The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1912-09-26
SURVIVOR OF y
FIRST C.A.R...POS'T
Captain Riebsame Is the Last
Of the Original Twelve.
LIVES IN BLOOMINGTON, Ill.
Signed the First Roll In Bare Loft
In Decatur, III-Veterans Sat Upon
Boxes and Took the Oath of AIle-
giance-Candles Furnished Lieht.


Boxes and Took the Oath of AIle-'
giance-Candles Furnished Lieht.
OF the delegates to the recent ma
tional encampment of the Grand Army
of the Republic at Los Angeles one of
the most notable was Captain Chris
tan Riebsame of Bloomington. ILL.,,
who has the distinction of being the
last survivor Of the first G.. A. r. post.
All of his eleven associates are dead.
Christian Riebsame came from Ger
many in 1853 and settled in Chicago
In 1858 he moved to Decatur His
first occupation was that of barber
He numbered among his customers
Abraham Lincoln and Richard Ogles-
by. later governor. He was amongIthe
first to enlist in the civil war His
regiment was the One Hundred and
Sixteenth Illinois infantry, and he
served until the surrender of Lee. By
successive promotions he rose to the
rank of captain. Among the battles he
engaged in were Vicksburg, Resaca,
Chickasaw Bayou, Arkansas Port. Dali
las, Fort McAllister, Savannah, Ben
tonville, Columbus. Ezra Chapel, Kene-
saw Mountain. New Hope Church
and Jonesboro. He was in the grand
review of the troops in Washington
after the close of the war On being
mustered out he returned to Decatur,
but subsequently removed to Bloom
ington. {
Decatur the Birthplace.
Decatur acquired the honor Of being
the birthplace Of the first G.. A. R.
post because Of the fact that none of
the printers in Springfield was a soldier
and it was not deemed avisable to in
trust the ritual to any one not eligible
to membership. At that time Major
Benjamin F. Stephenson. the origina-
tor of the Grand Army. was a resident
OF Springfield, and there he wrote the
ritual. At Decatur he found two soldier
printers-Isaac Coltrin and Joseph
Pryor-and they set up the ritual.
There were twelve charter members of
the first post, and the building in which
the order sprang into being is still
standing in Decatur. -;
Captain Riebsame recalls that the
room in which the first meeting was
held was the second story Of business
building. 1t was an unfinished loft,
without lights or furniture In this
primitive meeting place the night
of April 6. 1896, the Grand Army was
born. Candles stuck in bottles or in
inches in the walls furnished the only
light. The veterans sat upon boxes
and took the oath Of allegiance The
surroundings were bare and dismal, but
all present were fired by patriotism
and the enthusiasm of youth Major
Stephenson. dying in 1871. did not live
TO see the tremendous growth and DOW i
er of the order -, :. |
The First Commander. ~ !
M. F. Kanan was the first command
er and George r. Steele the first adju-
tant.
The ritual was revised in later years,
and it now bears little resemblance to
Its original form. The original con-
tanned long eulogies of Lincoln, Grant
and other wartime heroes and con-
veyed the idea that the order was de-
signed to uphold the government after
the close Of the war and be ready at
any time to take up arms again, if
necessary, to protect the flag. The or
der took an active part in politics, and
this came near proving fatal. Finally.
after General John A. Logan was
chosen commander. many posts which
had been q boDdOno6 hooo ,,oo IF ,1o1;+
1cal differences were revived, and the