Image goes here | Who Is That Man, Anyway? |
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Subject: Grand Army of the Republic Year: 1909 Sculptor: John Massey Rhind Location: Indiana Plaza ( Pennsylvania Ave. & 7th ) The Grand Army was the first veterans' organization in the United States. Composed of veterans of the Union Army in the Civil War, the society provided assistance to disabled veterans, widows, and orphans. They successfully lobbied Congress to establish Civil War pensions and, via their member Senator John A. Logan, were instrumental in establishing Decoration Day (now known as Memorial Day) as a Federal holiday. The memorial specifically honors their founding member Dr. Benjamin Franklin Stephenson of Decatur, Illinois. The last member of the Grand Army died in 1956 at the age of 109. Photos and text copyright © 2001 Jean K. Rosales and Michael R. Jobe, All Rights Reserved
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