The Civil War Veterans Organizations

After the Civil War, it was natural that veterans would band together to protect the sense of camaraderie that they experienced during the war. The Union got off to a quicker start on a national level, forming the Grand Army of the Republic in 1866. The Confederates were hampered by laws preventing national "rebel" groups from forming, and didn't create the United Confederate Veterans until 1889. At is peak, the GAR had over 400,000 members, and the UCV had 160,000.All of the veterans on both sides were gone by the end of 1951. However, they both left organizations in place to foster the memory of the original veterans, and to further their viewpoints and objectives into the future. On the GAR side, there is the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, 1861 - 1865; on the Confederate side, there is the Sons of Confederate Veterans and United Daughters of the Confederacy.