Veteran Organizations

Fletcher Webster G.A.R. Post 13 - Brockton, Mass.
Photograph taken at Gettysburg on October 11, 1912. Eight members of the Battery served with this post.

There are 102 soldiers listed below as being members within the Massachusetts Department of the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.). Another 5 belonged to other state Departments. The Battery had at least 32.0% (107/334) of its soldiers joining the G.A.R. There were also other veteran organizations, such as Union Veteran Union, Union Veteran Legion, and the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. Not every soldier joined a veterans' organization. If you know of any 9th Battery Mass. Vols. soldier who was a member of a veterans' group and is not on this list please let me know.

Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.)

Founded in Decatur, Illinois on April 6, 1866 by Benjamin F. Stephenson, membership was limited to honorably discharged veterans of the Union Army, Navy, Marine Corps or the Revenue Cutter Service who had served between April 12, 1861 and April 9, 1865, thereby limiting the life span of the this veterans' organization. The community level organization was called a "Post" and each was numbered consecutively within each department. Most Posts also had a name and the rules for naming Posts included the requirement that the honored person be deceased and that no two Posts within the same Department could have the same name. The Departments generally consisted of the Posts within a state and, at the national level, the organization was operated by the elected "Commandery-in-Chief." The final Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic was held in Indianapolis, Indiana in 1949 and the last member, at the age of 109 years, Albert Woolson died in 1956, and with him the G.A.R. ended. [GAR]

Massachusetts Department of G.A.R., Members by Last Name

Name; Rank; Post Number & Location; Born/Died, Place/Event

In the above list the following soldiers listed themselves with the G.A.R. as being with other regiments. William W. Lincoln is listed with the 4th Mass. Inf. Co. E., Albert E. Rice is listed with the 10th Mass. Battery, and William Tucker is listed with the 2nd Mass. Inf. These soldiers belong to the listed regiment as well as the 9th Battery Mass. Vols.

The soldiers below transferred (March, 1865) from the 1st Mass. Battery to the 9th Battery Mass. Vols.

Members by Post number can be found here.

G.A.R. Officers

G.A.R. Notes:

In the Proceedings of Encampment Dept. Mass. G.A.R. 1889 there is a request from Headquarters for "any member of the 1st and 9th Batteries who knew John Carter ..." No reason is given. No record of John Carter joining a G.A.R. post or his burial site has been found to date.

In the Proceedings of Encampment Dept. Mass. G.A.R. 1923 there is a request from Eben W. Pike, Acting Assistant Adjt. Genl. for "the address of anyone who knows the whereabouts of James Whitney, late of 9th Mass. Battery, or any member of his family." No reason is given. Whitney had died 25 years earlier.

The book Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Veterans Department of Massachusetts 1866-1947 lists William H. Park Jr. as being with Posts 62 and 113. There was a sailor by the same name who was with Post 62 and its one time commander. The Park with the 9th Battery Mass. Vols. was a member of only Post 113 and was the commander during 1911.

The book Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Veterans Department of Massachusetts 1866-1947 has a record for Solomon F. Beales listed as a member of Post 13 - Brockton. He is listed as a Sgt. Major in the 9th Battery Mass. Vols. In the NPS's Soldier and Sailor System and in the book Record of the Massachusetts Volunteers 1861-1865, he is listed as Solomon F. Beals of the 18th Mass. Inf. Co. D and in the book Massachusetts Soldiers, Sailors and Marines in the Civil War, he is listed as Solomon F. Belas with the 18th Mass Inf. Co. D. All three references list him as a sergeant.

9th Battery Mass. Vols. in Other G.A.R. Posts

Name; Rank; Post Number; Location

Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States

"A mass meeting of Philadelphia veterans was held on April 20, 1865 to pledge renewed allegiance to the Union and to plan for participation in the funeral arrangements for the President. The Philadelphia officers, who served as an honor guard for President Lincoln's funeral cortege, met again after the funeral was over to establish a permanent organization of officers and former officers patterned after the Society of Cincinnati established after the Revolutionary War. The name they chose, the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, first appeared in a notice calling a meeting on May 31, 1865 at Independence Hall." [Mollus]

Below are the four officers of the 9th Battery Mass. Vols. who joined MOLLUS.

Union Veterans' Union (U.V.U.)

"The Union Veterans' Union was organized about 1885 as a 'brotherhood for mutual protection and assistance' (UVU Constitution, 1905) open to U.S. armed services veterans, as well as to the sons and grandsons of Civil War veterans. The organization was structured on a military model, and was subdivided into state-level 'divisions" and local "regiments.' In addition to sponsoring social and patriotic activities, the Union assisted members materially by such means as helping unemployed members find work, paying out pension and survivor benefits, and lobbying for increased veterans' benefits. In addition to annual national and state encampments, and more frequent regimental meetings, UVU units carried out fraternal and patriotic rituals around such events as Memorial Day and the deaths of members." [MHS] In Massachusetts, the "regiments" were known as "commands".

9th Battery Association

A few years after the war there was an attempt to form an Association of the Battery members. The meeting was held at the John A. Andrew Hall on Washington St., Boston. A large number of members responded, and an organization was started, but because of discordant elements among the promoters, it failed. The first meeting of a new Association was held on February 7, 1870 and the organization was known as the 9th Battery Associates. They met on the first Monday of February each year and the organization was social in nature. At the February 8, 1886 meeting, the name was changed to the 9th Battery Association. Sons of the soldiers could become associates of the Association. Wives also attended later meetings. [Baker] No record of meetings after 1917 could be found.

The following soldiers attended at least one meeting of the Association, with Presidents in order of election:

Meetings were held at the following locations:

A copy of a speech about Richard S. Milton's death presented at the 1905 meeting can be found here.

Gettysburg Pilgrim Club

The Gettysburg Pilgrim Club was composed of survivors of the Battle of Gettysburg, and wives and widows also participated. The purpose of the group was the cementing of friendships which had formed on that bloody field during a visit by the veterans during 1885. [Globe-2] The Club started in January 15, 1886 and held annual reunions. The organization was local to Boston, Massachusetts. No references to the organization were found after their October 1938 trip to Gettysburg. Then after 50 years another reference to the Club's current trip is documented in the August 9, 1988 edition of the Boston Globe. Also, no 9th Battery Mass. Vols. soldier appears after 1890.

The following soldiers attended at least one meeting of the Club:

Major John Bigelow attended the January 5, 1890 meeting as a guest of honor, he spoke about his experiences at Gettysburg.

Related Organizations

Click on the links for a listing of 9th Battery Mass. Vols. soldiers' relatives who joined the Sons of Veterans, the Auxiliary to Sons of Union Veterans, and the Woman's Relief Corps.

Honors

Massachusetts Minute Men 1861 - The back of the medal which was presented to these soldiers read, "The Commonwealth of Massachusetts. To the members of the Massachusetts Volunteer Militia who were mustered into the United States Service in response to President Lincoln's first call for troops. April 15, 1861."

References

The G.A.R. list was compiled using Grand Army of the Republic Civil War Veterans Department of Massachusetts 1866-1947 by A. Dean Sargent and information from the WPA Veterans' Graves Registration (VGR) project. Information from the VGR is marked with an asterisk (*). Other sources include: