Evening star., 1911-05-28
Observance of Memorial Day
Annual Custom Since 1883

dress. Even the zouaves we're represent
| ed. and there were a few OF the italian
members with their picturesque Garibaldi
uniform.
! WHAT was selected, however. at q later
| encampment in 1880 was designed to give
| the organization distinctive appearance
| and suit that might be within the
/ financial reach of all the members. 1t
1 consisted of a plain blue suit with brass
| buttons and the regulation service cap.
I In those days they also provided for the
| army corps badge. which was worn on
| the crown OF the cap. and 1t was q COM
| mon occurrence for the veterans who at
| tended those encampments to recognize
! fellow participants in some important en-
! gagement. although they perhaps had
| never before met face to face.
| The organization Of the Sons OF Veter-
| ans and other independent military COM
panies in the following years caused the
| general officers of the Grand Army OF
/ the Republic to cast about for a distinc
| tive mark for their headgear. The regu-
| lar service cap was worn by the army,
militia. cadets and the Sons OF Veterans,
| and In line OF parade 1t was difficult to
distinguish the veteran from the novice.
Hence they selected that headdress which
has denoted the mark OF field service. and
since 1885 the Grand Army OF the Re
public veteran has been distinguished by
his black campaign hat.
I The proceedings Of the first encampment
/ in 1896 and those of tho years fmme-
d1ateiy following were largely published
in the newspapers OF the time. A good
/ rest after returning to civil life had
awakened in most Of the retired cam
paigners an interest In THAR former COM
rades as well as a desire to again pass
through. in narrative form. tho events
of those four years in the field. Veterans
| In city and country towns began to be
| interested In this great organization and
1 held local meetings. and out of those
| meetings came the formation OF new
4 posts In the first half dozen years or
| the organization apple cations for char
| ters flooded the headquarters, and before
| the assembly was sounded for the next
| encampment the membership had IN
| creased from a few hundred to over
/ 1900.
In 1871 1t rose to 3o.124. divided into
about 2,000 posts. outside Of the In
dividual post commanders the COM
1 mander-in-chief was the only command
ling officer 1t was found that the body
was becoming unwieldy IN Its existing
form, and the newly elected commander
in-chief in 1871 issued the orders d.
viding the growing organization into
departments. with the state lines as the
| boundaries.
one OF the distinctive features Of the
early days OF the order was fnat ~
| was somewhat Of an indicator OF the
business of the country. IT was not
only the largest. but the only organiza-
ton of it's time composed mostly OF
citizens who depended on the state or
the country's business for their nVeE-
hood. Hence the depressing effect pro
d,iced by the unsettled condition OF the
] country in the seventies was renecteo
i ins the membership. 1t huctuated over
Z and below the 10000, mark. and IN the
/ wears Immediately following the panic
i OF 1879 the number dropped to $4,000.
likewise the revival of business. be-
ginning with 1881, produced Its erect
was Increased from ten to twenty
thousand, and in 1890 1t reached the
high mark Of 409,4s7. with 6.3S2 IN
Had IT been SO disposed, an organiza-
ton OF this nature. so closely cemented
by ties of unusual character. could nave
made itself a most formidable one In
the matter OF the politics of the coun-
try. But at the encampment IN 1853
the rule that the organization shouio
he in no way used for partisan purposes
was unanimously adopted the only
the elections of every republican Presi-
dent from Grant TO Mckinley. In which
the members acted individually
What Il has done in securing leg1sia-
I tion has been In the nature OF pefpetu-
, ating the memory Of its least KNOWN as
4 well as It's greatest members IL was
7 due to them that the national govern
ment established the national ceme-
teries. thus providing a burial place
,or their comrades. In later years they
secured the provisions by which eacn
comrades grave would be marked with
4 his name instead Of number. ana
finally. by which each comraaes ,ie Nv wiie
was permitted to be buried with MIN,
One Of the most prominent ana worio
vide memorials which the Grand Army OF
| the Republic has erected to the oeeos Oh
an individual IS that constituteo IN .ne
| coin Thousands of foreigners as Wen as
| Americans read this memoirs each year
| because IL is placed in the grand saloon
OF the Hamburg-Amer1cMah ian cssss nne H u,
/ ship. President Lincoln. The exercises al
| the dedication Of this memorial were ma,
/ tional in scope, and took place on ooaro
the vessel at the companys pier 81 no
/ boken n. J., June 10. 19S.
! WSith its aim TO perpetuate the memory
] OF the departed. Memorial day will ike
4 wise be preserved as a tablet to the mem
/ ory OF the Grand Army OF the Repuolc.
i for II was through the headquarters IN
\ 1s6s that this ceremony was advocated
/ and ordered During the last year OF
/ the war there were some instances When
soldiers placed flowers over the graves
| Of comrades when they had again tra"-
| eied over a former battlefield. and In the
i year following the war the Confederates
| in the southern states had decorated the
4 graves OF their Qe0Q curing Tue spiH6
4 months, and called the day Decoration
| day" But there was no formality con-
| nected Herewith. nor was any certain
| day set apart.
eral Of the organization. Col. N. p. Chip
| man. received a letter from IN ex-Union
I soldier In Cincinnati who related that II
| was the custom In his native Germany TO
| assemble in the springtime and scatter
| flowers over the graves OF dead relatives
| He suggested that the Grand Army or the
Republic inaugurate the custom for hon
! oring their own dead
Tho idea At onoo appealed to COL CHIP
man. He drew . general order. in which
he selected May 30 for two reasons-the
poetical influence Of tho spring and the
possibility Of securing flowers in the ex-
trems northern states. 1t read:
HAADouARTERs oRANp, ARMY OF THE
Wilmington. D. @. May 8. 1888
0enafni Order No. II.
| I. The 3otA day Of May 10 designatsd for the
purpose Of strswing with nowes or otherwise
decorating the graves Of comrades who died In
defense OF their country during the late re-
bellion whose bodies noV lie in almost every
city village and hamlet churchyard In the land.
In this observance form of ceremony is pre-
own way arrange such fitting services and tes-
timonfals of respect as circumstances may per-
mir
| IL 1t Is the purpose OF the comms snder-in-
chief to inaugurate this Observance with the
hope that II will be kept from year u year
| remains to honor