We cannot forget the fallen soldier's of yesteryear.
Below you will see a small list of Monroe County Michigan soldiers that fought in the civil war.
Arnold, Russell - Navy
1st. Lt. Christiancy, James I. 9th Mi. Calv.
Lt. Clark, John 7th Mi. KIA Antietam (21 years old)
2nd. Lt. Custer, Thomas W. 6th Mi. Calv.
Brig. Gen. Custer, George Armstrong 7th Calv. KIA
Pvt. Guyor, Andrew Noah 4th Mi.
Adj. Hall, Norman J. 7th Mi.
Pvt. Rhodes, Julius D. 5th NY Calv.
Pvt. Sancrainte, Charles F. 15th Mi. Inf.
Pvt. Sype, Peter 47th Ohio Inf.
These names were obtained through research at the Monroe County Library. "A Distant Thunder" 973.709774 BAK Written By, Richard Bak.
This particular book containes information on Michigan in the Civil War and some names are accompanied with more information and pictures.
Here are some interesting fact's about the Civil War.
- More than 3 million men fought in the Civil War.
- There were more than 10,000 soldiers serving in the Union Army that were under the age of 18.
- The youngest recorder soldier was 12 years old.
- More than 2% of the population, more than 620,000 men died in the war from wounds and disease.
- Orlando LeValley, the last native-born Michigan veteran of the Civil War, died in 1948 at age 99.
- It has been proven that more than 200 women fought in the Civil War disguised as men.
The Beginning of The Veterans Help Group's
A huge amount of historical importance to the veterans falls on this particular war. The civil war was the beginning of the veterans help groups. The first recorder was after the Civil War, the group was known as GAR.
The GAR was the first of what we now know as the veteran's administration and it's community, state and government branches such as: The American Legion, Am-Vets, VFW, 40 and 8, DVA and numerous others.
After the Civil War, Union soldiers returned home, leaving behind hundreds of thousands of their dead comrades. Proud of the role they played in preserving the United States and in ending slavery, the veterans formed an organization to perpetuate the memory of their fallen comrades, to aid fellow soldiers fallen on hard times, and to extend help to widows and orphans of the war.
In 1866 Benjamin Franklin Stephenson and The Rev. W.J. Rutledge founded the first chapter of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) in Decatur, Ill., with 13 fellow soldiers.
By 1890s the organization boasted more than 400,000 members.
Mr. Logan, a member of GAR was who inaugurated the observance of Memorial Day on May 30, 1868. The Grand Army also fought hard to win pensions first for disabled veterans and eventually for all veterans.
The GAR was known for more than its Republican politics and its work for veterans. They held national and state encampments around the country, giving the former soldiers, still young and in their prime, the opportunity to kick up their heels. Thousands attended these early conventions.
In 1938, on the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg, almost 2,000 veterans from both North and South returned to the battlefield and shook hands across the memories of the dead.
In 1956 the very last soldier of the Grand Army of the Republic, Albert Woolson, died at the age of 109 in Duluth, Minnesota, and with him died the last ember of a thousand camp watch fires.
The final march of the Grand Army was in Washington D.C. on Sept. 23, 1936, about 500 strong.
