reunion site
Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson founded the Grand Army of the Republic on April 6, 1866 in Decatur Illinois. The GAR was a fraternal organization for Union soldiers, sailors, and marines who served during the Civil War. Its guiding principles were “Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty.” Many local posts were opened throughout the former Union states. On July 22, 1874 a GAR reunion was held in Paterson, New Jersey. Harper’s Weekly covered the big event in its August 8, 1874 issue:
REUNION OF VETERANS.
THE reunion of the Grand Army of the Republic took place, July 22, at Paterson, New Jersey. President GRANT, Secretary ROBESON, Governor PARKER, the Hon. W. W. PHELPS, Mayor TOWNSEND, and many other prominent public officers took part in the exercises. There were 50,000 visitors in the city, and the enthusiasm of both guests and residents was very great. There was a procession of the militia, which was lengthened by the carriages containing invited guests; 10,000 men were in line. In the afternoon there was a banquet, at which Governor PARKER, President GRANT, the Hon. W. W. PHELPS, and others made addresses, and in the evening there was a pleasant reception at Washington Hall. Our illustration on this page will give the reader a graphic idea of the procession as it passed through the principal streets of the city.
Harper’s Weekly August 8, 1874
Other newspapers acknowledged that President Grant attended the reunion and said a few words – a very few words, but other politicians took up the slack. It was intrastate trip for the president, as he arrived in Paterson from his summer retreat in Long Branch. He headed back to Long Branch the next day for a meeting with Treasury Secretary Benjamin Bristow. [August 3, 2024: I realized a couple days ago the trip wasn’t all intrastate – it was reported that President Grant stopped in New York City on the way to Paterson]
Richmond’s Daily Dispatch July 23, 1874
Worcester Daily Spy July 23, 1874
Worcester Daily Spy July 23, 1874
New Jersey railroads c1869
relaxing at Long Branch c1872
Long Branch beach ca. 1865
The paragraph and image from the August 8, 1874 issues of Harper’s Weekly comes from HathiTrust. FirozAnsari’s July 30, 2016 photograph of the Great Falls of the Passaic River in Paterson is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license
From the Library of Congress: Bird’s-eye view of Paterson, New Jersey in 1880; the July 23, 1874 issues of Richmond’s Daily Dispatch (page 1) and the Worcester Daily Spy (pages 1 and 2);New Jersey railroad map c1869 – I circled Long Branch and Paterson; part of the first family at Long Branch cottage by G. W. Pach, c1872; the surf at Long Branch, N.J. by George Stacy, ca. 1865.
The Great Falls of the Passaic River in Paterson
