Civil War and the Grand Army of the Republic

[Merc]

It was the "War of the Rebellion", how can a war be 'civil'?

By definition, the term “Civil War” is a war between citizens of the same country and doesn’t refer to the civility of war. But, sometimes war is necessary.

WW2 is considered to be the single greatest event in world history and cost the US over 400,000 lives. By contrast, the Civil War only involved the US but the cost was over 625,000 American lives. Some studies have suggested that the US would look quite different today if the Union had lost the war. The western states and territories might have seceded and we could have been split up into three or more smaller countries and resembled Europe. Now, you can consider what might have happened to us if we were too weak as a country to fight Germany and Japan simultaneously in WW2. One last thing to worry about. Would the millennials of today fight for our country the way The Greatest Generation did in WW2?

[Merc]

Two of my great-grandfathers (the only two that were in this country at the time) served in the Union Army. Great-grandfather Clooney has his GAR grave marker at his grave in Lake Charles, LA.

Did any Civil War uniforms, artifacts, diaries, etc. from your grandfathers Civil War service survive? For my early relatives, the timing for any service with the Union wasn’t right. They were either too young or too old when the war began.

[IditarodJoe]

Two of my great-grandfathers (the only two that were in this country at the time) served in the Union Army. Great-grandfather Clooney has his GAR grave marker at his grave in Lake Charles, LA.

Vern, are you familiar with a group called the "Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War"? It's a fraternal organization that was organized in 1881, chartered by Congress in 1954, and is the legal successor to the GAR. (This means, among other things, that they are the legal owners of most of those CW cannons that you see in public parks all over the country.) To become a member you have to be a male, direct descendant of a CW Union veteran. Sounds like you would qualify.

http://www.suvcw.org/

[Roadkingtrax]

I'll have to look into the S.U.V.C.W. as well.

Great link.

[Vern Humphrey]

Vern, are you familiar with a group called the "Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War"? It's a fraternal organization that was organized in 1881, chartered by Congress in 1954, and is the legal successor to the GAR. (This means, among other things, that they are the legal owners of most of those CW cannons that you see in public parks all over the country.) To become a member you have to be a male, direct descendant of a CW Union veteran. Sounds like you would qualify.

http://www.suvcw.org/

Thanks! I'll look into it.

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Did any Civil War uniforms, artifacts, diaries, etc. from your grandfathers Civil War service survive? For my early relatives, the timing for any service with the Union wasn’t right. They were either too young or too old when the war began.

I don't believe so -- but he did have his foot-long section of the Transatlantic Cable. After the war, he went to Ireland, and worked his passage. Coming back, he signed on to the Great Eastern, the converted passenger liner that laid the first successful cable. The cable kept failing, and each time they'd fish it up and find a piece of wire driven through the gutta percha insulation. It turned out that it was a flaw in the machinery that made the cable, but initially they suspected an "Irish Nationalist" of sabotage.


Guess who?

[jon_norstog]

Two of my great-grandfathers (the only two that were in this country at the time) served in the Union Army. Great-grandfather Clooney has his GAR grave marker at his grave in Lake Charles, LA.

I bet that shakes up all the Confederates that are buried there.


jn

[Merc]

As strange as it sounds, there were GAR posts in the south. The little town of St. Cloud, FL was built by Union vets and their GAR post is well preserved. I visited St Cloud a few years ago and most of the little cottages that were built by the vets are still there.

[Vern Humphrey]

I bet that shakes up all the Confederates that are buried there.


jn

When I was just a little tyke, my grandfather took me into a saloon -- a real saloon, with spittoons, sawdust on the floor and so on. He held me up so I could see the dent in the surface of the bar. His father, my great-grandfather (the one with the GAR marker) had been in there one time. The old man was born in Newfoundland, and hence was a "Bluenoser."

A bluenoser is also a tee-totaler. And some guys were ragging the old man. Just to show there were no hard feelings, he put a $20 gold piece on the bar to buy drinks for everyone. And when the bartender went to pick up the coin, he had to pry it up with a knife.

My great grandfather was not a man you would want to annoy.