The development of an organization of Union veterans was the postwar conception of Benjamin Franklin Stephenson of Springfield, Illinois. The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) quickly became the preeminent veterans' organization formed at the close of the Civil War. Membership reached its peak in 1890, when over 400,000 members were reported. By then the GAR had well over seven thousand posts, ranging in size from fewer than two dozen members in small towns, to more than a thousand in some cities.

The Vermont Commandery of the G.A.R. was established on October 23, 1868.

The organization of the GAR was based upon three objectives: fraternity, charity, and loyalty. For a complete explanation of these objectives, and a more complete history of the organization, see "The Grand Army of the Republic and Kindred Societies, at the Library of Congress website.

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