Title: The History of Horace M. Walker Post 18 Grand Army of the Republic Manitowoc, Wis.
Description: In April 1861 the nation was called to war.  Unfortunately the war they fought was with itself.  For four years Union and Confederate forces fought battle after battle.  Hundreds of thousands would die on the battle field and in military hospitals in the North and South.  When the was ended, the survivors turned in their muskets and cartridge boxes and headed home.  Those that were married returned to their wives and children and those that were single found wives and started families.  For the most part, the furthest thing on their minds was forming a veterans organization.  They had farms to end, jobs to work and families to raise.
The first attempt at creating a veterans organization in the North met with initial success.  The Grand Army of the Republic was formed at Decatur, Illinois in 1866.  Within a couple of years, posts had sprung up around the country and membership increased until internal problems caused a rapid decline.  With only a couple hundred members nationwide, the G.A.R. came close to an early demise.  Then in 1880 a reunion of Union Veterans was held in Milwaukee.  Forty thousand veterans converged on the city.  The event cause a resurgence in patriotism among veterans and the Grand Army of the Republic was give a new breath of life.
It was a the Milwaukee event that the idea of forming a G.A.R. post in Manitowoc was first conceived.  James S. Anderson, a Civil War veteran and prominent attorney in Manitowoc met with Griffith J. Thomas, Wisconsin State G.A.R. Commander.  Thomas encouraged Anderson to assemble the ten veterans needed to start a post and make application.  When Aderson returned to Manitowoc, he found a sufficient number of veterans to make application.  On April 28, 1881, twenty two men signed the charter and were mustered into the Grand Army of the Republic as Post # 18.  That night, James Anderson was elected the post's first commander.  They took the name of Capt. Horace M. Walker as their post name.  Walker, a Manitowoc attorney, was killed in action on Nov. 7, 1863, while leading his company at the Battle of Rappahannock Station, Va.
Over the next 52 years, 220 Civil War veterans would muster in as members of Horace Walker Post 18.  They came from every walk of life, farmers, merchants, sailors, blacksmiths, tailors, saloon operators, law enforcement and more.  Their occupations meant little.  The fact they were Civil War veterans was all important, for the G.A.R. required each man to have been a Union soldier and to have received an honorable discharge at his muster out of service.
At first they met twice a month, but as they aged, meetings were held once monthly.  In addition, the men enjoyed socializing.  Occasionally after meetings they would gather for cigars and refreshments.  These gatherings were called "Camp Fires," named after their days in the military.  They attended the yearly state encampments which were held at different cities around the state, and on occasion they would gather their forces and attend the yearly national encampment such as the on held in Buffalo, New York in August of 1897.
But, first and for most, they always remained true to their guiding principles, Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty.  When they saw a veteran in need, they made sure he did not remain in want.  When a veteran passed away, they made sure he was buried in a proper grave and given a service due his station as a veteran, even if he was not a post member.  Then they would take care of the needs of the deceased veterans family.  They never faltered from the duty of taking care of their own.
Unfortunately the G.A.R. was a last man's club.  Since they had to be a Union veteran to belong to the G.A.R., when the last veteran of the post passed away, so did the organization to which he belonged.  While the G.A.R. has long ago passed on, the ideals by which they lived did not.  We will always remember them as the saviors of our nation and the way they lived their lives after.
Places: Manitowoc, Wisconsin
Time periods: 1881 - 1934