List of Grand Army of the Republic commanders-in-chief

Founded on April 6, 1866 in Springfield, Illinois on the principles of "Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty" by Benjamin F. Stephenson, it was dissolved in 1956 when its last member died.

Linking men through their experience of the war, the GAR became among the first organized advocacy group in American politics, supporting voting rights for black veterans, lobbying the US Congress to establish veterans' pensions, and supporting Republican political candidates.

The commemoration of Union veterans, black and white, immediately became entwined with partisan politics.

When the Republican Party's commitment to reform in the South gradually decreased, the GAR's mission became ill-defined and the organization floundered.

In the 1880s, the organization revived under new leadership that provided a platform for renewed growth, by advocating federal pensions for veterans.