Missouri Grand Army of the Republic
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Missouri - Grand Army of the Republic
The Department is a part of your history here in Missouri. We wish to keep the light shining on those records and the history that we can learn from them, so you can see what your ancestors accomplished so long ago.
Medals from the 1887 St. Louis National Encampment and the 1915 Kansas City National Encampment 
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Missouri GAR Commanders
Provisional Organization of the Department of Missouri, July 1866
Department of Missouri
1st Organization --- May 16, 1867
No Department Returns to National Between 1872-1875
State Assigned to the Department of Kansas in 1879
Department Reorganizes.
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US REGIONAL ASSOCIATIONS
The Grand Army of the Republic needed to coordinate their efforts with the many Allied Orders found in the United States. To that end, many states banded together to create associations through which the various organizations could train, socialize and plan. This was especially important as the GAR members aged and cooperation was needed between the other Allied Orders (Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Women's Relief Corps, Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic, and the Auxiliary to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War). The Central Region Association of the Allied Orders was formed in 1940 and exists to this day. Missouri has been a member of this group since it began. Only one other such group exists and they serve the Allied Orders in the New England area. For more information on the Central Region Association, please visit their website http://www.craalliedorders.org/
REGIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
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Not much is known of the regional organizations within the department of Missouri. To date, four are known. There was a division known as the Southwest Veterans Organization, a Gasconade Battalion, the Dallas County Soldier's Association and lastly the Ozark Battalion. Regional organizations seem to have been created in more than one state as a museum in Kinsley, KS, has ribbons from their Southwest Veterans Association. What records or ceremonies attended these are still a mystery. The only known project of theirs, other than holding meetings, is the monument in a cemetery in Salem, MO. Other regional associations are mentioned in various Unionist newsletters.
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Missouri G. A. R. - Post Records
The objectives of the G.A.R. Post Records project are to (1) identify the location of Post records (i.e., post rosters, meeting logs, member applications, by-laws, etc.) and (2) determine if the Post meeting location still exists (and if so, in what condition). There were a total of 594 G.A.R. Posts that existed in Missouri at some time between 1866 and the early 1940’s.
Unlike the SUVCW, there were no continuing national or state G.A.R. organizations; they existed for only a few days each year at the annual Encampments. The great majority of G.A.R. records were maintained by the local Posts. When the last member of each Post died, the records were treated as personal property and many were thrown away or burned by disinterested executors. G.A.R. records that did survive were often given to local, state and national archives, historical societies, colleges and universities, or inherited by succeeding veterans organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. Some exist today in private collections and others still repose today…undetected…in attics.
Much like the Graves Registration program, the Department of Missouri has an aggressive goal to complete research of all 594 G.A.R. posts.
If you have information, pictures, etc. on a post, please fill out the attached form and send to wbusch@suvcwmo.org.
Unlike the SUVCW, there were no continuing national or state G.A.R. organizations; they existed for only a few days each year at the annual Encampments. The great majority of G.A.R. records were maintained by the local Posts. When the last member of each Post died, the records were treated as personal property and many were thrown away or burned by disinterested executors. G.A.R. records that did survive were often given to local, state and national archives, historical societies, colleges and universities, or inherited by succeeding veterans organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars and the American Legion. Some exist today in private collections and others still repose today…undetected…in attics.
Much like the Graves Registration program, the Department of Missouri has an aggressive goal to complete research of all 594 G.A.R. posts.
If you have information, pictures, etc. on a post, please fill out the attached form and send to wbusch@suvcwmo.org.
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"We Drank From the Same Canteen," a common motto for the G.A.R., the photos are the front and back of a small pocket sized canteen from the 7th Annual Encampment of the Missouri G.A.R.
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Posts 1 - 99
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Posts 100 - 199
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Posts 200-299
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Posts 300-399
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Posts 400-499
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Posts 500-594 & Unknown
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