The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a national association of Union Army Civil War veterans organized in 1866 by Benjamin Franklin Stephenson of Illinois under three cardinal objectives: fraternity, charity, and loyalty. The GAR was divided into state departments, which were in turn divided into local posts. Common activities at the local level included regular social meetings, discussing politics, passing resolutions, and dispensing charitable assistance to fellow members in need.
The first post was chartered in Decatur, IL, on April 6, 1866. By July of that year, another 38 posts had been chartered in Benjamin Stpehenson's home state, and together they formed the Department of Illinois. The GAR grew rapidly from these regional beginnings. The Gen. James B. McPherson Post No. 614 was organized in Brooklyn, N.Y. and named after James Birdseye McPherson (1828-1864), a Brigadier General in command of the Army of the Tennessee. McPherson was killed in action during the Atlanta Campaign on July 22, 1864. In late 1896, the Gen. James B. McPherson Post No. 614 consolidated with the Brooklyn-based Charles R. Doane Post No. 499 to form the Doane-McPherson Post No. 499.
The GAR reached its zenith in 1890 with a membership of over 400,000. At its annual state or national events known as "encampments," members from different posts would congregate to socialize, reconnect, and discuss organizational business. As the Civil War veterans began to pass away, membership naturally dwindled. The last national encampment was held in Indianapolis, IN, in 1949, followed by the close of the GAR's national office in 1956.
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Sources:
- Civil War Trust. "James B. McPherson, Major General, November 14, 1828 – July 22, 1864." Accessed September 21, 2011. http://www.civilwar.org/education/history/biographies/james-mcpherson.html
- "Grand Army News: Consolidation of Two Well Known Brooklyn Posts."
Brooklyn Daily Eagle, November 1, 1896. Accessed September 21, 2011. http://eagle.brooklynpubliclibrary.org/Default/Skins/BEagle/Client.asp?Skin=BEagle
- Grand Army of the Republic Museum and Library. "A Brief History of the Grand Army of the Republic." Accessed June 29, 2010. http://www.garmuslib.org/
- Library of Congress. "The Grand Army of the Republic and Kindred Societies." Accessed June 29, 2010. http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/gar/garintro.html
From the guide to the Grand Army of the Republic, Department of New York, Gen. James B. McPherson Post 614 personal war sketches, 1897, (Brooklyn Historical Society)
