May 23, 2024
Introduction: In this article – the third in a three-part series – Melissa Davenport Berry looks back over the years at Memorial Day services involving Union veterans of the Civil War. Melissa is a genealogist who has a website, americana-archives.com, and a Facebook group, New England Family Genealogy and History.
Today I conclude my Memorial Day special looking back at the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army, Navy, and Marines who served in the Civil War. For years these veterans honored their departed comrades-in-arms on Memorial Day.
The Grand Army of the Republic was formed in 1866. The GAR lasted until 1956 when its last member, 109-year-old Albert Woolson, died.
All That’s Left of the GAR to Celebrate Memorial Day 1952
In observance of Memorial Day 1952 the four remaining GAR veterans were featured in the Evening Star newspaper:
- Israel Adam Broadsword (1846-1952) served in the 51st Missouri Infantry. He was born to John Adam and Mary Magdeline (Crites) Broadsword, married Amy Diana Viola Morris, and left descendants.
- James Albert Hard (1841-1953) served in the 32nd New York Infantry. He is the son of Alanson Pratt and Martha (Frost) Hard, married Anna West, and left descendants.
- William Allen Magee (1846-1953) served in the 12th Ohio Calvary. He is the son of George Washington and Mary (Walters) Magee, married Margaret Fitzpatrick, and left descendants.
- Albert Henry Woolson (1847-1956) served in the 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery. He was born to Willard Paul and Caroline (Baldwin) Woolson, married Sarah Jane Sloper and 2nd Anna Haugen, and left descendants.
The Evening Star included Douglas Story in their feature; he passed away the month before the article was published:
- Douglas Terrence Story (1844-1952) served in the 136th Illinois Infantry. He was born to Andrew Gipson and Jane Henrietta (Turner) Story, married Marcy Alice Brown, and left descendants.
The photo caption under each man’s picture in the feature article provides further information.
Israel Broadsword, one of the few men alive who voted for Lincoln. The laws of Kansas, where he lived at the time, allowed males under 21 to vote. Born in Putnam County, Ohio, in 1846, he served with the 51st Missouri Infantry.
James A. Hard, 110, is the oldest living American veteran. A native of Victor, N.Y., he enlisted in the 32d New York Infantry in 1861 and was mustered out after two years’ service. He is honorary marshal of all Rochester (N.Y.) Memorial Day parades.
William A. Magee, a veteran of the 12th Ohio Cavalry. Mr. Magee later re-enlisted in the Regular Army and retired in 1898. He now is a resident of Van Nuys, Calif.
Albert Woolson, born in Watertown, N.Y., in 1847. Mr. Woolson enlisted in 1864 in the 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery, and was mustered out at the end of the war. At 105, he is the ranking officer of the GAR. The portrait was presented to him by the children of the Duluth schools.
Douglas Story, one of the last of the thinning blue line. Mr. Story passed away on April 22. He was born in Polk County, Ill., in 1844, enlisted in the 136th Illinois Infantry in 1864, and was mustered out after six months’ service.
This article reports:
The solid ranks of blue which held off Pickett’s charge at Gettysburg and brought the Confederacy to bay at Appomattox comprised the mightiest fighting force ever assembled up to that time. At peak strength in April 1865, the Union Army had more than a million men in the field. During the course of the whole war, there were approximately 2,988,000 enlistments, of whom over 350,000 died in service.
In the 87 years since then, time has, of course, taken a much greater toll. Today the ranks of the Grand Army of the Republic number exactly four men – James A. Hard, William A. Magee, Israel Broadsword, and Albert Woolson – each a centenarian who once marched to the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and knew Abraham Lincoln as his Commander in Chief. At the 83d and last encampment of the G. A. R. in 1949, six members were present out of the 16 then surviving. By April of this year only five remained, and the recent death of Douglas Story, 107, of Los Angeles, left only four of the old guard, whose portraits, all taken within the last few weeks, are shown here.
Still surprisingly alert and agile, the four grand old men of the Grand Army will join millions of other Americans in celebrating Memorial Day, an occasion especially dear to them, since it was originally commemorated in honor of men they knew who had died to save the Union. (See: The Origins of Memorial Day.)
Shortly after the Civil War ended, the first G. A. R. veterans’ post was formed in Decatur, Ill., and the first convention was held in November 1866 in Indianapolis. In 1868, Gen. John A. Logan, commander of the G. A. R., sent an order to all posts that May 30 be set aside to hold commemorative services and decorate the graves of fallen comrades. Since then, the occasion has become a legal holiday (in all but seven Southern States) and its significance extended to cover the deceased of all American wars since then.
Here are some cool finds on these venerable vets of the GAR, the last of their kind.
Israel Broadsword Receives Medal
In 1947 Israel Broadsword received a citation and medal for his Civil War service from Major E. V. Smith, University of Idaho ROTC instructor.
Read Israel’s story: Wonderful 1946 Christmas Present: Civil War Vet Gets New Uniform.
What a Grandfather! James A. Hard with 4th Generation Tots
For his 107th birthday in 1948, James A. Hard, a proud great-great gramps, was photographed with his descendants (from left to right) James Peter Eksten Jr., Royce Racinowski, and Kathleen Pittenger, in Rochester, New York.
William Magee in Full Uniform
Here is William Magee in full uniform, ready for a GAR meetup.
Douglas Story & Three Generations
Taken on 25 November 1949, this photo shows 105-year-old Douglas T. Story in San Fernando, California, with the next three generations of his family, (from right to left): his daughter, Mrs. Dulcy Potee; his granddaughter, Mrs. Marjorie Bruno; and his great granddaughter, Mary Diane Bruno, 8.
Memorial Statue of Albert Woolson
These photos show the memorial statue and plaque for Albert Woolson in Duluth, Minnesota, where he died in 1956 at the age of 109 – the last Union survivor. With his death, the GAR ceased.
Have a meaningful Memorial Day!
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Note on the header image: “The March of Time,” by Henry Sandham, 1896. This painting shows a parade of veterans of the U.S. Civil War during Decoration Day. General William Tecumseh Sherman is in the front row at the far right. Credit: Wikimedia Commons.
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I wanted to add to your G.A.R. article which mentioned so few who remain. My mother’s uncle, Benjamin F. Buck, was also in the G.A.R., from S. Jersey. He lived to 90 (died in 1936) and was the last G.A.R. member from Thomas Sharp Post. He knew Thomas Sharp personally and volunteered for Company G, S. Jersey, at the age of 14. I have an oversized photo of him in his uniform, together with buttons from his uniform, letters, etc. I am trying to get past my brick wall on the Buck family in Massachusetts. I do know that Bucks from Massachusetts Bay Colony moved to Cape May and married into the Swains, from which I descend. Trying to clean up the Massachusetts connections. Thanks for recognizing this branch that served us well in the war.
Hi Louise. Thank you for sharing, and I would love to see a photo of Benjamin! I will email you.