Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) was a society of veterans who fought for the North in the American Civil War (1861-1865). The G.A.R. was founded by Benjamin F. Stephenson in Decatur, Illinois, on April 6, 1866.
The society was founded to strengthen fellowship among men who fought to preserve the Union, to honor those killed in the war, to provide care for their dependents, and to uphold the Constitution. Membership was open to honorably discharged soldiers, sailors, or marines of the Union armed forces who served between April 12, 1861, and April 9, 1865. The Grand Army had 409,489 members in 1890. In the 1870’s and 1880’s, it was an important political force in the North, especially in the Republican Party. It had one woman member, Sarah Edmonds. She had served in the American Civil War disguised as a man. The last member of the Grand Army of the Republic, Albert H. Woolson, died in 1956, and the organization was discontinued.
The G.A.R. founded soldiers’ homes, and was active in relief work and pension legislation. It started the celebration of Memorial Day in the North by a general order issued by John A. Logan. The National Woman’s Relief Corps began as a G.A.R. auxiliary.
See also Edmonds, Sarah E. E. ; Memorial Day ; Unknown Soldier ; Woman’s Relief Corps, National .
