GAR Sketchbooks
Much like the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion, veterans of the Civil War decided to form a fraternal organization called the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). Originally formed in 1866 for the purpose of camaraderie of those who served in every branch of the Union Army, it showed signs of disappearing in the 1870s after the initial rush of membership. Fortunately, new leadership in the 1880s revived the GAR with advocacy for federal pensions for veterans. The new found political power of the Grand Army of the Republic helped elect several presidents, including Ulysses S. Grant and William McKinley. At its height in 1890, the GAR had over 490,000 total members with a presence in every state of the Union. The last Grand Army of the Republic member, Albert Woolson, died on Aug. 2, 1956 putting an end to this chapter of American history.
The Milwaukee area was home to eleven different GAR Posts during the years following the Civil War. The Milwaukee County Historical Society is fortunate to have the Civil War Sketch books for three of the posts: E. B. Wolcott Post #1, Robert Chivas Post #2, and the Rank and File Post #240. These sketch books give the brief, one-page, war-time activities of the members from every branch of service from that post. Some sketches even include a photograph of the GAR member.
Some of the more interesting sketches include: E. G. Crosby who survived 55 months of service in a cavalry unit only to die while saving the lives of numerous passengers aboard the H.M.S. Titanic when he was 70 years old; and Charles Richardson who fought to stay alive in several Confederate prison camps for over 18 months before being released.
