RI Sons of Union Veterans To Host Slate Of Memorial Day Events

By Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War

NORTH KINGSTOWN, RI — On the eve of the 150th anniversary of the formation of the Rhode Island Grand Army of the Republic (RIGAR), the Department of Rhode Island, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (RISUVCW) will both host and participate in an impressive slate of events over Memorial Day weekend, 2017.

"Memorial Day was the day set aside by the Grand Army of the Republic to honor those comrades who had fallen in the late rebellion, and they felt it was their duty to at first decorate the graves of the fallen with beautiful flowers to honor that sacrifice, and later to march in parades across this state to honor their legacy and then the legacy of all U.S. soldiers who would fall in the line of duty in the years since," stated James P. McGuire, Department Commander of the Rhode Island Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. "This year is the 150th anniversary of when our forefathers officially applied to form a Grand Army Department. We want to gain momentum into 2018, the sesquicentennial of the Charter year, with a strong acknowledgement of the moment when these men came together with the idea and commitment to form Rhode Island's first veterans' organization. The war was over for the Boys in Blue, but the brotherhood was just beginning. They drank from the same canteen."

To honor the Grand Army of the Republic's wishes and the sacrifice of every U.S.Veteran who has given the last full measure of devotion to his country, the RISUVCW invites the general public to attend one or all of the following:

PROVIDENCE - SATURDAY, MAY 27TH, 2017: 10:00am
Major Sullivan Ballou Camp 3: ceremony at North Burial Ground, Providence. Patriotic readings and memorial service. Period firing detail by 2nd RI Infantry.

NORTH KINGSTOWN - SATURDAY, MAY 27TH, 2017: 1:00pm
Governors Elisha Dyer Camp 7: Quidnessett Cemetery, North Kingstown at the grave of Lyman Aylesworth, 1st RI Cavalry, also Past Post Commander of Reno Post no. 6, RIGAR.

BURRILLVILLE - SUNDAY, MAY 28TH, 2017: 11:00am
Gen. Zenas Bliss Camp 12 is hosting a ceremony at Burrillville Historic Cemetery in the Village of Pascoag, RI. Patriotic reading s and memorial service supported by the 2nd RI Infantry.

NORTH KINGSTOWN - MONDAY, MAY 29TH, 2017: 9:00am
The Department of Rhode Island, SUVCW will participate at-large in the North Kingstown Memorial Day Parade. Observance begins at 9:00 am at the NK town hall at the Charles C. Baker Post 16 Civil War monument with a wreath laying ceremony that includes the RISUVCW, the VFW and the American Legion, with firing detail provided by the RING, and period firing by the 2nd RI Infantry and the 3rd RI Heavy Artillery.
Parade steps off in Wickford at 10:00 and processes to the Grand Army monument erected to George Tillinghast Cranston, Co. E, 3rd RI Heavy Artillery and Past Department Commander, GAR, at Elm Grove Cemetery, Rt. 1, North Kingstown. Formal ceremony with readings and firing detail including cannonade by the 3rd RIHA at the conclusion of the parade.

CRANSTON - MONDAY, MAY 29TH, 2017: 6:00PM - Pocasset Cemetery
417 Dyer Avenue, Cranston RI
Governors Elisha Dyer Camp 7 will be hosting an annual Memorial Day Observence at 6:00pm. Patriotic reading s and period military salute by 2nd RI Infantry and 3rd RI heavy Artillery, Sons of Veterans Reserve. Guests will be invited to process to the graves of Civil War soldiers Nicholas Ross and Oscar Brayton for individual rites and honors.

Made up of men from all walks of life, The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is the Congressionally chartered, legal heir to the Grand Army of the Republic. Initially established in 1881 as the Sons of Veterans, the men of the GAR, recognizing their mortality, sought to preserve their legacy by establishing a lineal organization of descendants that would exist in perpetuity to keep Memorial Day, to decorate the graves of the "Boys in Blue," to tell a true account of the service of the Union Army, and to promote fraternity, charity and loyalty. The SUVCW engages the public through educational events designed to teach about the Civil War by working with local historians and Civil War reenactors to tell the stories of the "Boys in Blue." Through participation in flagging the graves of Civil War veterans, working in cemetery restoration and preservation, and through historical and genealogical research, the SUVCW continues its mission, as established by the Grand Army of the Republic, to "keep green the memory" of the men who fought and died to preserve the Union, 1861-1865.

For further information, Commander McGuire is available to discuss Memorial Day, the Grand Army of the Republic, Rhode Island Civil War history, cemetery preservation, the Providence Soldiers and Sailors Monument restoration project and more. Please contact James P. McGuire, Department Commander, RISUVCW at commander@risuvcw.org or (401) 525-8143.

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