Abstract An organization formed in 1866 at Springfield, Illinois, for the veterans of the Civil War in an effort to “preserve the memory of the departed comrades, promote their mutual interests and to aid the deserving widows and orphans of the soldier dead.” The GAR was formed amidst the turmoil of Reconstruction in an effort not only to aid and assist the veterans who had fought for the cause, but also to affect political action for the veterans. Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson who had been a surgeon with...