Democratic Sentinel, Volume 15, Number 13, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 April 1891 — MARCH OF VETERANS. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

MARCH OF VETERANS.

THE SILVER ANNIVERSARY OF ■ , _ THE G. A. R. More than Two Thousand Old Soldiers, Soldiers* Wives and Soldiers’ ! 'on« Tramp { Decatur Streets to the strains of Martial ;. Music—Sketch of the Order and Its Foun- ' ders. The silver anniversary of the Grand Army of the Republic was celebrated in Decatur, 111., the birthplace of the order. The annual department encampment of the Illinois G. A. R. was held at the same place, at which nearly 2,000 delegates were present, besides over 300 delegates to the annual meeting of the Woman’s Relief Corps. Wheelock G. Veazey, Commander-in-chief, accompanied by all-the members of his staff and officers of the national encampment, and hundreds of other distinguished G. A. R. men, were in attendance. The line of march formed and the head of the column moved under the direction of Grand Marshal Steele, First Adjutant of Post No. 1, G. A. R. Steele was followed by Goodman’s Band of twenty-one pieces. Then came Dunham Post, the successor of old Post No. 1, 5 with 355 veterans. Then came a carriage with the Governor and Commander Veazey, and after it other carriages containing important people, members of local committees, in all 440. Another

bedecked vehicle held seven of the officers of the Woman’s Relief Corps, Department of Illinois; following was State Commander Distin and his staff, mounted on the best horses in, The department headquarters and a band from Decatur were sandwiched between the horsemen and Post No. 1 of Rockford, which was 170 strong. Lowell Post of Newman, 111., had 106 vets and they sang “Hurrah, hurrah; We’ll Shout the Jubilee,” from the time they started till the column broke ranks. The Stephenson Post of Springfield had 106 men in line. Grant Post, No. 28, of Chicago, Charles A. Dibble commanding, was 58 strong, but every man had on a brand-new suit and that made the number seem greater., De Molal Band jjp>ih Bloom! n gt<sri fipilpwqd wi th 21 blowers, and W. T., S&ennarj jipst, No. 140 r kept-step behind this band 150 strong.- La . Place (Ill.) PosUNo. U 94, had 25 meir, Jordan Post of Macon had 50,‘and ’ Cehro Gorao Post had 80. Lanken s Rand, came behind with 15 pieces. Moultrie County Battalion had 132 men, the drum corps from Marshall had 15, Mattoon Post, No. 21, had 25. Pope Post. Na 411, showed up 95 strong. Then came an old man, paralyzed, in an invalid chair. This was Capt Jackson, of the Twenty-second Illinois Infantry. Protecting this old man was the remnant of the Eighth Illinois—-twenty-nine survivors. Surely there was a war! These men were cheered by the multitude, and in response they lifted their hats and bowed and passed on with a quick step, but not so briskly as they did years ago when they marched through, these very streets to go to war. They were in command of George 8. Durfee, of Company A of the old Eighth, following these were the Sons of Veterans, 100 in number, commanded by Col. Stedden, of Springfield. They were followed by the Zouaves of Decatur, twenty-five boys, - E. H. Martin’s corps of star cyclers, forty strong, came after, their wheels wrapped in the national colors. The above constituted the men in the line of march. The grand anniversary camp-fire was kindled in the mammoth tent constructed for {the purpose, and, although capable of accommodating an audience of 10,000 people, standing room was unobtainable.

Other rousing camp-fires and love feasts ■were held the following evening, and every comrade who refused to sing a song or tell a story was promptly courtmartialed and forced to submit to such penalties as the “boys” saw fit to inflict. The Grand Army has now attained such proportions, is so widely extended, and has on its muster rolls so many eminent men in American military history that a brief sketch of its organization and present condition is of general interest. The first post of the Grand Army was organized in Decatur April 6, 1866. The men to whose ability, loyalty and perseverance the order fs indebted for its existence and magnificent organization were Benjamin Franklin Stephenson and Rev. W. G. Rutledge., -both es lilinofs. Comrade Stephenson was born in Wayne County, JU,lppjs,.ln 1822, #qd spent hfs t early youth and manhood in Sangamon County? He entered the army.>in 1861 and served till 1864, when’ he diet Comrade Rutledge, who was serving AstChaplain in Sherman’s expedition of that year. These two comrades Conceived and discussed plans for tHe’btfeaoization of a permanent society to ptejerve the friendship of war and provide mutual aid' in time of peace. Alter the close of the war Comrades Stephenson and Ratledge met by ap-

pointment at Springfield, 81., In March, 1866, and prepared the ritual of the order, and after much discussion finally selected the “Grand Army of the Republic” as the name most appropriate and expressive for the order. It was then decided to print the ritual, and Captain John S. Phelps, at the suggestion of exGovernor Oglesby, went to Decatur from Springfield to supervise the printing. While there Captain Phelps spoke of the proposed organization to several old soldiers and the result was that an application was made to Comrade Stephenson for a charter to form a post On April 6, 1866, the charter was granted and the first post of what is now a mighty organization was instituted there with twelve charter members. For several years the order did not thrive. Its aims and purposes were misunderstood; it was by many regarded as a purely political organization. But during the last ten or fifteen years this erroneous impression has been gradually removed, and the true aims and principles of the order are becoming better understood and appreciated. It is now becoming recognized as a great benevolent order, the principal purposes of which are to preserve the spirit of comradeship cemented on many a battlefield; to minister to the sick and disabled, bury the dead and assist the widow and orphan. In doing this it has expended many millions during the twenty-five years of its existence. The rrports of the adjutant-general for the last fiscal year show that $221,350 were expended during that period for the relief of comrades, ex-soldiers and their families, and nearly 29,000 veterans and their families, were thus relieved. The growth of the order has been marvelous. In less than twenty-five years it has outgrown every other fraternal order in this country except the Masons and Odd-Fellows. The Grand Army has now 7,000 posts scattered over the United States and Canada, with a membership of * nearly half million, and, about eight hundred thousand veterans of the Union army yet to recruit from.. During the last the order has devoted consideraole attention to the erection and maintenance of homes for the aged and infirm, and the building of monuments to heroes of the war and memorial halls in various parts of the country. The most Important undertaking of this nature is the plan for the erection of a magnificent memorial hall at Decatur, that will stand as a perpetual memento to the Grand Army, and which will be constructed so as to preserve the records of departments and posts, trophies, relics, curiosities, literature, pictures, and whatever may serve to illustrate the history of the Union army and its achievements. The hall is to be erected by voluntary contributions from members and posts, and will probably be maintained by a small assessment annually levied on members of the Grand Army. One of the most intere'ting incidents ot the G. A. R. encampment at Decatur,

111., was the presentation of a silver and gold gavel to the Department of Illinois, G. A. R. by the Department of Illinois, Woman’s Relief Corps. The gavel, which has appropriate and artistic chasings and is richly jeweled, boars the inscription: ; Department of Illinois, W. R. C., : : to : : Department of Illinois, G. A. R. : : 1866. April 6. 1891. : The presentation was made by Mrs. Julia G. Sine, of Corps No. 1, Rockford, 111., W. R. C.

B. F. STEPHENSON, THE G. A. R.

GEN. W. C. VEAZEY, COMMANDER-N-CHIEF