A Little Civil War History Almost in My Own Backyard
As we're in the second year of the American Civil War Sesquicentennial, I thought it might be a good idea to add in a post or two about the Civil War. As much as I'd like to be writing a post following a recent trip down to Gettysburg or Antietam, for now I'm sticking close to home and a couple places practically in my own backyard beginning with the Buckingham Memorial also known as Segdwick Post #1 of the G.A.R. The G.A.R., or Grand Army of the Republic, was a fraternal organization established in 1866 that was comprised of veterans of the Union Army who served in the Civil War. They not only wielded great political clout (no Republican was nominated to the Presidency between 1868 and 1908 without first receiving an endorsement from the G.A.R.) but they were also very active in pension legislation, supporting voting rights for black veterans, establishing retirement homes for soldiers, and many other areas which concerned Union veterans including the establishment of...