Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Badge
Image: Public Domain
The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) was the most influential veterans' organization formed at the end of the Civil War.The first post,numbering 12 members,was organized and chartered in Decatur,Illinois on 06 April 1866.By 1890,the G.A.R.’s membership roll exceeded 400,000 men.At that point,it had chartered over 7,000 posts.This was its zenith.Naturally, smaller towns had fewer members;city posts might have had more than a thousand veterans enrolled.The slate included Presidents Grant,Hayes,Garfield,Harrison,and McKinley.The State of Massachusetts G.A.R. Department was chartered on 7 May 1867.By 1914,it included 9,810 members in 202 posts.
As you would expect,Framingham quickly answered the call when the Civil War started.The 1860 Census shows Framingham's population to have been 4,227 people and,of that number,530 men joined and fought.Most served in Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry units.There were 52 fatalities,while another 81 were wounded in action.The town’s Civil War Hero, General George Gordon distinguished himself during the bloody Battle of Antietam (Sharpsburg,MD) in September of 1862.Sergeant Conrad Homan won a Medal of Honor outside Petersburg,Virginia in 1864.
Framingham established two G.A.R Posts.The General Ambrose Burnside Post 142 was in Saxonville.It was chartered on 29 November 1870.
Burnside Post Cornerstone
Image: Framingham History Center (FHC)
Post 142 Members circa 1900
Image: Framingham History Center (FHC)
The G.A.R. General John G. Foster Post 163 was in South Framingham.It was chartered on 25 March 1884.
Post 163 Members, 1915 National Encampment, Washington D.C
Image:Framingham History Center (FHC)
The above picture was taken by Major J.M. Wiswell. “Mel” Wiswell was a member of the 14th Maine Infantry Regiment during the war. He moved to Framingham in 1867 and remained here until he passed away in 1921.He was a member of Post 163.
Major J.M. Wiswell
Image: Find a Grave.com
The three organizational pillars of the Grand Army of the Republic were fraternity, charity and loyalty.The first pillar, Fraternity,was achieved through regular meetings and gatherings.The annual state and national conventions called “encampments”attracted thousands of members.These fraternal gatherings were hosted by cities in 22 states.
Charity was one of the “foundational bedrocks” of the G.A.R. For example,the G.A.R. established a fund for the relief of needy veterans, widows,and orphans.The money was used for medical,housing expenses,and food.The G.A.R. found jobs for veterans and helped with loans.The organization also advocated for soldiers' and orphans'homes.By 1890,soldiers'homes were established in 16 states and orphanages in 7.The soldiers' homes were later folded into the federal government.
Loyalty was engendered through constant reminders to the public of the role of Union Veterans in the winning of the war and the significant part the G.A.R was playing in the post-war healing process.The G.A.R. solicited money for monuments and memorials, busts and statues of Union soldiers and heroes.The organization also encouraged the preservation of Civil War sites,relics,and historic documents.As its significance grew, the G.A.R. became a strong, political advocacy/lobbying group dedicated to protecting veterans' rights,and the preservation of hard-earned benefits and pensions.
Tribute to Vet Thomas Knowlton, Framingham G.A.R
Image: FHC/Boston Post (2/4/1938)
Additionally, the G.A.R. championed the creation of the first Memorial Day holiday (originally Decoration Day).On 30 May 1868, General John A. Logan, Commander of the G.A.R.requested that members of all posts decorate the graves of their fallen comrades with flowers.Thus,the tradition began.
G.A.R. Post 142 Memorial Day Program, 1878
Image: FHC
As time passed,Civil War Veterans moved to their final resting places.The last Framingham Civil War Veteran,Albert J. Brown, passed away on 17 February 1942.He was 95 years old. Framingham’s Post 142 surrendered it charter in 1923;Post 163 in 1929.The final national encampment was held in 1949.The National G.A.R. disbanded in 1956 with the death of Mr. Albert Woolson.Both the Library of Congress and Smithsonian Museum maintain a significant volume of G.A.R. documents,books and manuscripts.
Albert J. Brown, Last Framingham Civil War Veteran
Image: Framingham Tribune (2/17/1942)/FHC
Sources
“A List of Soldiers, Sailors and Marines of the Civil War, Survivors and Residents in Framingham,” Department of Massachusetts G.A.R., 1915.
Framingham History Center
Herring, Stephan W., Framingham, An American Town, Framingham Historical Society, 2000.
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Records Project (www.garrecords.org)
The Massachusetts Historical Society
The Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Museum
The Library of Congress
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
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