Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1900-07-27
GRAND ARMY'S BIRTH.
Illinois the Mother State OF the
War Veterans Organiza.
ton.
FIRST POST FORMED AT DECATUR.
Idea of a Methodist Minister
Coming Chicago En-
campment.

When Illinois entertains the Grand
Army of the Republic next month. the
encampment will have a peculiar sig
nificance. for the organization is COM
ing home to the state where it was
born, the state that gave the nation its
great war president and commander
in-chief. If Illinois had no other
splendid memory in her annals, the
milepost set in April, 1866, which
marks the birth of the Grand Army
of the Republic, would be glory
enough, for in the history of the world
there has been no such organization.
Born of a sentiment founded on q
principle inherent in the human heart
love of liberty-its bonds are OF
steel, yet they bend to the counter
sign, "Comrade." Having among its
members the proudest and the high
est in the land, they yet touch shout
der with the wayworn laborer on the
street over whose breast the crossed
cannon and sabers, the star and the
eagle CLEAN. Neither race, color nor
previous condition of servitude mat
tiers where the Grand Army of the Re-
public is concerned IA Soldier of
the Union" is the passport into it, and
to have been a defender of Old Glory
breaks all national and social bars.
INCREASINGLY to the glory of the
great Prairie state accrues her pride
in this splendid patriotic organiza-
ton. The war for the continuance
of the union had just closed. Four
years of strife and bloodshed were
followed by peace. and for brief
space the battle racked country
paused to get used to the new condi-
tons. Then the old world went on
exactly as if the war had never taken
place.
Missed Comrades.
So it seemed to a few, but that was
not true, for men who had formed
friendships in the long marches and
bivouacs began to miss their old COM
rades. For some the eternal quiet
and humdrum of daily life became
absolutely maddening, while others
found themselves pushedaaside from
the old-time pursuits to make room
for younger men. mo MANNED need
apply" greeted them often, and like
children crying in the night, they
turned their faces to the wall and in
their bitterness longed to die, since
the world had no more for them to do.
True, war had it's charms, as well
as it's terrors, for there is always the
law of compensation, and it was out
of that strange charm, the longing
for companionship. as we'll as the
horror to many of the unequal strug-
gle that faced them in a callous-hearted
world, that the Grand Army of the
Repu bile was born.
1t was parson, Methodist parson,
who fretted over the coming change
when the war was closing, and already
homesick for the comrades of the
campfire, preached to his terminate
and friend the subject of organization.
The psrson was Rev. William j.
Rutledge, of Petersburg, H., and the
terminate and "tunkie" was DR.. Ben
jamin franklin Stephenson, of Spring
field, H., members of the 14th Illi-
nois infantry, the one it's beloved
chaplain from beginning to close of
the war, and the other elected it's sur
geon by the officers and men under
the laws of Illinois. but under the
rules of the war department hot per-
mitted 20 serve In that capacity until
some time later, when he was ap-
pointed to fill vacancy and served to
the end of his three years enlistment
with the rank of major.
In the 3S years of the existence of
the great organization, illinois has
been six times honored with the Office
of commander-in-chief. 1t was
in Illinois that the beautiful custom
of Memorial day had birth. The sug-
gesticn was made by Adjt. Gen. Chip
man in :->68. and it was received with
hearty favor all over the nation. The
next natio. encampment of the G.
A. b. will be held in Chicago.