Throughout his long life he remained vitally interested in veterans' affairs and in the fraternal and charitable activities of the Grand Army of the Republic. He attended battlefield reunions at Gettysburg as well as National and Department Encampments of the GAR. As one of the final survivors, he held the top office of Commander in the Department of Oregon from 1935 until his death, and was a national GAR officer from 1941 until his death. His obituary claimed he held membership in thirty-two patriotic orders including the GAR.

At the last National Encampment of the GAR in Indianapolis, Indiana, 1949, the six surviving members agreed to assume office for the remainder of their lives; Penland, Commander-in-Chief since 1948, would continue as such for only another year.

According to his obituary, Penland enjoyed giving talks on his experiences in the Civil War, of the time he saw President Abraham Lincoln, and on the virtues of "living carefully". His distinctive singing voice was a feature of GAR firesides, with a favorite reportedly "Tenting On The Old Camp Ground." Reportedly he liked talking and singing on the radio - a signal accomplishment for one born in the age of telegraphy - and speaking with young people.

[edit] In popular culture

John Steinbeck's East of Eden features several references to the Grand Army of the Republic. Despite having no actual battle experience during his brief military career, 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.

Another Nobel Prize winning author, Sinclair Lewis, makes references to the GAR in his acclaimed novel Main Street.

The GAR is also mentioned in the seldom sung introduction to the patriotic song You're a grand old flag.