The Beaver herald. [volume] (Beaver, O.T. [Okla.]) 1895-1923, 1915-06-03
THE BEGINNING AND THE END.

feot, because Of the restricted space
We can ask in newspaper or other
publication. 1t is written mainly be-
cause OF the fact that very few OF it's
members are now living, and soon not
one will be- left to record that there
ever was such an organization. This
the only great Brotherhood which has
no place to go for recruits TO keep It
alive. Therefore it must cease to exist.
Perhaps when the last old soldier
has marched to the Eternal Camping
GroHnd some son OF n veteran may dig
up the old record book and write n
better history than this. SO we only
offer this small record that those who
knew the old members of Oklahoma
Post may read their names and recall
to mind that these men we're thei-.
fathers, brothers, or neighbors.
THE REASON FOR THE GRAND ARMY.
The beginning Of the War OF the
Rebellion is generally reckoned from
the date OF the siege Of Fort Sumpter,
April l2th, 1861
The end came at Appomattox, Vir-
ginia, April 18th, 1865, by the surrender
Of Gen. Lee with q .SO5 Confederate
soldiers to General Grant.
There was some lighting after this
but on April 20, 1865 Gen. Johnson
surrendered all that remained OF the
Confederate forces in the east to Gen
Sherman. The entire enlistment in
the Union Army was 2,8ss, ,523, but as
very great number OF these we're re
enlistments, il is thought that the
whole number OF individuals forming
the Federal Army was only 500, 900
Seventy per cent Of these were
native Americans; nine per cent Ger
mans and seven per cent Irish. Var
ious nationalities made up the other
nine per cent.
OF this million and half, 56. 900 were
killed in battle 35 600 died N hospitals
of their wounds received in battle
and $4,000 died in hospitals OF dis
ease.
There is no available data as to the
actual number of soldiers in the Con-
federate Army but they claimed ,500,-
] 900, probably about right. But the
Adjutant General OF that army has
stated since the war that the available
Confederate force was about 800, 600.
There is reason to believe that the
number of Confederates killed
wounded and died in hospitals was
about 300, 600.
When the great war ended in 1865,
about 100000 Union soldiers received
their discharge But this did not in
clude many thousands who were not
discharged at that time. Out OF this
number there yet remains alive less
than 100000. More than one million
Union soldiers have died during the
fifty years that have passed since the
war ended in 1855. An average OF forty
thousand each year. Last year, even
when the number Of living soldiers had
been reduced -fourths, the death
roll was nearly thirty thousand,
The FIRST post OF she Grand Armv OF
the Republic was organized in 1865.
The writer of this was enrolled in Post
No. of Richland, Iowa. the fourth
Post orga nized and is now ending his
days as a member Of Oklahoma Post
No. 4.
The organization of the Grand Army
OF the Republic proved grand sue
cess, and SO it happened that when
many old soldiers were found among
those who came to old No Mans Land
in 1856 to 1889, great need was felt
for some organized society which would
draw closer together the old comrades
"who drank from the same canteen, /"
and at the same time help them to
protect each other; for in those days
No Mans Land was 4 lawless place,
and had no protection from the Gov
eminent. And so il came about that, at
a meeting of old soldiers at the opera
hall in Beaver, on February 20, 1889,
the preliminary work having been done
the following business was transacted !:
Oklahoma Post No WAS organized
and mustered into the Department OF
Kansas on February 20, 1889 The
mastering officers were comrades j. f.
Armstrong, Commander of the Post at
Meade, Kansas, assisted by Comrade
Dick Buis, OF the same Post.
The following named comrades were
duly mustered in as charter members
of the Post:
orville l.. McClung, r. Thomas,
w A. Wright, B. o. Bertholf, John A.
WisemAn, j. II. Nicholas, Joshua X
Whims, Hiram 5, Smith, o. G. Chase,
rheo Il Black. J. V. Thompson, Jim
Donnelly, Samuel Reed. John M. Gum.
Officers were duly elected and in.
stalled as follows;
Theo. &. Black, Post Commander o.