On Sunday I had the pleasure of driving to Petersburg, IL to
visit Rosehill Cemetery, the resting place of the founder of the Grand Army of
the Republic [GAR]. The rather tall
obelisk, surround by the flag of our country and the state of Illinois as well
as a few cannons, proudly proclaimed the resting place of Dr. Benjamin F.
Stephenson, Founder and first Provisional Commander in Chief of the GAR.
Dr. Stephenson served in the Union army during the American
Civil War and during that time wondered what the future of the survivors would
be after the war. This started his
desire to have an organization that could bind the former soldiers together in
a meaningful way. To that end, his dream
was realized when the GAR was officially established on 6 April 1866 after much
hard work on his part. He actively
promoted membership and the formation of new Posts and Departments. Although he was the first provisional
Commander in Chief, his dream of becoming the first actual Department Commander
or the first Commander in Chief never came to fruition. He was defeated in both elections! Politics notwithstanding, he was appointed as
the Adjutant General and devoted his life to the organization. An interesting factoid is in 1868, the second
GAR Commander-in-Chief, John A. Logan, issued General Order No. 11, calling for
the 30th of May to be set aside as a day for remembering the sacrifices of
fallen comrades, thus beginning the celebration of Memorial Day.
I was invited to this Memorial by the current VFW State of
Illinois Senior Vice Commander, Bobby Welch.
He is also very active in the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War [SUVCW]
and serves as their Department Signals Officer.
His knowledge of the SUVCW organization is impressive! Also with us was the VFW State of Illinois
Legislative Director, Jayson Hoffman.
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