From: J.R. Owen
Columbus
At our Memorial Day ceremony this year, some people were walking/jogging and stopped to observe our ceremony. They asked who we are. We told them we are members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. They said, they had never heard of us and never knew such an organization existed. So, here is, who we are and what we do.
Founded in 1881, the Sons of Veterans were organized by Augustus Davis. Eventually to be called, the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. The SUVCW’s job was to look after the aging veterans of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), and their families. Look after things, and help as needed.
Since the last Civil War veteran passed away in 1952, the government disbanded the GAR, since none of them were left. The roll of the SUVCW has changed somewhat. We now care for the GAR graves, cleaning the stones, repairing the stones, or even ordering stones for soldiers who never received a stone when they passed. We care for their monuments, or get monuments erected for those special events the men of the GAR endured.
The SUVCW still carry on with the same principles, traditions, and honor, the Grand Army of the Republic had. We educate people on the Civil War and how it shaped our country. In Indiana there are nine Camps. Each Camp is made up of men who share a common interest in preserving the lessons learned during the Civil War. We have members who have proven a direct lineage to being the grandson of an honorably discharged soldier, sailor, or Marine who fought for the Union during the Civil War.
Each Memorial Day the brothers of the John B. Anderson, Camp 223, have a memorial service to the Soldiers of the Civil War. One is at the City Cemetery, at the GAR/WRC (Women’s Relief Corps) monument to the unknown dead and another cemetery at the grave of our camp’s name sake, John B. Anderson. He was younger when he enlisted in the Union Army, and was captured. He was sent to Andersonville Prison. He survived the prison and war to return home.
If anyone would like more information on the SUVCW, you can go to our website at SUVCW.org or for our local Camp 223, on Facebook John B. Anderson Camp 223.
