In 1897, the City of Buffalo hosted the Grand Army of the Republic’s 31st national convention. These annual gatherings were known as “encampments,” and the Buffalo event took place August 23-28, with official proceedings, including a Grand Parade, on August 25 and business meetings held on August 26 and 27. Two hundred forty-five special trains were used to bring the visitors to the city, which organized itself in every way to welcome and entertain the guests. Nearly 50,000 veterans attended the Buffalo encampment, including President William McKinley, who was, himself, a GAR member.

The Grand Army of the Republic was a fraternal organization of veterans of the Union Army, Navy and Marines who served in the Civil War. The founding of this organization originates with Benjamin F. Stephenson, MD—a popular and successful medical practitioner in Springfield, IL.  During the Civil War, Stephenson was chief surgeon of the 14th Illinois Volunteer Infantry. He and his tent mate, chaplain William J. Rutledge, discussed that soldiers who were so closely allied in witnessing the suffering during the war would benefit from some form of association at war’s end that would preserve their memories and friendships. The two men agreed to continue their discussion on the project if they survived the war.

Survive they did and, true to their word, the two men met up in Springfield in March 1866 to arrange a ritual for the proposed organization.  They met in secrecy over the next few weeks with a dozen or so other veterans to finalize the ritual. Their Springfield meeting resulted in an agreement to create the first post in the nearby town of Decatur, about 25 miles east. Accordingly, on April 6, 1866, the first encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic was formed in the city of Decatur, to be known as “Post No. 1 of Decatur.”

In the fall of that year, Chapin Post No. 2 was created—in Buffalo.  Its first commander was General William Findlay Rogers, who had served in the 74th Regiment of the NY Volunteer Infantry and the 21st Volunteer Infantry Regiment.  Prior to the war, he had established and managed the Buffalo Republic newspaper. Upon his return from service, he served as Buffalo city auditor, comptroller and mayor. He also served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from 1883-1885.

The Chapin post, organized in the fall of 1866, was the mother post of others that would follow in the region. In 1870, Bidwell Post No. 9 was formed from the Chapin membership as it grew and, in 1871, Wilkeson Post No. 87 was also organized by Chapin members. In 1880, Bidwell & Wilkeson merged and continued as Post No. 9. Other posts that would eventually be formed included: McMahon post No. 208, A.J. Myers post No. 239, Elisha L. Hayward post No. 542, William Richardson post No. 254 and George Stoneman post No. 108.

Eventually, the GAR grew to a membership of over 400,000, with 7,000 posts throughout the U.S.  At the national encampments, most of the veterans actually camped in tents. The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and the American Legion are the comparable organizations for veterans today.

The idea to bring a national GAR encampment to Buffalo was launched on the third Thursday of August 1895 by Daniel H. Turner, senior vice commander of the Bidwell-Wilkinson Post No. 9. In 1861—at the age of 13—he had run away from home to enlist in the Army and served the entire war. Plans were made for the Bidwell-Wilkinson post to attend the September 1895 national encampment at Louisville, KY. The City of Buffalo also sent a committee of alderman, consisting of William H. Bradish, Joseph C. Veling and John J. Kennedy, to present the invitation of Buffalo to the encampment. Kennedy served as New York State treasurer from 1911 to 1914. Once at the Louisville gathering, Turner made the suggestion that Buffalo act as the host site for either the 1896 or 1897 encampment.  As it happened, however, Buffalo came in second in the vote, losing out to St. Paul, MN, for the 1896 encampment.

The Buffalo contingent was undaunted, however, and the following year succeeded in securing Buffalo as the host city the 31st National Encampment. As reported in the Saint Paul Globe, the Buffalo GAR members handed out a diamond shaped card to everyone they met, bearing the inscription, “Put Me Off at Buffalo in 1897,” rephrasing a popular song of the day.  The card was designed to be worn on a veteran’s lapel and they were worn by everyone who could get one. They also gave away a narrow, white silk ribbon bearing the inscription: “Buffalo 1897,” which was fastened to the wearer by a gilt pin formed into an image of a Buffalo. These were especially popular with women. Buffalo enthusiasm was everywhere. Buffalo mayor, Edgar Jewett, himself a Civil War veteran and former brigadier general, attended the St. Paul gathering and stated, when speaking of the 1897 Encampment, “There is no question that it will be the biggest thing the city has ever had”.

The National Encampment headquarters was established in room 212 of the newly built Ellicott Square Building.  Officers were appointed: Augustus F. Scheu, president; Arthur D. Bissell, treasurer; Daniel H. Turner, general secretary; and Albert E. Smith, financial secretary. A ladies’ committee was also set up to attend to the social affairs of the encampment. Edith Fay Dudley, wife of Homer E. Dudley, chaired the Women’s House Committee, which established their headquarters at the Sherman Jewett residence at 256 Delaware Avenue, between Chippewa and Johnson Park, now the site of the Westin Hotel.

