Monroe County and the Civil War / Grand Army of the Republic

Monroe County and the Civil War, also, Grand Army of the Republic. . , Monroe County and the Civil War , During the Civil War years of 1861-1865, Monroe County had approximately 3,000 county residents out of a total population of 21,593 who fought in that conflict and at least 410 of them died while serving in that war. There were at least twenty-one sets of brothers from Monroe County that died in the Civil War and at least two sets of fathers and sons. Of all the wars and conflicts in American history, Monroe County had its largest number of local fallen the the civil War. At least eleven of the local casualties died at Gettysburg. Dozens died in Confederate P.O.W. camps including about thirty-three at the infamous Andersonville camp. At least seven returning county P.O.W.s died on the Mississippi steamship "Sultana" which was near Memphis when it exploded in April 1865 killing over 1,700 union soldiers returning from captivity in the south. There were about 2,300 P.O.W.s on board the Sultana which was built to hold about 376 people. The river was flooded at the time and many men drowned or died of burns. The Sultana was the greatest maritime disaster in American history. The Custer Statue in Monroe depicts General George Custer at the Battle of Gettysburg and is a Civil War monument that was located here in Soldiers and Sailors Park from 1923 through 1955. Of the nine Monroe County Medal of Honor (MOH) recipients, eight were presented for actions during the Civil War. The highest decorated soldier in the Civil War was Thomas Custer who's home of record was Monroe.

Grand Army of the Republic , The G.A.R. was the first national veterans' organization and was created in 1866. In Monroe County there were nine G.A.R. Posts organized whose members were all veterans of the Civil War. The Posts were located in Monroe, Dundee, Petersburg, Samaria, Ottawa Lake, Carleton, Flat rock and Milan. Monroe Post 22 was the first one organized in the country in 1868. The G.A.R. lobbied for and secured veterans benefits for those who came back from the war with disabilities and for the widows and children of those who lost their lives in the Civil War. Before the G.A.R. existed, injured veterans were simply cast aside and forgotten, having to fend for themselves. The G.A.R. was very powerful and influential in national politics. No Republican from 1868 through 1908 was nominated for the U.S. Presidency without the endorsement of the Grand Army of the Republic. The Joseph R. Smith G.A.R. Post No. 76 in Monroe was organized in 1882 with 32 charter members. Its womens auxiliary was called the "Women's Relief Corps". W.R.C. No. 150 was organized in Monroe on June 22, 1888 and the G.A.R. also had another auxiliary group called the "Sons of Veterans" which was a men's group organized to carry on the work of the G.A.R. after its own members had all died. John J. Stephens S.O.V. Camp No. 136 was organized in Monroe on June 25, 1888 as an auxiliary to Post No. 76. The Smith G.A.R. Post existed until 1935.