Memorial Day's Beginnings, The Grand ARmy of the Republic, and Medal of Honor

Memorial Day's Beginnings,
The Grand Army of the Republic,
and Medal of Honor

Untitled article by Marilyn Evert from The Homewood 2(1): 5. Spring 1993.


On May 31, 1892, the Pittsburgh Gazette described in great detail the previous day's Memorial Day activities when veterans of more than thirty years paid tribute to their dead comrades. Commenting that, "Time has not dimmed the memories inseparably connected with the American soldier, living or dead, and no more proof of the great affection entertained for the nation's defenders is required than the presence of thousands of persons at various cemeteries." These solemn tributes throughout the city to "the heroic dead" included the participation of school children, choral groups, bands, troops, gun carriers, gun salutes, and columns of veterans, "more feeble in body and with hair still whiter with passing years." Oratory by dignitaries extolled ideals in lengthy eloquence, reminding those present of the patriotic devotion of the fallen heroes in blue. On that day, the McPherson Post No. 117, under the command of Lieutenant Brown and assisted by a firing squad from Company F, Fourteenth Regiment, conducted the services at The Homewood Cemetery.

Memorial Day's Beginnings

It is not certain when or where Memorial Day was first observed. According to tradition, it originated during the Civil War when Southern women chose May 30 to spread flowers on the graves of fallen soldiers--both Union and Confederate. It was set apart by most northern states for decorating the graves of soldiers of the Union armies who fell in the Civil War. It was on May 5, 1868, that General John A. Logan, then commander-in-chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, appointed May 30 as Memorial Day, that being the date of the discharge of the last volunteers.

The Grand Army of the Republic

The Grand Army was a patriotic association made up of surviving soldiers and sailors of the Civil War and of the militia on active duty in that period on the side of the North. It was organized in Chicago in the winter of 1865-66 by Dr. B. F. Stephenson and the Reverend R. W. J. Rudolph, the surgeon and chaplain of the 14th Illinois Infantry. The first post was organized at Decatur, Illinois, April 6, 1866, and the first National Encampment was held at Indianapolis, November 20, 1866. The main purpose of the association was to help the families of dead comrades by caring for their orphans, establishing soldiers' homes, and securing adequate pensions. For a period it was a powerful political force, particularly in making strong pension appeals. The Grand Army reached its peak in membership in 1890 with over 400,000 in number. The last encampment, on August 31, 1949, was attended by six of the sixteen surviving veterans. In 1956, the Grand Army of the Republic was dissolved, with its records going to the Library of Congress. Their badges, flags, and official seal were placed in the National Archives of the Smithsonian Institution. The Women's Relief Corps began as an auxiliary of the G.A.R. and still does work for the descendants of Civil War veterans.

On May 1, 1897, The Homewood Cemetery officially donated 5374 square feet in Section 26, Lot 12, for the use of all Allegheny County G.A.R. Posts, although the area seems to have been set aside earlier for veteran burials with the records showing an interment as early as 1886. Ten Civil War cannons line the section, with chains stretched between, which, for mowing purposes, are frequently not seen in place. The cannons are marked: Post No. 117, G.A.R. 1887.

Medal of Honor

After the Revolutionary War, the United States had no decorations until Congress approved the Medal of Honor in 1861, during the Civil War. Decorations were unpopular in the United States during the nation's early years because many people considered them symbols of European monarchies. Seventeen Medals of Honor were awarded to Allegheny County participants in the war.

From the violet-covered grave of young Private James Woolslare, the first burial in the G.A.R. lot, to the family plot of Colonel Joseph F. Denniston, the American Legion Post No. 351 has for many years organized the placing of an American flag at all marked Civil War veterans' graves as well as the graves of all other U.S. war veterans. This activity is carried out each Memorial Day with the help of many local Boy Scout Troops.

captions:

Private Woolslare, first burial in G.A.R. Lot.
Grand Army of the Republic, Section 12, Lot 26, circa 1925.
Denniston headstone showing G.A.R. insignia (center), Section 15, Lot 7.

The Homewood is a chronicle of The Homewood Cemetery Historical Fund, a charitable trust for the preservation of The Homewood Cemetery at Frick Park, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15217-1499.

A RESPONSE TO THIS ARTICLE:

I recently viewed your web site that included the following article: Memorial Day's Beginnings, Grand Army of the Republic, & Medal of Honor. I would like to indicate a correction for the cofounder of the Grand Army of the Republic as noted in the article. Dr. B. F. Stephenson, 14th Illinois Infantry Surgeon and Chaplain W. J. Rutledge, 14th Illinois Infantry Chaplain, were tent mates during General Sherman's Expedition to Meridian, Mississippi in February 1864. During the expedition they discussed some type of organization that the ..." soldiers so closely allied in the fellowship of suffering, would, when mustered out of the service, naturally desire some form of association that would preserve the friendships and the memories of their common trials and dangers." Their discussions during the war and their correspondence following the war resulted in the formation of the Grand Army of the Republic in Decatur, Illinois on April 6, 1866. This information in found in the "History of the Grand Army of the Republic" by Robert B. Beath copyrighted in 1889.

Additional information about the Grand Army of the Republic and the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, which was formed by the GAR in 1881, may be obtained at http://www.suvcw.org/.

Return to the Western Pennsylvania Civil War Roundtables Home Page or to the 9th Pennsylvania Reserves Home Page.

This page maintained by James J. White, jw3u at andrew dot cmu dot edu, who solicits information on Civil War resources in Western Pennsylvania. Thanks to the author for permission to recopy this article.
URL: http://www.contrib.andrew.cmu.edu/~jw3u/round/table.htm
(c) Mar 1998