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Show Your GAR Medal


SARGE
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The Grand Army of the Republic issued a whole series of membership medals. Show yours! w00t.gif

 

Here is a standard GAR medal with a five pointed star drop. Early medals are serial numbered and can generally be dated from the serial numbers.

 

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These membership medals consist of three sections. The top pin consists of an eagle or an officer shoulder strap with rank or branch markings. The ribbon comes in several variations and can indicate general membership or post rank. The star also has a couple of variations, including the manner of attachment to the ribbon.

 

This particular GAR medal has a Full Colonel rank shoulder strap which indicates the member was a post commander. The ribbon has an American flag (the standard ribbon) but the flag has blue borders which indicate the wearer was an officer in his local post. The star has the GAR insignia on the front and the reverse has insignia of the various corps and units.

 

GAR_Col_Medal_back.JPG

 

Post your GAR badges! thumbsup.gif

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Great topic. As many here well know, I had collected American Civil War for around 15 years, and had assembled quite the collection. I have, somewhere in the relic room, your basic GAR membership medal, but I thought that I would show you something just a little bit more special. This strays from your topic somewhat, but you still should enjoy.

 

This is my odds and ends case that I have - eventually I want to have a decent assembly of GAR items related to the 146th New York, "Gerrard's Tigers". My Grandmothers uncle, and two of his brothers had served in this regiment during the Civil War. This very ribbon is pictured on the front cover of the Mohawk Arms auction catalog, where this one came from. I paid a small fortune for it, but it is truly a magnificent, mint condition ribbon. I love it!!

 

Something else in the miscellanseous case I think is neat, is the white acorn insignia, painted white. I will dig this case back out (Picture was taken last fall) and show close ups of the badge. It is a 14th Army Corps badge, painted white, for the 2nd Division, of the 14th Corps - super rare, and original!

 

Chris

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The ladder badge is also something special. I will do a special write up on this, and post separately. The badge is identified to Martin Hackett, of Co. K, 122nd New York Infantry. I have a reunion ribbon that belonged to him, a reunion booklet, as well as a framed newspaper with photographs of the last 13 boys in blue from Onondaga County, and he was one of them...... Very, very cool.....

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It is! I have several original clippings as well. If he autographed the plate block of stamps soon after they were issued, he would have been 102!

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I was hoping that it was, that is very nice! You can see his unsteady hand in his old age. I wonder how many of these are around? A gentleman whose name escapes me at the moment, produced a two part series, all based upon veteran newsreel footage. One of the last clips was of Woolsen, sitting in his weelchair, wearing his GAR converted M1902 (I own one myself), and I could not help but feel sad for him, and feel how utterly alone he looked. I feel the same way about our dwindling WWI veterans. It is very sad.

 

Chris

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Chris,

 

I have those video tapes and have seen the footage on Albert Woolson you mention. I have no idea if they are still available any more but there are four of them. They were published by Belle Grove Publishing Company in Arlington, N.J. I have the ISBN numbers if you need them.

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  • 1 year later...

jeb,

 

A very nice ladder badge. Your GGGF's badge has all the bells and whistles. Not only is it identified as to his wartime unit and GAR post but it has his corps badge as a drop to boot.

 

Thanks for showing it. twothumbup.gif

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Hi Sarge,

 

I hope this post is not too far off or your original topic, if it is I apologize in advance. Here is the one and only GAR piece in my collection.

 

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I think this started out as a commemorative coin for the 1882, 16th Annual encampment and somewhere along the line somebody drilled the hole in the top, despite that, I think it's a neat little piece. I know very little about Civil War/GAR items but thanks to you guys I am learning a bit more.

 

Thanks for your informative posts and for letting me drop in my 2 cents in to your conversation.

 

Dennis

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Until 1883, the GAR National Encampments did not have delegates' badges or ribbons. However,

they spawned a variety of badges and ribbons for those who attended. At the top of the pile is the delegate's badge, for those sent to the encampment as voting members. In this case, the 1882 national encampment in Baltimore had only 227 delegates attend.

 

Because many GAR members who were not accredited as delegates attended, they wanted something to show that they had been there, so the entrepreneurs of the day started cranking out souvenir badges for purchase. The GAR, seeing another source of funds, quickly joined in and contracted for "official souvenir" badges.

 

Many of the departments, and a fair number of posts, had their own badges or ribbons made up for the national encampments. Most of these are relatively simple, but some got rather gaudy.

 

As a result of all of this, you'll see photos of GAR members wearing a string of badges and ribbons that from an encampment.

 

This particular piece looks like one of the unofficial badges, but it's rather early in the evolution of GAR badges.

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Nice find Tim!

 

Is that a silver 14th Corp badge attached to the 1895 badge (the middle one in your second post I think)?

 

It's actually just silver leaf .... there's a printed acorn on all the reunion ribbons.

 

Thanks,

Tim

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Greg Sebring

This isn't a medal but I thought I would include it. I have always been interested in the CW and IW exploits of George A. Custer. I have a decent library and journals covering his brief career. I spotted this in a local flea market many years ago and picked it up for $20.00. I included it in a shadow box I put together. The piece of Sage Brush is from the top of Weir Point at the LBH battlefield. The nail was found on the ground at Fort Abraham Lincoln, ND, 20+ years ago, the rest are current pins.

 

Greg

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Greg Sebring

I found this medallion metal detecting in Adrian, Michigan years ago. Someone punched a hole near the rim for whatever reason. It commemorates the 1891 "Silver Encampment" in Detroit, MI. The lighting makes it look more gold in color than the silver tone it has.

 

Greg

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Some excellent GAR related medals and badges. These things can become a collecting field all by themselves. Medallions and coins made into medals worn by GAR veterans and printed ribbons as well.

 

Here is an interesting example of the standard GAR medal made as an embossed postcard.

 

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And here is a view of the back of the embossed postcard.

 

GAR_postcard_back.JPG

 

Please continue to show your variations.

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SCF-Collector

I've always been fascinated by the interaction of the various Civil War Veteran organizations - especially when it involved the GAR coming together with the Confederate Veterans (which happened more than you might think). But in keeping with the GAR theme of this post - my contribution to this great thread is a unique medal commemorating a meeting of three GAR Posts in New York City in 1891.

 

Lafayette Post No. 140 of New York, a very large and active GAR Post, felt itself under obligation to two other GAR Posts for hospitality extended to their members when they visiting their respective cities. So, on June 25, 1891 they hosted members of the R.W. Kinsley Post of Boston, and the George G. Meade Post of Philadelphia to a get-together in New York.

 

Approximately 100 members of the Kinsley Post, and 150 members of the Meade Post traveled to New York and were lavishly entertained by approximately 250 members of the Lafayette Post. The days events included a welcome breakfast with the early-arriving Kinsley Post members, a chartered steamboat ride up the Hudson River (on the Cephens), speeches at West Point, and then a banquet in New York that evening.

 

One would assume that this medal was struck and given to all ~500 attendees at this amazing event.

 

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The next day (June 26th) the New York times published an article on the meeting of these three Posts - so you know it must have been quite an event! A copy of the scanned article is provided below.

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