What is the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR)?
The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a veteran’s organization for honorably discharged Union veterans from the American Civil War. Founded in 1866, the GAR became a powerful special interest group in American society in the late 1800s, with political candidates and organizations vying for a GAR endorsement, and it also served as an important way for veterans to network and maintain connections with each other. The organization was dissolved in 1956, with the death of the last Civil War veteran who fought on the side of the Union. The American Civil War was a dramatic and traumatic event, throwing together soldiers from very diverse backgrounds and communities. After the cessation of the war, when the United States began to rebuild itself, many of these veterans wished to keep in contact with each other, using their shared experiences as a basis for fellowship. In 1866, Benjamin F. Stephenson established the Grand Army of the Republic in Decatur, Illinois, specifying that membership
