Grand Army of the Republic Related Reunion Ribbons and Medals. GAR California and Nevada 45th encampment medal; Council Flor da Patria Number 18 11th annual picnic ribbon; and GAR California medal with cow head marked 'WYOMING'. Serial Number: Unless noted above, all medals and ribbons are very good to very fine with minor discoloration. The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, U.S. Marines and U.S. Revenue Cutter Service who served in the American Civil War.Founded in April 6, 1866 in Decatur, Illinois on the principles of 'Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty' by Benjamin F. Stephenson, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died.
Today we'll be taking a look at the newest medal that I have added to the collection. This last weekend I picked up a beautiful G.A.R. Membership Medal from the original veteran's great great granddaughter. It is not often that I have the chance to put a name to an artifact this old, but in this case luck was with me! This medal belonged to a US Civil War, Union Army veteran named Samuel Rouse. I don't know anything else about his service in the Civil War, so that bit of research will continue. The Grand Army Of The Republic, also known as the G.A.R., was founded in 1866, immediately following the Civil War. It wasn't really a 'force to be reckoned with' until it was reorganized in the 1880's. During, and shortly after, the US Civil War, the US Government had promised pensions for the Union Soldiers who had fought for so many years. When the war was over, the government realized that what they had promised was going to be tough to deliver and the stalling began. The G.A.R. stepped up and became a powerful, organized advocate for veterans, and the pensions started rolling in. The membership started growing as well. In the late 1880's, when the G.A.R. reorganized, the G.A.R. Veteran's Membership Medal was born. The G.A.R. remained active until 1956, when the last Member passed away. In 1954, the US Congress chartered the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War as the successor organization. The 'Sons' are still active today. http://www.suvcw.org/ Here is a wonderful history if the G.A.R. on the 'Son's' website: http://www.suvcw.org/?page_id=167 In the 1880's, the G.A.R. designed a medal that was to be required for all members to purchase and wear. If these old medals look a bit familiar, it is because they bear more than a slight resemblance to the original US Army Congressional Medal of Honor! In fact The G.A.R. medal used the same star, and a slightly rearranged Eagle and Crossed Cannons hanger.........they even chose a ribbon that was nearly identical! This medal caused quite a bit of controversy with the military and instead of designing a new medal, they simply changed the color of the ribbon on the later versions of the US Congressional Medal of Honor. Here is an interesting comparison between a Civil War Medal of Honor and a G.A.R. medal of the time. The G.A.R. medal is on the right.
The serial number on my medal is P3249. The original veteran-owner of my medal was Samuel Rouse. His granddaughter said that she believed that Samuel purchased this particular medal in the 1920's. A quick check of the list of G.A.R. Commanders showed that in 1921-1922, the Commander was Lewis Stephen Pilcher. So, the 'P' in the number and the granddaughter's story line up. However........ second hand information can often send a researcher in the wrong direction! As you will read int he update below, my first deduction was wrong...... Update 8-13-19: I was contacted by a fellow collector and advised that the GAR medal I have is actually, a 'Type V 1891, Commander in Chief John Palmer' version of the medal. The medal was dated to that time period, based on the style of star and eagle depicted on the medal. It is also matches up with the 'P' in the serial number. The commander in 1891 was John Palmer. Another match. Palmer was the GAR commander for 1891 to 1892. So it would seem that our veteran, Samuel Rouse, actually received his medal back in 1891 or 1892. A check of Union Civil War Soldier's Roster, shows that there were 7 soldiers named Samuel Rouse, who served in various infantry units and a Sr. and Jr. that served in a home guard unit. With a little bit more information, I should be able to figure out our veteran's Civil War history. I have had an old photo of a Civil War G.A.R. veteran in my collection for over 30 years. I believe it was taken in the teens or 1920's. It fits the time frame for my medal, so I will be displaying them together. Unfortunately I have no information on the veteran in the photograph.
So with all of that said, let's take a closer look ant this amazing medal. Today we'll be taking a look at the newest medal that I have added to the collection. This last weekend I picked up a beautiful G.A.R. Membership Medal from the original veteran's great great granddaughter. It is not often that I have the chance to put a name to an artifact this old, but in this case luck was with me! This medal belonged to a US Civil War, Union Army veteran named Samuel Rouse. I don't know anything else about his service in the Civil War, so that bit of research will continue. The Grand Army Of The Republic, also known as the G.A.R., was founded in 1866, immediately following the Civil War. It wasn't really a 'force to be reckoned with' until it was reorganized in the 1880's. During, and shortly after, the US Civil War, the US Government had promised pensions for the Union Soldiers who had fought for so many years. When the war was over, the government realized that what they had promised was going to be tough to deliver and the stalling began. The G.A.R. stepped up and became a powerful, organized advocate for veterans, and the pensions started rolling in. The membership started growing as well. In the late 1880's, when the G.A.R. reorganized, the G.A.R. Veteran's Membership Medal was born. The G.A.R. remained active until 1956, when the last Member passed away. In 1954, the US Congress chartered the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War as the successor organization. The 'Sons' are still active today. http://www.suvcw.org/ Here is a wonderful history if the G.A.R. on the 'Son's' website: http://www.suvcw.org/?page_id=167 In the 1880's, the G.A.R. designed a medal that was to be required for all members to purchase and wear. If these old medals look a bit familiar, it is because they bear more than a slight resemblance to the original US Army Congressional Medal of Honor! In fact The G.A.R. medal used the same star, and a slightly rearranged Eagle and Crossed Cannons hanger.........they even chose a ribbon that was nearly identical! This medal caused quite a bit of controversy with the military and instead of designing a new medal, they simply changed the color of the ribbon on the later versions of the US Congressional Medal of Honor. Here is an interesting comparison between a Civil War Medal of Honor and a G.A.R. medal of the time. The G.A.R. medal is on the right.
The serial number on my medal is P3249. The original veteran-owner of my medal was Samuel Rouse. His granddaughter said that she believed that Samuel purchased this particular medal in the 1920's. A quick check of the list of G.A.R. Commanders showed that in 1921-1922, the Commander was Lewis Stephen Pilcher. So, the 'P' in the number and the granddaughter's story line up. However........ second hand information can often send a researcher in the wrong direction! As you will read int he update below, my first deduction was wrong...... Update 8-13-19: I was contacted by a fellow collector and advised that the GAR medal I have is actually, a 'Type V 1891, Commander in Chief John Palmer' version of the medal. The medal was dated to that time period, based on the style of star and eagle depicted on the medal. It is also matches up with the 'P' in the serial number. The commander in 1891 was John Palmer. Another match. Palmer was the GAR commander for 1891 to 1892. So it would seem that our veteran, Samuel Rouse, actually received his medal back in 1891 or 1892. A check of Union Civil War Soldier's Roster, shows that there were 7 soldiers named Samuel Rouse, who served in various infantry units and a Sr. and Jr. that served in a home guard unit. With a little bit more information, I should be able to figure out our veteran's Civil War history. I have had an old photo of a Civil War G.A.R. veteran in my collection for over 30 years. I believe it was taken in the teens or 1920's. It fits the time frame for my medal, so I will be displaying them together. Unfortunately I have no information on the veteran in the photograph.
So with all of that said, let's take a closer look ant this amazing medal. Comments are closed.
|
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2022
Categories |