Grand Army of the Republic, Part II: The Re-Dedication of the 1895 Memorial in Springfield, IL

After a pleasant visit with Dr. Stephenson at his resting place, we drove to the Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield Illinois.  At a tree-shaded and peaceful corner of the cemetery, a mere hundred yards or so from Abraham Lincoln’s final resting place, the General John A. McClernand Camp #4, Sons of Union Veteran of the Civil War [SUVCW] and the 114^th Illinois Volunteer Infantry Regiment (Reactivated) gathered to re-dedicate a beautiful monument to some of the Illinois fallen from the Civil War.

The SUVCW recently cleaned the 98 headstones and refurbished the monument consisting of cannon balls and a cannon on a pedestal.  For this special day, each headstone had an American flag placed in front and a Lincoln Penny placed on the top.  A new flag was smartly flown to the top of the masthead and lowered to half-staff in honor of the occasion.  A ceremonial rifle squad fired a three volley 21 gun salute with their period correct muskets, and the haunting melody of Taps was played by a bugler, with an echoing bugler at the top of the knoll, overlooking the scene.  The stillness of the day, the towering oak trees shading this eternal resting place, and a reverent crowd made this a moment to truly take stock of the American experience and what these soldiers endured to keep a nation free.

The keynote speaker, Larry Werline, Camp 4 Senior Vice Commander and General US Grant re-enactor, provided stirring commentary on the history of the GAR and the Illinois connection.  I was surprised to learn that, per capita, Illinois had the highest number of enlistments in the Union army.  He regaled us with newspaper accounts of the dedication of this monument in 1895, 30 years after the end of the war and how the parade extended for nearly a mile with former soldiers from the war in high spirits, reflecting on their time in the service to their country. He ended his talk by painting a picture with a recollection of remarks from General Grant about the Battle of Vicksburg.  What brave troops!  Larry then ended his speech with words that really struck a chord as he spoke of these valiant soldiers:  “…the courage, bravery, perseverance, valor, and sacrifice of these blue-cladded veterans granted us both the freedom and the country we have today.”

Truly, the GAR is the grand-daddy of all veterans service organizations.  The Veterans of Foreign Wars recognized this in 1919, when the National Council of Administration unanimously adopted the following resolution: “All members of the Grand Army of the Republic are hereby admitted as honorary members to the VFW. Presentation of their Grand Army identification card or button will entitle them to any meeting of any Post of the VFW and to a seat.” Then VFW Commander-in-Chief F. Warner Karling said, “In honoring the Grand Army of the Republic, we honor ourselves.”

A solemn flag raising

The Memorial, ringed by the headstones of 98 Union soldiers from Illinois

The Memorial, painstakingly restored to its original look

The newly erected bronze plaque notes in part, "The Grand Army of the Republic Stephenson Post #30 dedicated the memorial monument on May 30, 1895.  Buried here are 98 Union soldiers.  Among them are the heroic men of the United States Colored Troops."  This headstone bears the engraving of "59 U.S.C.INF."  which stands for United States Colored Infantry.  Truly in war, we all bleed red.