1899 Grand Army of the Republic GAR 25th Encampment Delegate Medal Ribbon RARE For Sale
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1899 Grand Army of the Republic GAR 25th Encampment Delegate Medal Ribbon RARE:
$89
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1899 Grand Army of the Republic GAR 25th Encampment Delegate Medal Ribbon RARE
Thishistorical itemhas satina drawerfor a long time. It is as shown in the photos. I have over 50 of these I am listing over the next couple of days. All are being started at 9.95. There are no reserves, no weird shipping costs, just you getting the item shown. The photo is of the actualitem you are getting. At the bottom of this listing, I have provided some history of the GAR that I found on the internet.
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The history of the GAR has been told many
times. The history was first formalized,1888, in Robert Beath's History of
the GAR and from this source you can trace the various short versions that
were extracted and published over and over. Recently the papers of the founder,
Dr. B.F. Stephenson, were uncovered. These papers were not available when the
Beath history was written, because Beath assumed all of Dr. Stephenson's papers
were burned by his wife, following Stephenson's death in 1871. Beath had few of
the early GAR headquarter papers because the records up to 1868 "were in an
imperfect condition" when turned over to Adjutant-General Chipman, and during a
great fire in Boston, 1872, all the books and records up to that time were
burned. The discovery of the Stephenson papers and the original letter-book of
the GAR, in Stephenson's own hand, has given new insight into the early history
of this great union veteran organization.
Dr. B.F. Stephenson founded the GAR in
1866. The author is convinced he was alone in it's concept, using many friends
to proof read his organizational papers and constitution and to lend guidance.
The story of Rev. Rutledge, as a co-founder, described by Beath, is without
merit. The name of Rev. Rutledge does not appear in any of the early papers or
letters. Dr. Stepenson's daughter Mary, in her book about her father, also
discredits the Rutledge story. Dr. Stephenson established the first Post in a
printing office at Decatur, Illinois, because this group of veterans were about
to print his constitution and he wanted them to become members before seeing the
document.
The Department of Illinois was
established, and during the first encampment of this department many veterans
from surrounding states attended. The organization spread quickly, and soon
posts were formed from Mass. to California. Dr. Stephenson was not elected
National Commander at the first National Encampment, Indianapolis,1866, but his
early correspondence clearly shows he assumed the position prior to this
encampment, as letters were signed, B.F. Stephenson, Commander of the
G.A.R.U.S..
General Logan was elected
Commander-in-Chief in 1869, moving the National Headquarters to Washington, D.C.
At this point, Dr. Stephenson's influence had diminished, and the distance
between him and the circle of influence in Washington, almost eliminated him
from the GAR . He had moved back to Petersburg, Illinois, re-establishing an old
practice and taking care of his parents. Both his mother and father passed away
during this time and certainly dominated his attention. Dr. Stephenson was also
in poor health, having financial problems with a loss of his investments, and
local debts mounting. In his papers are letters pleading for more time to pay
debts and a note of foreclosure from the sheriff. The sheriff was about to take
his horse and buggy, and other property. In one letter, Dr. Stephenson asked
that they might show some mercy, and let him keep his horse and buggy, as they
were necessary to the practice. This transfer of power from the founder and
those around him, to politicians in Washington, is one of the most important
changes in the organization's history. This is a significant change during the
early years of the GAR.
The GAR almost disappeared during the
early 1870's, and many departments ceased to exist. About 1875, new leadership
provided the platform for renewed growth. In 1890, the GAR reached it's largest
membership, just over 490,000 members and in 1949, six surviving members
permanently closed the GAR. During the active years of the GAR, the organization
had a great influence on politics, law, and social areas of the United States.
Memorial Day was established as a national holiday, five Presidents were elected
that were GAR members, most of the Governors in the northern states were
members, and veteran pensions were given to the union veterans. Over one fifth
of the national budget went toward veteran pensions at one point. The National
Encampments were yearly meetings that had attendance of over 25,000 veterans in
1890, 91 and 92. In many cases it was impossible to be elected to public office
if you were not a veteran of the Civil War. The GAR membership was often
reminded that politics were not to be a part of the organization, but politics
was a major issue throughout the history of the GAR. Mary Dearing wrote the book
Veterans in Politics in the mid 1950's, and it stands as the
definitive work on veteran political activities
