The Department of Iowa |
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A Tribute to the Grand Army of the Republic |
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In tribute to the GAR - 1866-1956The Grand Army of the Republic was an organization of former Union soldiers from the Great Rebellion of 1861 - 1865. Founded in Decatur, Illinois on April 6, 1866 by Benjamin F. Stephenson, membership was limited to honorably discharged veterans of the Union Army, Navy, Marine Corps or the Revenue Cutter Service who had served between April 12, 1861 and April 9, 1865. The community level organization was called a "Post" and each was numbered consecutively within each Department. Most Posts also had a name and the rules for naming Posts included the requirement that the honored person be deceased and that no two Posts within the same Department could have the same name. The Departments generally consisted of the Posts within a state and, at the national level, the organization was operated by the elected "Commandery-in-Chief." Nearly 2.7 million men served the Union during the war. At its peak, the GAR counted over 400,000 members. The last GAR member, Albert Woolson of Duluth, MN, passed away in 1956. Albert Woolson served as a drummer boy during the Civil War. Click on the link below for a more in-depth history of the GAR.
The Objects of the Grand Army of Republic:1. To preserve and strengthen those kind and fraternal feelings which bind together the soldiers, sailors, and marines who united to suppress the late rebellion, to perpetuate the memory and history2. To assist such former comrades in arms as need help and protection, and to extend needful aid to the widows and orphans of those who have fallen.3. To maintain true allegiance to the United States of America, based a paramount respect for, and fidelity to, the National Constitution and laws, to discountenance whatever tends to weaken loyalty, incites to insurrection, treason or rebellion, or in any manner impairs the efficiency and permanency of our free institutions; and to encourage the spread of universal liberty, equal rights, and justice to all men. |
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Department of Iowa - Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War Web design by
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