GAR Michigan Lombard Post No. 170 Memorial

On June 14th, 1927, the Lombard Women's Relief Corps (WRC) No. 152 dedicated this memorial to Lombard Post No. 170 in Petoskey, Michigan. In 1899, Lombard Post No. 170 was the host of the Twenty-First Encampment of the GAR in Michigan, an event where General Joseph Wheeler and Secretary of War Russell Algers both gave speeches. A historical marker and a restored Confederate cannon were dedicated to the 1899 encampment on June 21st, 2008. These memorials rest in Arlington Park, Petoskey, Michigan. The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) for the State of Michigan, Lombard Post No. 170, was charted on August 11th, 1883. The post was the largest in the state at its establishment. The GAR was a fraternity for Union Army veterans to gather and bond about their experiences in the American Civil War. Lombard Post No. 170 was disbanded in 1940, and the GAR dissolved in 1956 following the death of their last members.

The Colonel Lombard Post No. 170 of the Grand Army of the Republic was chartered in August 1883 with sixty-three members, and it was known as the "Petoskey Post". In 1893, the post's name changed to the Lombard Post; however, it is unclear where the "Col. Lombard" name originated. 

Established in 1866, the Grand Army of the Republic was a Civil War veterans organization for retired Union Army soldiers, with posts throughout the country and territories. The organization was founded on the ideas of "fraternity, charity, and loyalty." These local posts provided Union Army veterans with a place to meet regularly, with state-wide and national meetings, called "encampments," held annually. The GAR provided relief funds for veterans and their families in need. Additionally, GAR members worked to preserve Civil War documents and materials by donating them to museums. They also worked to preserve Civil War sites and observed May 30th as "Decoration Day," which would eventually become Memorial Day. The Grand Army of the Republic disbanded in 1956 after the last member died. The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is the successor organization to the Grand Army of the Republic. 

From June 28th to July 5th, 1899, the Lombard Post 170 was host to the Twenty-First Annual Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic in Michigan. Over two thousand people attended the gathering - which featured a parade, a bonfire, field drill, and addresses by prominent guest speakers. In 1899, over 15,000 members were in the Michigan GAR, down from the peak of 21,418 veterans in 1889. In 1932, Petoskey hosted the Fifty-Fourth Annual Encampment of the Michigan GAR; however, membership had declined to 550. The Lombard Post No. 170 was disbanded in 1940 after the last member died. 

At the 21st GAR Michigan Encampment, congressman and major general Joseph "Fighting Joe" Wheeler (AL-8) gave the keynote speech. Congressman Wheeler was a lieutenant general in Confederate Army and served as a major general with the Volunteer Army of the United States in the Spanish-American War in 1898. Less than a month after he visited Petoskey, he was commissioned as brigadier general in the Philippine-American War in August 1899.

Secretary of War, and the former governor of Michigan, Russell Alger, also addressed the 21st Encampment. Secretary Alger was a major general in the Union Army during the Civil War and commander-in-chief of the GAR from 1889 to 1890. He was elected governor of Michigan in 1884 and would serve as governor until he was appointed to be Secretary of War by President McKinley in 1897. Alger would resign from McKinley's cabinet, on August 1st, 1899, shortly after his stay here in Petoskey. 

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Gov. Russell Alexander Alger, National Governors Association. Accessed June 25th 2021. https://www.nga.org/governor/russell-alexander-alger/.

Historical Summary of Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Posts by State, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Accessed June 25th 2021. http://www.suvcw.org/garrecords/garposts/mi.pdf.

List of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Posts in Michigan: 1872-1948, USGenWeb Archives. December 10th 1994. Accessed June 25th 2021. http://files.usgwarchives.net/mi/iosco/hsgs/military/mil-gar3.txt.

The Grand Army of the Republic and Kindred Societies, The Library of Congress. Accessed June 25th 2021. https://www.loc.gov/rr/main/gar/garintro.html.

WHEELER, Joseph, History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives. Accessed June 25th 2021. https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/W/WHEELER,-Joseph-(W000338)/.

Lombard Post No. 170 G.A.R. Memorial, The Historical Marker Database. Accessed June 25th 2021. https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=97877.

Grand Army of the Republic History, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War National Headquarters. Accessed June 25th 2021. http://www.suvcw.org/?page_id=167.

Fifty-Fourth Annual Encampment Department of Michigan Grand Army of the Republic, Michigan's G.A.R. Memorial Hall and Museum. Accessed June 26th 2021. https://garmuseum.com/Library/G.A.R.%20MI%20Dept.%201932.%20Journal%20of%2054th%20Department%20Encampment,%20Petoskey%20on%20June%2022-24,%201932%20(82p).pdf.

Grand Army of the Republic Department of Michigan Department Encampments, Department of Michigan - Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Accessed June 26th 2021. https://www.suvcwmi.org/gar/garenc.pdf.