Sons of Union Veterans remember origins of Memorial Day

To the Editor;
Memorial Day, Decoration Day, all one in the same. Originally May 30, 1868, a day set aside by the Grand Army of the Republic to decorate the graves of Civil War dead.

The Grand Army of the Republic was a veteran’s organization comprised of Civil War veterans. Now by an act of Congress the Sons of Union Veterans are their sole heir, and they continue to recognize their sacrifice and those of other conflicts.

I can do no better than to quote a portion of the Grand Army of the Republic Commander Logan’s General Order #11 of May 30 1868, “Cherish the memory of our heroic dead, who made their breasts a barricade between our country and its foes? We should guard their graves with sacred vigilance. All that the consecrated wealth and taste of the nation can add to their adornment and security is but a fitting tribute to the memory of her slain defenders. Let no wanton foot tread rudely on such hallowed grounds. Let no vandalism of avarice or neglect, no ravages of time testify to the present or to the coming generations that we have forgotten as a people the cost of a free and undivided republic.”

The local Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War Daniel Champlin Camp #3 meets the fourth Wednesday of the month in Dover-Foxcroft. You do not have to have a Civil War ancestor to belong. If interested please check our website (https://suvcwmaine.org/daniel-chaplin-camp-3/) or contact me at the Lincoln Public Library Wednesdays or any time you see me wandering aimlessly in a local cemetery.

Howard Black
Lincoln