The National tribune., 1894-10-18

| the first to offer his services, and served his
country to the best Of his ability; was mus
| tered out near the close of the war, and settled
| in Springfield, Ill.
Springfield, being the capital of the State was
of course at that time rendezvous for soldiers
waiting to be paid off and DIR. Stephenson saw
| much of them. In the course of his large prac-
tice many cases of restitution in soldiers fami-
lies came under his notice He was close OBJ
server of events, and his heart was so closely
fashioned after Mother Natures own that 1t
pulsated in sympathy with every suffering be-
ing. 1t seemed to Dr. Stephenson that the
soldier and his family were sngularly ne
elected. The country no doubt intended to
relieve the destitution of the soldiers widow
aud orphan and care for the disabled veteran (;
but the country. though wel-meaning, was
slow. Meanwhile the orphans starved. After
long broOdug over these things, at length. in
January, 1866. he conceived the idea of the
GAR. lt was to be a soldiers mutual bene-
fit society; it TO he n secret organiZ Ia
ton, with grips and pass words, non partisan
and loyal; it was to be National in its scope,
and should be christened the Grand Army of
the Republic. After writing out the ritual,
bylaws etc, and getting them printed At De-
catur. H., b. +. Stephenson procured helpers,
aud zea0usly, persistently, and uutirngly la
bored until the organization was thoroughly
established and nourished 10 the point of stand
=. l.,
first buried at Rock Creek Cemetery, seven
miles south of Petersburg, III. Having OBJ
tanned the consent of Mrs. Stephenson to the
removal, Estill Post Il, reiDterred the remains
of the founder of their Order, with appropriate
ceremonies. in Rose Hill Cemetery, Petersburg
ILL.,. Aug. %, 1882.
Soon after the reinterment Estill Post. of
Petersburg, sent man to the National En-
campment at Denver. Colo. for the purpose Of
getting a resolution through the Encampment
to erect a monument at Petersburg, Ill.,. to the
memory OF the founder of the GAL r. Order
This man failed to make his voice heard on &C
count of the vast crowd and the press of other
business. After bringing the matter of the
monument before the department. of Illinois at
a State Encampmcnt, Capt. 5. II. Blame, of Estill
Post. Il, Petersburg; Capt. Horace Chaplin, OF
Stephenson Post, 80, Springfield, and Comrsde
Mcclure, of Peoria, were appointed a commit
tee TO solicit and receive cOntrihn tiOns from
the various Posts for the monument. fund
amounting to 500 was soon collected, and lay
in the hands of the Department Quartermaster
for several years. the project of the monument
having come 10 a slaudstill temporarily. These
gentlemen tried for some time to get various
State Encampments to pass resolution that
the monument should be erected at Petersburg,
i'll. At length at a State Encampment at Dan
vile, H., il was so voted. At the 25lh annual
Encampment of the Department of Illinois,
held at Decatur in 1891. it was voted that
81 900 of the Department fund be appropriated
To add 10 the $3.50 already collected for the
Stephenson monument
The B. +. Stephenson Monument Associa-
ton was chartered Feb. ~ 1892. for the purpose
OF erecting the monument. 1t consisted of the
following GAR. comrades: Pres. Capt. S. II.
Blame; Sec. DIR. J. u. Whitley; Treas, J. VI.
Walker; Directors Maj. ?. S. Scott and A. w.
Curry. In the Fall OF 1893 after advertising
for bids from monument firms, preferring the
design submitted by r. G. Gibbs. Of the Peters
burg Marble Works. the Association gave him
the contract. The result is "A monument beau
tilu and artistic in design
Capt. S. ii. Blame, President Of the B. F.
Monument Association, being 4 resi-
dent of Petersburg, has been all along most
in his efforts for the monument
and has been ably seconded in his Efforts by
Capt. Horace Chaplin and others.-MARY Il.
STEPHENSON, Petersburg, Ill.