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Very Poignant Souvenir Plate, rare GAR presentation (SOLD)

Out of Stock

$125.00

Product Description

This is a very unusual Civil War veteran piece being offered, it is a beautiful 10” Souvenir Plate. The front shows an aging veteran walking down a cobblestone road with the title “Our Vanishing Army” 1861 – 1865. The edges are adorned with vines and grapes in relief with gold around the edging.

On the back of the plate is “Dedicated to the Memory of the Grand Army of the Republic, organized at Decatur, Illinois, April 6, 1866 by Dr. Benjamin f. Stephenson of Springfield, Illinois. First National encampment held in Indianapolis, Indiana on November 20, 1866”.

Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson, founder of the Grand Army of the Republic and provisional commander-in-chief, April 6, 1866, to November 21, 1866 (see period image). On the organization of the 14th Illinois Infantry, he was elected surgeon of the regiment by the officers and enlisted men, but another doctor was commissioned. Later he was mustered in as surgeon of the 14th Illinois Infantry at Pittsburg Landing, April 7, 1862.

He served with the regiment through all its campaigns as part of the Army of the Tennessee. As a result of his action at Shiloh he was commissioned a major by Governor Yates. The 3-year term of the regiment expired June 24, 1864, and it was mustered out of service. He returned to Springfield, Ill., to resume the practice of medicine.

During the service in the Army his tent mate and close companion was the chaplain of the regiment, Rev. W.J. Rutledge, a native of Virginia. They often discussed what would be the future of the men and boys in the Union Army after the war and from these talks came the foundation for the organization of the GAR (Grand Army of the Republic).

This plate was presented by the Department of Indiana Women’s Relief Corps Auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic in 1955. This is a rare plate and in excellent condition – a very poignant example of Civil War history.

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Quantity:
SKU:
0930215
Shipping:
$7.50 (Fixed shipping cost)