Camp Jewett, named in honor of Mayor Edgar Jewett, was established in Front Park, where 500 tents were set up to house 12,300 veterans. In addition, hotels, boarding houses and schools were set up to house the nearly 40,000 remaining veterans. A team of doctors and nurses was organized to handle medical emergencies at three field hospitals set up during the encampment. The Lake Shore & Michigan Southern Railway printed a book containing Buffalo’s history, a complete map of the city and the daily program to be given to guests arriving by train.

It was estimated that the 245 special trains made about 200 trips per day, carrying 300,000 visitors to Buffalo. Representatives attended from 44 states, plus Alaska and Indian Territory. South Carolina was the only state that was not represented.

An eight-story welcome arch, illuminated with 2,000 lights, was erected at Shelton Square at the intersection of Main, Court, Erie and Niagara streets. The arch was one of five created for the event. The whole town was ablaze with color. On Court Street, Charles R. Huntley, president of the Buffalo General Electric Company, displayed an illuminated U.S. flag, flashing and glowing with a number of electric lights. Many downtown businesses had illuminated welcomes lighting up the front of their buildings. The Buffalo Commercial newspaper reported “Hundreds of individuals paid honor to the visitors, with red, white and blue electric lights, making Main Street a sight never to be forgotten”.

President William McKinley and his wife Ida arrived by train on the afternoon of August 24, along with Governor Frank S. Black and Russell A. Alger, Secretary of War. The president was escorted to his rooms on the third floor of the Niagara Hotel at Porter Avenue & 7th Street (now known as Columbus Parkway), overlooking Camp Jewett. Here he made a welcoming speech from the balcony: “You cannot say too much about the manner in which the citizens of Buffalo have carried this event through.  It has been magnificent; one of the grandest spectacles I have ever seen and there are no words strong enough to sound its praises adequately.”

That evening, McKinley was the featured guest at a banquet held at the Ellicott Club in the Ellicott Square Building, where he gave another speech.  He left the banquet at around 9:00 p.m. to speak at GAR campfires at Asbury Church on Pearl Street and the Delaware Avenue M.E Church.

The following morning, 45 guns echoed a sunrise salute, heard throughout the city. The nighttime rain had cleared, setting the stage for the Grand Parade to be held that day. The New York Times reported that the parade began at 10:00 a.m., with the roll of drums, the blare of trumpets, the clash of cymbals and the screeching of fifes. President McKinley headed the Grand Army procession of nearly 50,000 veterans, led by 100 girls dressed in the colors of the flag, who scattered flowers in the paths of the marching veterans. The parade began at Main & Exchange streets, then proceeded north to Chippewa, then north on Delaware.

At Delaware and Chippewa, the veterans saw and heard the “Living Shield,” formed by 2,000 boys and girls dressed in red, white and blue.  They sang The Star-Spangled Banner, Marching Through Georgia and When Johnny Comes Marching Home. The children saw many famous and many not-so-famous veterans pass, including Corporal James R. Tanner, who was wheeled along in his wheelchair, having lost both of his legs at age 18 at the Second Battle of Bull Run. From there, the parade proceeded to North Street and marched to The Circle, where the president joined a reviewing stand to view the parade. There he stayed for five hours and 45 minutes, until the last veteran passed the stand at 5:00 p.m. It was estimated that 750,000 people had gathered along the route at street-side, windows and rooftops to witness the parade.  At the close of the parade, the president remarked:

 Even to a veteran the sight was a most surprising as well as inspiring one. It is too bad that every child in the country could not see it, for it would surely inspire patriotism and inculcate all the good qualities that go to make up the American citizen. I had never supposed until today that so many brave survivors of the war were capable of following martial music for such a distance on city streets.  Such a display of patriotic courage cannot fail to be a benefit to the entire country. 

That evening, President McKinley greeted the citizens of Buffalo at the Music Hall at Main & Edward. The Buffalo News reported that he shook hands with 2,000 people and there was no room for another 2,000 waiting to get in. The president expressed regrets that he was not able to personally greet everyone who had come to meet him.

A curious incident occurred on the morning of August 26, when President McKinley expressed a desire to drive through Camp Jewett. When his carriage arrived at the gate, he was officially refused admittance to the camp by special officer Herrington.  Herrington grabbed the president’s horses by the head and stopped the carriage.  “You can’t go in here”, he said.  “No one is allowed in here.” The president was amazed. A member of his party, John Scatcherd, said to Herrington “Do you know that you are stopping the President of the United States?” “I don’t give a d-m if it is the President. He can’t drive in here,” was the reply.  Not wanting to make a forceful protest, McKinley ordered his driver to turn and drive away.  

The president next boarded a train that took him to Cayuga Island in the LaSalle area of Niagara Falls, where he drove a ceremonial stake in the ground with a special oak mallet, engraved with his name, at the site that was to be the location of the Pan American Exposition. Cayuga Island was initially chosen as the place to hold the exposition because of the island’s proximity to Niagara Falls, which was a huge tourist attraction. Plans were put on hold when the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898. In the end, the City of Buffalo secured the exposition because it had a port on Lake Erie where passengers could disembark, better railroad connections and was a larger city able to handle the large crowds.

Following the trip to Cayuga Island, President McKinley returned to Buffalo, whereupon he made a return visit to Camp Jewett. This time, General James E. Curtiss, chairman of the Entertainment Committee, personally escorted the president back to the camp gate and ushered him in in his carriage. From there, McKinley attended a luncheon held in his honor by Frank B. Baird at the Buffalo Club. At the end of the luncheon, he said, “My fellow citizens and friends: I came to Buffalo with pleasure, and I leave the queenly city with regret. I can only assure you that I will carry with me the dearest, tenderest, memories in connection with my visit in this city.  I cannot forbear to thank you for your hospitality, and your cordial welcome, not only to me, but to my comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic. I bid you good-by.” From there he set off to the yacht Comanche for the trip to Cleveland.  Comanche was escorted out of Buffalo by the yacht Enquirer, owned by Mr. W.J. Connors, publisher of the newspaper of the same name. A 21-gun salute was given by a brass cannon on Enquirer.

The thirty-first annual encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic was called to order by the Commander-in-Chief, Thaddeus Stevens Clarkson, at 10:00 a.m. on August 26, 1897, at the Music Hall, 766 Main St. at Edward. The delegates and committees conducted the majority of their business there, with the national officers and committee chairmen giving their reports. Issues discussed were: membership, finances, soldiers’ homes, Memorial Day, work of the judicial department, staff, military instructions in public schools, organizational records, pensions, school histories, politics, the Women’s Relief Corps and Sons of Veterans.

New national officers were also elected and installed during the Music Hall sessions, including Alfred Lyth of the Bidwell-Wilkeson post, who was unanimously elected National Senior Vice Commander in Chief.  Lyth, known as Teddy, was born in England and served with the 100th New York Volunteer Infantry. He was wounded and captured and spent over a year in POW camps, including Andersonville. After the war, he returned to Buffalo, where he owned a business which manufactured terra cotta, fireproof building material, sewer and drain pipe.

As one of its final pieces of business, Cincinnati was selected as the host city of the thirty-second national encampment, to be held in September 1898. The encampment adjourned at 3:45 p.m. August 27.

More than simply reminiscing about their shared service, the Grand Army of the Republic was instrumental in establishing Memorial Day. General John A. Logan, who served as commander-in-chief of the GAR from 1868 to 1871, had issued a proclamation on May 5, 1868, calling for a “Decoration Day” to be observed nationwide, annually on May 30, decorating the graves of those soldiers who had given their life during the war.  

In 1875, members of all the Buffalo GAR posts began a campaign to raise funds to purchase a “soldiers’ burial” lot in Forest Lawn Cemetery. In 1880, they applied to the trustees and were granted a plot of land suitable for the burial of Civil War veterans, on the condition that the GAR erect a suitable monument on the site.  On Memorial Day, 1881, the Soldiers’ Monument was unveiled. Constructed of crystal granite designed and built by the Mitchell Granite Works of Quincy, MA, it was marked with a GAR badge and topped with an eight-foot, six-inch-high statue of an infantry soldier. 

Over the years, the term Memorial Day supplanted “Decoration Day” as the more popular name for the holiday, which eventually came to honor all U.S. military personnel who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. In 1971, the date was changed to the last Monday in May.

The GAR’s political influence grew as the organization grew. The organization helped elect five U.S. presidents who were members; Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, James A. Garfield, Benjamin Harrison and William McKinley. The GAR also raised funds for the needy and disabled veterans, widows and orphans. The funds were used for medical assistance, housing and burial expenses and for the purchase of food and household goods. The veterans assisted the needy to find work and loans when necessary. The GAR also supported soldiers' and orphans' homes. 

GAR membership reached its peak in 1890 with 410,000 members and over 7,000 posts.  By the turn of the century, however, memberships began to decline as the average age of Civil War veterans was over 60 years old. By 1939, every post in Buffalo, except two, had disbanded due to lack of membership. Buffalo’s oldest post, Chapin Post No.2, was dissolved after the death in February 1939 of its last member, Christian F. Witmer, at the age of 99. He had served during the war in Company F of the 50th Engineering Division.

In 1940, the City of Buffalo dedicated the Williams-Pratt House, located at 690 Delaware Ave., to the Grand Army of the Republic for use as a meeting place and for the storage of records.  The veterans moved in on April 15, 1941, and called the property GAR Memorial Hall. The last remaining post, Bidwell-Wilkeson Post No. 9, was dissolved when Buffalo’s last surviving Civil War veteran, George H. Howard, died at age 97 in September 1942. He is buried in Forest Lawn Cemetery.  Howard was a leader in the Buffalo GAR and served in the Eighth New York Heavy Artillery regiment, known as the “Bloody Eighth” as a result of its loss of 1,000 men in action in 86 days. 

The Grand Army of the Republic organization was dissolved in 1956 upon the death of its last member, Albert Woolson, who died at age 106 in Duluth, MN. Founded in 1881, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War was established to preserve the history and legacy of those who fought for the Union in the American Civil War. In 1954, it was chartered by Congress and is the legal heir and successor to the Grand Army of the Republic.

Dennis Jewell is a CPA residing in Orchard Park.  A native of Central Illinois, the birthplace of the GAR, he served in the U.S. Army in Buffalo as a Special Agent/Counter-Intelligence.