Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Cemetery Virtual Cache
Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) Cemetery
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The G.A.R. Cemetery is located north of St. Francis in Cheyenne County. To verify your visit, please email me with the NAME and the COMPANY of the Civil War Veteran buried at the given coordinates.
The Grand Army of the Republic was founded in 1866 as an organization for honorably discharged union veterans of the "War of the Rebellion." It was based upon three objectives: fraternity, charity, and loyalty. Posts held regular meetings and "campfires." Thousands of members attended state and local annual meetings called encampments. The GAR worked to raise funds and arrange loans for the relief of needy veterans, widows and orphans. The GAR also worked to raise funds for monuments and memorials, and encouraged the preservation of Civil War sites. The GAR grew to have a big influence over politics in the nation. Five Presidents were GAR members: Grant, Hayes, Garfield, Harrison, and McKinley. In 1868 the GAR began the annual observance of Decoration Day, which is now known as Memorial Day. The last encampment of the GAR was held in Indianapolis in 1949.
The GAR Cemetery you visit for this cache was established in 1889. The east half was to be used exclusively for the Grand Army of the Republic members and their families. The west half was to be used for the burial of other citizens. No lots were to be sold. Only a donation for the dead was taken. This provision was to enable destitute Civil War veterans an honorable burial.
The grave you are looking for is of a man who joined the union army as a Private. His regiment mustered in March, 1864, and headed to Tennessee. By the end of the war, it had lost 144 of its 1752 men. Please be respectful in the cemetery.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Jung fvqr bs gur przrgrel vf sbe pvivy jne irgrenaf? Guvf zna jnf va gur 128gu Ertvzrag bs gur Vaqvnan Vasnagel