The National tribune., 1886-03-18
GAR. IN MASSACHUSETTS.

has written a very interesting article with
the above title for the New England Magazine
for February. Comrade Merrills style is
clear, direct and pleasing, and his acquaint-
ance with the facts is unsurpassed by any
mans living, so that whatever he writes con-
cerning the GAR, and especially about that
portion of it comprised in the Department of
| Massachusetts, is eminently worth reading
According to Comrade Merrill the first
impulse toward organizing the Order in
Massachusetts was given at the convention
of ex-soldiers and sailors held in Pittsburg in
1866, where the Massachusetts comrades in
attendance had their attention attracted by
badges bearing the legend "Grand Army of
| the Republic" which were worn by the dele
gates from Indiana and Illinois They began
to inquire into this Soldiers Masonic Order"
as it was termed by the uninitiated. After
some consultation the Massachusetts COM
rades-amOng whom were Gems. Chas. Devens
and n. p. Banks, Maj. A. S. Cushman and
Chap. A. II. Quint-were formally inducted
into the Order by B. F. Stevenson, who,
few weeks later, was elected Provisional
Commander-in-C Chief Gen. Devens was ap-
pointed Commander of the Provisional De-
partment of Massachusetts,
Maj. Cushman organized the first Post
i,,4 ha Il, Mo- cd
ford, Oct. a, 1866 The name given it was
VIM. Logan R0dman Post, No. /, which it
still hears.
The Order did not have the wild, exuber-
ant growth it had in the West in its early
years, because the Massachusetts, comrades
vigorously excluded politics from it. Nor did
it experience anything like the reaction
which brought such dark days to the Order
in the West Gen. Merrill states this very
eoncisely:
At the close of the year 1870 the Department of
Illinois, where the Grand Army had its birth. had
been reduced from 800 Posts and member
ship of to less than p Posts and these barely
existing in name, and two years later its entire
membership was but 2S8 Indiana, with go Posts
and 80 200 membership, had become utterly disor-
ganized; Iowa, with IA Posts, had ceased TO have
recognized existence; the so Posts in Kansas had
dwindled to nine; Minnesota had shrunlS from %
to two Posts the 100 Posts i'll Missouri had no De-
partment existence; in Wisconsin, OF 79, less than
a dozen were left and in Pennsylvania, 143 out Of
22i had been dsbanded.
In January, 1869, Massachusetts, had 73
Posts, with a membership of 6,1S9. Then
the Order in Massachusetts received its first
adverse blow in the adoption of the new
Ritual with its three grades or degrees The
bad effect was felt at once, and in one quar-
ter there was net loss Of 1,709 members.
Comrade Merrill says:
During 1870 and 1871 the growth was small, and
hghwater mark for that period reached in the
first quarter of 1873, when membership of 1000
was reported. From this point came a reaction,
the number slowly and steadily diminishing for six
years, the lowest point in membership being
reached in the Spring Of 1879, when there were but
7,7iS upon the rolls.
From that time slowly at first, but without retro
gression the membership has risen to its present
point, numbering lS,c00.
During one or two years of the Grand Army in
TINS state tnere was no organized cHarly WORK.
but the necessity for sysematized action early be-
came evident, and in 1870 Posts began the estab-
lshment of relief fund. placed in the hands of
trustees and administered by special committees;
and in this direction Massachusetts, has gTandly led
all other Departments, having expended in the past
Is years from the various relief funds of the Posts
over 100000.
This work has been most thoroughly systematic
ed in nearly every instance cities being divided by
I'll.
investigating committee for each, and from the in
tmacy OF association, the knowledge Of records,
and the veterans natural hatred of shams, like
amount of money could hardly have been as judi
ciously or economically disbursed through any
other channels; while from no hands could aid to
the family or dependent ones of u needy veteran
come with lille of the chiliiness of reluctant
charity as from those of old comTades-in-arms.
Since the institution of the Grand Army in Mas
sachusetts its Commanders have been as follows:
Is66-Provisonal, Chas. Devens, A. s. Cushman;
1S67-A. S. Cushman I868-A. b. r. Sprague 1869
Francis a. Osborne; 1870-James L. Bates ISL
William Coeswell; ls72-Henry II. Sibley; 1873
A. b. Underwood; 1874, J. w. Kimball 1S75-Geo.
s. Merrill; 1876 77-7S-Horace Binney Sargent;
IS79-J G. u. Adams lSS0-John A. Eawes; ISL
Geo w Creasey; 1ss2-Geo. H. Patch; IsS3-Geo.
S. Evans; lSSi-.John d. Billings; lsS3-John w.
Hersey; 1sS6-Rchard +. Tobin.
The Assistant Adjutant- Generals, to whose sys-
tematic worE, this Department has been greatly
Indebted for its efficiency, have been Thomas Sher
win, Henry B. Peirce James f. Mech and Alfred
c. Monroe.
Having for eight years led In members and ex-
ceency all the Departments of the country with its
record of SG00000 expended in its relief work,
with $4,000 now held for that purpose, with u
membership of nearly $4,000. and possessing the
only Soldiers Home In the Nation established
SIC
in its hands the Grand Army of Massachusetts has
a right to be proud of its exemplification of the
virtues of Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty"
BE sure that y0u do not let y0urSelfm miss an
issue of THE NATIONAL TRIBUNEa this
time aChen there is so much Of Importance to tie