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GRAND ARMY OF THE REPUBLIC WOMAN'S RELIEF CORPS FLAG
STAND – DATED 1883:
A very nice piece of memorabilia related to the famous
Civil War Veterans organization, the Grand Army of the
Republic (GAR), this cast iron, nickel plated flag stand
is well identified with the added value of being used by
the Woman’s Reserve Corps (WRC), an auxiliary of the
GAR.
To place this piece in context, a bit of GAR history
might be in order. Relatively slow to grow in the
immediate postwar years, the membership of the GAR
experienced serious growth during the 1880s, rising from
87,718 members in 1881 to a peak of 409,489 in 1890.
The subsequent years saw the inevitable decline in the
membership as the veterans aged and passed away, and at
its final
encampment in 1949,
only six members attended, with the last member of the
GAR passing in 1956.
At some point after the posts of the Grand Army of the
Republic were founded, a women's auxiliary was formed
for each post. These auxiliaries were chartered as the
Women's Relief Corps to organize the mothers, sisters,
wives and daughters of Civil War veterans to assist the
veterans with the post and national meetings and
activities, as well as working to relieve the sufferings
of disabled veterans, war widows, and orphans.
Apparently, the WRC not only functioned in direct
association with local GAR Posts. For example, in the
South where the GAR not surprisingly had few posts,
there was an established WRC presence – for example in
Tampa, Florida, WRC Post #5. In areas where the GAR
posts were segregated, there were separate WRC
organizations run by black women on behalf of black
veterans. In addition, there were similar organizations
with names like Ladies Relief Society or Ladies Memorial
Society that seem to have concentrated on cemetery
maintenance and the erection of war memorials. The
establishment of the May 30Th observance of
Decoration Day in the South, and Memorial Day in the
North, was due in large to the organization efforts of
these women. While some of the greatest activity for
these woman’s auxiliaries seems to have been in the
1880s and 1890s, the WRC continues its service today and
holds regular state and national conventions. The WRC
has a museum in Springfield, Illinois, and continues to
serve veterans, are engaged in historic preservation,
and strives to preserve the memory of the GAR. Today,
membership in the Women's Relief Corps is no longer
limited to relatives of veterans and they meet in
conjunction with the Sons and Daughters of Union
Veterans, constituting part of the allied orders of the
GAR.
This flag stand, measuring 6” square and 2” high, is
fashioned of cast iron plated in nickel. Featuring four
ball feet, the casting is decorated with a leaf pattern
on the feet and with the Maltese Cross symbol on the
flat top, bearing the legend, “WRC 1883”. The date may
refer to the creation of the WRC national organization
or the date the particular membership was established at
a local GAR post. Surrounding the Maltese cross are
four panels bearing the legend “AUXILIARY”, “TO THE
GRAND”, “ARMY OF THE”, “REPUBLIC”. The flag socket in
the center of the piece is ¾” in diameter and stands 1”
above the flat. The underside of the stand bears the
manufacturing and patent information. Overall this
stand is in excellent condition, with no damage or signs
of severe wear or poor storage and still retains much of
its bright polished finish to the raised highlights.
This is an unusual GAR-WRC artifact that would make an
attractive center piece for a grouping of Civil War
veteran items. $175
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