A New Generation Honors the Civil War
The first Pacific Coast lodge of the Sons of Veterans is instituted in Tacoma, marking a shift in how the memory of the 'War of the Rebellion' is passed down.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The first lodge of this order on the Pacific Coast was instituted in this city in the hall of the Knights of Pythias, on Thursday night. The members of Custer Post, No. 6, G.A.R., were present to help initiate the members of the new order, which is intended to perpetuate the G.A.R. None but the sons of soldiers who served in the war of the rebellion are eligible to become members of the new order. The new lodge was instituted under the name of the 'Gen. J. W. Sprague,' with eleven charter members. The following officers were elected: Captain, George W. Alexander; First Lieutenant, C. Sprague; Second Lieutenant, W. W. Sprague; Chaplain, C. Janett; Surgeon, L. M. Denning; Sergeant of Guard, G. Howard. After the installation of the officers, speeches were made by Gen. J. W. Sprague, Dr. H. C. Bostwick and S. F. Halm on the objects of the organization and giving reminiscences of the war. A very pleasant evening was spent by all present.
“None but the sons of soldiers who served in the war of the rebellion are eligible to become members of the new order.”
This reflects the post-Civil War era in Washington Territory, where the veterans of the Union were the city's civic bedrock. Today, organizations like the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War still exist, though they operate in a world where the 'war of the rebellion' has faded into distant, formalized history.
From readers
No comments yet. If you know something about this story — a correction, a family memory, a source — it belongs here.