On this date in 1904, the Grand Army of the Republic concluded its annual meeting in Boston. The Washburn Leader announced that the organization elected officers and chose Denver as the location of the next annual encampment. The Grand Army of the Republic, known as the GAR, was an organization for Union veterans of the Civil War. It was established in Springfield, Illinois in 1866. Eventually there were hundreds of posts across the country.
Many Dakotans fought for the Union, and other Union veterans immigrated to the territory after the war. Posts in the state were named for notable Civil War figures. Post number one in Fort Yates, named for George Custer, was organized in 1882. Other posts were named for generals Reynolds, Burnside, and Grant. The Casselton post was named for abolitionist John Brown, who led a raid before the war on the Federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry. The Larimore post was Appomattox, site of Lee’s surrender to Grant. The Mayville post, formed in 1889, was the last North Dakota post to be organized. It was named for Brigadier General Farnsworth, who was killed at Gettysburg.
The GAR engaged in political activities, lobbying for veterans’ pensions, voting rights for black veterans, benefits for widows and orphans, and recognizing Memorial Day as a national holiday. At least as important were the social activities that allowed veterans to maintain a bond of camaraderie.
Interestingly, the GAR also sought reconciliation with Confederate veterans. The organization formally invited their southern counterparts to a gathering at the 25th anniversary of Gettysburg. The Union veterans hoped the occasion would be a moment to “record in friendship and fraternity the sentiments of good-will, loyalty, and patriotism which now unite all in sincere devotion to the country.” Veterans of the Blue and the Grey famously shook hands across the stone wall that marked the high water mark of the Confederacy, and pledged their loyalty to one Constitution and one flag.
The highpoint of the GAR came in 1890 during commemorations of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the war’s end. At that time membership numbered 410,000. After that date, membership dwindled as Civil War veterans passed away. Albert Woolson was the last member. He died in Duluth in 1956.
Dakota Datebook written by Carole Butcher
Sources:
US History. “Grand Army of the Republic.” https://u-s-history.com/pages/h702.html Accessed 8/11/2020.
Karlton Smith, “The Grand Reunion of 1888.” The Blog of Gettysburg National Military Park. https://npsgnmp.wordpress.com/2015/10/16/the-grand-reunion-of-1888/ Accessed 5 September 2017.
Sons of Union Veterans. “GAR Records.” http://www.suvcw.org/garrecords/garposts/nd.pdf Accessed 8/11/2020.
Washburn Leader. “Massachusetts Man Elected Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic.” Washburn ND. 9/3/1904. Page 6.
