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The GAR was organized into "Departments" at the state level and "Posts" at the community level, and military-style uniforms were worn by its members. Most black troops never received any pension or remuneration for wounds incurred during their Civil War service. The national organization, however, failed to press the case for similar pensions for black soldiers. As the organization revived, black veterans joined in significant numbers and organized local posts. In the 1880s, the Union veterans' organization revived under new leadership that provided a platform for renewed growth, by advocating Federal pensions for veterans. Haskins, standing, observed the transfer of the Departmental Headquarters of the Grand Army of the Republic from San Francisco to Los Angeles in June 1917. 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. 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 their war casualties, missing-in-action, and deceased veterans. Logan declared May 30 to be Memorial Day (also referred to for many years as "Decoration Day"), calling upon the GAR membership to make the May 30 observance an annual occurrence. 11, dated May 5, 1868, first GAR Commander-in-Chief, General John A. The GAR almost disappeared in the early 1870s, and many state-centered divisions, named "departments", and local posts ceased to exist. But when the Republican Party's commitment to reform in the South gradually decreased, the GAR's mission became ill-defined and the organization floundered. Black veterans, who enthusiastically embraced the message of equality, shunned black veterans' organizations in preference for racially inclusive and integrated groups. The GAR promoted voting rights for Black veterans, as many white veterans recognized their demonstrated patriotism and sacrifices, providing one of the first racially integrated social/fraternal organizations in America. The commemoration of Union Army and Navy veterans, black and white, immediately became entwined with partisan politics. The GAR initially grew and prospered as a de facto political arm of the Republican Party during the heated political contests of the Reconstruction Era. Stephenson and the first GAR Post was established in Decatur, Illinois. 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 Springfield, Illinois, by Dr.
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Groups of men began joining, first for camaraderie and later for political power. Many of the veterans used their shared experiences as a basis for fellowship. Andre Stevens Civil War Collection)Īfter the end of American Civil War, various state and local organizations were formed for veterans to network and maintain connections with each other. 146, "RG Shaw Post", named after Colonel Robert Gould Shaw and established by surviving members of the 54th Massachusetts Infantry Regiment in 1871 (R. It was succeeded by the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), composed of male descendants of Union Army and Union Navy veterans. Its peak membership, at 410,000, was in 1890, a high point of various Civil War commemorative and monument dedication ceremonies. became among the first organized advocacy groups in American politics, supporting voting rights for black veterans, promoting patriotic education, helping to make Memorial Day a national holiday, lobbying the United States Congress to establish regular veterans' pensions, and supporting Republican political candidates. Linking men through their experience of the war, the G.A.R. It was dissolved in 1956 at the death of its last member, Albert Woolson (1850–1956) of Duluth, Minnesota. It was founded in 1866 in Springfield, Illinois, and grew to include hundreds of "posts" (local community units) across the nation (predominantly in the North, but also a few in the South and West). Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. The Grand Army of the Republic ( GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army ( United States Army), Union Navy ( U.S. Woman's Relief Corps and Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War For other uses, see Grand Army of the Republic (disambiguation).