Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

Westport Camp # 64

Kansas City, Missouri

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About the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

      Shortly following the end of the Civil War, Union veterans of the Civil War organized into the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) and became a social and political force that would control the destiny of the nation for more than six decades. Membership was restricted to men who had actually served in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps or Revenue Cutter Service during the Civil War, thereby limiting the life span of the G.A.R.

      In 1881 the G.A.R. formed the Sons of Veterans (SV) to carry on their traditions and their memory long after the G.A.R. had ceased to exist. Membership was open to any man who could prove ancestry to a member of the G.A.R. or to a veteran eligible for membership in the G.A.R.

      Many G.A.R. Posts sponsored camps of SV. In 1925 the name was changed to Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), under which its federal charter was issued in 1954. The SUVCW is legally recognized as the heir to the G.A.R.

      Today, the National Organization, headed by the Commander in Chief, oversees the operation of 25 departments, each consisting of one or more states, and about 180 community level camps. More than 5,000 men enjoy the benefits of membership in the only organization dedicated to the principles of the G.A.R. -- Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty -- exemplified in The American's Creed. It publishes The Banner quarterly for its members.

      The SUVCW is one of five " Allied Orders" of the G.A.R. The other four Orders are: Ladies of the Grand Army of the Republic, Woman's Relief Corps, Auxiliary to the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War.