Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1891-04-09

| THE INCEPTION OF THE ORDER
is that of Captain John S. Phelps of
the Thirty Second Illinois infantry,
who was the first person to be admit
ted into the order and was mainly, if
not solely, instrumental IN spreading
the organization.
Among those that gave much
thought to the idea of perpetuating
the associations of the war period was
DR.. Benjamin franklin Stephenson.
One morning in February, 1866, there
were sitting in DR.. Stephenson's Office
in Springfield Ill, his two partners.
Drs. Allen and Hamilton, ex-surgeons
and Captain John S. Phelps. DIR.
Stephenson remarked that he had q
plan that would move the country.
In response to inquiries from Captain
Phelps he produced a manuscript
containing a crude ritual. This was
looked over, but nothing further was
done for several days, when a meet
ing was held and followed by several
others, at which alterations and ad-
ditions were made to the forms draf-
ted by the doctor.
The ritual was taken to Decatur
Ill, by Captain Phelps, to the Office
of the Tribune, both proprietors of
that paper and all the compositors
being old soldiers. The oath of the
order was administered to all of them
by Captain Phelps and the work of
printing the ritual was performed.
THE FIRST POST ORGANIZED.
The mission of Captain Phelps
soon became known and a post was
organized at Decatur on April 6, 1866,
with Colonel Isaac c. Pugh as COM
mander, and Captain NJ. F. Kanan as
adjutant. This post was known as
No. 1, and from its organization dates
the birth of the order
Comrade Phelps was appointed or
ganizer and travelled through south
ern Illinois organizing posts. Organ
izers were appointed in other states
and before the end of 1866 the order
had extended into Indiana, Kansas,
Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio,
Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New
York, Maryland and Wisconsin.
DIR. Stephenson assumed the COM
mand of the organization IN May,
1866, and call for convention was
issued and signed by several ex-sold-
iers. The convention met July 18th,
1856, in the hall of Representatives in
the old state house at Springfield, Ill,
and there the first department, that
of Illinois, was formed, with General
Palmer as department commander.
On November Is, 1866.
THE FIRST NATIONAL ENcAsIPNENT
was held at Indianapolis. Ind, with
representatives from eleven depart
ments. General S. A Hurlbut was
made the first commander-in-chief
and DR.. Stephenson the first adjutant
general.
In the first four years the order
grew marvelously and then declined
suddenly until in 1871 in the central
west 1t had almost wholly disappeared,
and but for the departments in the
east would have faded out of exist
ence. The low water mark of most
of the departments was reached in
the years intervening between 1871
and 1876. In 1873 the total member
ship was 31,016. In the following
year there was decided increase and
since the administration of command
er-in-Chief Wagner the order has
steadily maintained its course to the
present high point of success.
The last report of the adjutant gen
eral, submitted to the national en-
campment at Boston last August
showed a grand total membership of
455, $40 on June 80, 1890. There were
at that date forty-three departments
and 7,178 posts.
The death roll is large, and natual-
ly the order will soon be wiped out
of existence by the grim reaper.
The men who compose it are well
past the meridian of life, and ma
jority are suffering more or less from
wounds or disease contracted during
the war. and while there has been a
decided increase in membership in
the past two years the limit has al
most been reached, and it is not at all
improbable that the twenty-fifth an
niversary will mark the beginning of
the end of the Grand Army of the
Republic.
Many distinguished men have been
commanders-in-chief of the order,
and the full list is as follows: s. A
Hurlbut, John A. Logan, Ambrose E.
Burnside. Charles Devens, John
Hartranft, John @. Robinson, Will
liam ErnshaW, Louis Wagner, George
s. Merrill, Paul Vandevoort. Robert
B. Heath, John S. Kountz, Samuel
s. Burdette, Lucins Fairchild, ]. IA.
Rea, William Warner, Russell Aigey.