I thought I
should give everyone a bit of a history lesson since tomorrow is Memorial
Day. Smile! So here goes.
Enjoy!
Three years after
the Civil War ended, on May 5, 1868, the head of an organization of Union
veterans - the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) -established Decoration Day as
a time for the nation to decorate the graves of the war dead with flowers. Maj. Gen. John A. Logan declared that
Decoration Day should be ovserved on May 30.
It is believed that date was chosen because flowers would be in bloom
all over the country. The first large
observance was held that year at Arlington Cemetery, across the Potomac River
from Washington, D.C.
The ceremonies
centered around the mourning-draped veranda of the Arlington mansion, once the
home of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Various
Washington officials, including Gen. and Mrs. Ulysses S. Grant, presided over
the ceremonies. After speeches, children
from the Soldiers' and Sailors' Orphan Home and members of the GAR made their
way through the cemetery, strewing flowers on both Union and Confederate
graves, reciting prayers and singing hymns.
Local springtime
tributes to the Civil War dead already had been held in various places. One of the first occurred in Columbus, Miss.,
April 25, 1866, when a group of women visited a cemetery to decorate the graves
of Confederate soldiers who had fallen in battle at Shiloh. Nearby were the graves of Union soldiers,
neglected because they were the enemy.
Disturbed at the sight of the bare graves, the women placed some of
their flowers on those graves as well.
Today, cities in
the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of Memorial Day in
1866. Both Macon and Columbus, Ga.,
claim the title, as well as Richmond, Va. The village of Boalsburg, Pa., claimes it
began theirs two years earlier. A stone
in a Carbondale, Ill., cemetery carries the statement that the first Decoration
Day ceremony took place there on April 29, 1866. Carbondale was the wartime home of Gen.
Logan.
Approximately 25
places have been named in connection with the origin of Memorial Day, many of
them in the South where most of the war dead were buried. The official birthplace of Memorial Day was
declared in 1966 by the Congress and President Lyndon Johnson to be in Waterloo,
N.Y. There, a ceremony on May 5, 1866,
honored local veterans who had fought in the Civil War. Businesses closed and residents flew flags at
half-staff. Supporters of Waterloo's claim say earlier observances in other
places were either informal, not community-wide or one-time events.
By the end of the
19th century, Memorial Day ceremonies were being held on May 30 throughout the
nation. State legislatures passed
proclamations designating the day, and the Army and Navy adopted regulations
for proper observance at their facilities.
It was not until after World War I, however that the day was expanded to
honor those who have died in all American wars. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday
by an act of Congress, though it is still often called Decoration Day. It was then also placed on the last Monday in
May, as were some other federal holidays.
We have many
Memorial Day events in the Kansas City, Missouri area, and one such event is
held at the World War 1 Museum and Liberty Memorial. Even if you don't go on Memorial Day this
museum is well worth visiting. I prefer
to go when it's not crowded because I like to take my time. There is a lot to see there.
 |
| Liberty Memeorial and WWI Museum |
I want to
dedicate this blog to all of our servicemen and women, and thank you for giving
so much to keep our way of life.
Now, I
want to end with a quote from General George S. Patton Jr. (1885-1945) -
"It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died. Rather we should thank God that such men
lived."
Personally, I'm
thankful for all of our military. Thank
you for reading. Have a wonderful week,
and I'll see you next Sunday.
God Bless
America!
Sandra K.
Marshall, Author
http://www.eirelanderpublishing.com
http://www.skaymarshall.com
