DEPARTMENT OF COLORADO AND WYOMING, GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC RECORDS

Following the Civil War, veterans longed for the friendship and camaraderie of fellow soldiers. Friendships forged in battle are a unique bond that seldom break over time. As a result, veterans began joining together for companionship and sociability.

In 1866, Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson recognized the veteran’s need and founded the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) in Decatur, Illinois. 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 G.A.R.'s 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. Military-style uniforms were worn by members. Posts were established in every state in the U.S., and overseas.

Each Post was numbered consecutively within each department. Most Posts were named and the rules for naming Posts included the requirements that the honored person be deceased. No two Posts within the same Department could have the same name. About 90 posts were scattered throughout Colorado and Wyoming, nine of them in Denver.

Elections were held for Post Commanders, Junior and Senior Vice Commanders, and Council members. Each member was voted into membership using the Masonic system of casting black or white balls (except that more than one black ball was required to reject a candidate for membership). If a candidate was rejected, that rejection was reported to the Department, which listed the rejection in general orders. Rejections were maintained in a "Black Book" at each Post meeting place.

The G.A.R. developed national political influence. Between 1868 and 1908, no Republican was nominated to the presidency without a G.A.R. endorsement. In 1868, General Order #11 of the G.A.R. called for May 30 to be designated as a day of memorial for Union veterans. Initially "Decoration Day," it became Memorial Day in 1882 and was expanded to include veterans of all wars.

The G.A.R. was also active in pension legislation, the establishment of retirement homes for soldiers, and other areas that concerned Union veterans. By 1890 G.A.R. membership numbered 409,489 veterans of the "War of the Rebellion." A comparable organization for Confederate veterans was the United Confederate Veterans. Yearly encampments were held by the G.A.R. in different locations around the country. Encampments were elaborate multi-day events, that often included camping out, formal dinners and memorial events. Denver hosted national encampments in 1883, 1905 and 1928.

The G.A.R. generated several auxiliary organizations, such as the National Woman's Relief Corps, Ladies of the G.A.R., and Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861-1865. The G.A.R. also created the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) in 1881 to ensure the preservation of their own mission. The final Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic was held in Indianapolis, Indiana, in 1949.

Five presidents were members of the G.A.R.: Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James Garfield, Benjamin Harrison, and William McKinley. The last G.A.R. member, Albert Woolson, died in 1956 at age 109 (although census research indicates he may have been 106 or 108). Woolson was also the last undisputed surviving Civil War veteran on either side. After his death the G.A.R. was formally dissolved. Its records went to the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and its badges, flags, and official seal went to the Smithsonian Institution.