, 1869-05-18
TIE GRAND ARMY OF THE
REPUBLIC,
1t. origin and Present Condition.

lts Origin and Present Condition.
The following is Al extract from the report Of
the Ad}utant General Of the Grand Army Of the
':Whep you were Installed Into Office, there
we.t tweDty-four Departments. with more or less
perfect Organizations. During Jour atu.1n.saa-
been Organized TITO departments, with tie excep-
ton Of Alaska, and even IN that remote region 1t
i. expected rosra viii noon te established
e.sy q tae a. 8 spns ~ q ~srs T. dstns
tors Is fatteG uaattcr Of tradition than record Al
though shere can es no doubt that the iste Adt1.:
movers Being recognized - such, he orxanlxed
the rr~t post II Dakota, Illinois. a5ort th!s tirne
at.d ~ from tsas nas srrung sc prsssG: orsanlzs-
50 tss,, II July following meeting vas called to
organize the department. There were soma forty
pests represented II the convention They pro
Palmer as thctr Grand Con1mau.fer.
The order continued to srsead sspidsv. 70 that
10 @ orsa1e .acae Sa9sen s'P
ThlA convention net IN Indianapolis Sare0ee1 20,
lse6, and remained IN session three days. Dele
KHnsas. Wisconsin New Iozk- PennsJiTanis.
Ohio, Kentucky. initana and the District Of Co
lGtabA Kesc pscscn: II tats convention md here
was completed! lar - the OUTLINE t3 concerned.
the present NAtotIM Encamrtnent, and the reEu-
ianons md ritual adopted. General stephen l.
Ag1Ioas ot IIline!s ~ sn1sea co%@andst9-
Senior Vice Cctnu;Andee-in-Ch!er;G Genecl Nsttau
KiubaI, OF tu,ftz1A- Junior Vice Commander H.
e. III IT, ssanss ! spsasa IL zen
"Aftes the Convention II 1ndla3apoIs posts
seem 70 hate sprung 1r-as By uag.c "A al na1ts
"in Deeeo,be.. 1851, General uu.;aes tss4ed ~
order, u Co1umAndetln-Caie1, converting the Ma
tional EncAnptnent ,: rh11adelphia- The conyen-
three ia!a- fnc following departments vert
1ep1esentels Maine, New Hanrshitc, Maasaetu
.e::s, Rhode 1s,aad, conaee;:cn!, Ssw Iork; new
1uac. W,scons,n, Ohio, i1diaca. ilno.s, Ntea:San.
lows, Minnesota kaa$1A. Missouri 21d Tenne4>
sec, txent,-cne u Al, Ginning to rsRescut :
Afstr you had a4snped command, IN accord
a1ce with the vote Of the convention IN selecting
you u Commander tn htef. and after you had
@ Ad;ctsat Genera, rroces,ied Il o3ee 10 ross ~
rnstet of the archives Of the 1ate Ad11tan: Gen
eral, and tie minutes u the pEoceed,nss II PhIla-
-Ihcse h.ye caused to b. printed Aed r1, IL
the hAnis Of the various departments TteThbor
IN eathertns ant coupuns these archives has oeen
"Twensy one general orters AID sevea etrcrlars
have been Issued. Of which sss7s copies have been
tlIst,taated 70 the vassoos poss4 F,1.-oas s9e1sl
so,oo copes Of tae rttaal printed, laeae dst4oat-
t.i asd aooat 1900 eoges Of nc TElaEons
The 9ncecunted stases and TrfEtto&.es hare
and cur hte cosnfAdes IN asms encouraged 70 e.
t1h1t1h posts and bring themselves within The
bEDFSt &0Q l..uUe0ft3 OF
"Tne Department ef Illinois, the tfs1 organized
wAs Ebse s1qad tn IT. growth aad more successful
han ~ others. but h1g71lshs>l Ioil GeaeEN
rnofrss o osoosu WAS made Grand Commander,
who haA e4tah,haed headquarters 4. Chicago, and
eutertd Vigorously upon the Eork Of reotx1nl1a.
ttc1- He reports over 81 pests IN existence AID
healthy.
- The Ierszsment Of 1o~a. Organized aepte,n.
her r, ls6c, haa de~eaoped no ctance u lts In e
ct ocr order during The E1ss yea-. Il Fc7oE:s ~
poetA
The Department Of w1seopstn, September
1seA las made 1ra tepo1ta regularly Qvet 50 posta
are here Organized, al N good wuEktng oisier.
"Tce Department Of Indiana. organised SoEEm
ber T. 1861 has oTer SO pos:s, aad Its condition
y Abons The kanoe - snai OF The department.
heretofore named .-
- The Department Of KAns2A oezaa.zed Decsu,-
ber I. 1e6s h3s filled Ia making s report 80 thai
have no means @! knowing what tie coatlt,oo o'
the order u.
"Tne Department Of Prnnsylrania- Organized
Janu1I l6 ISL, hA4 nsads tn yepnEt wtta scassna-
qle p1oupa0ess, md h2s psid u IT. dchsa 70 tha
National EneaMpnaenk One hundred and a>Fea,
tJ-nx pcsss ~ repotred N nass exestfsat vuEx.
toV orttt, AID increasing rxpldty. 01tf tNf pasts
have beesa estaaat dining tAs paE1 taaE
: -A-s 1~s-Akuaaus q Vss.sAs'tat n 4.lsAaAsAfs u