Feature Article on Memorial Day.
TOPIC: EVENTS & CIVIL WAR
Written by Jim Sayre in May, 1998
MEMORIAL DAY IS LONG TRADITION IN SHELBY COUNTY, OHIO |
MEMORIAL
DAY CEREMONIES 1998: Troops of the 94th O.V.I. Civil War re-enactment group led by Captain
Doug Slagel (below at left) joined the Society
to honor
Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day to remember those who have died in our nation’s service. After the Civil War, many in the North and South decorated graves of fallen soldiers with flowers. Decoration Day was officially proclaimed on May 5, 1868, by General John Logan in General Order No. 11, and first observed on May 30, 1868. Gen. Logan’s order, read each year at Memorial Day services in Sidney, appears below. In 1882, the name was changed to Memorial Day, and soldiers who had died in other wars were also honored. In 1971, Memorial Day was declared a national holiday to be held on the last Monday in May. General John Logan’s 1868 "memorial order" inaugurated an "observance with the hope it will be kept up from year to year, while a survivor of the war remains..." The "observance" has survived all Civil War veterans to become a day for honoring the memory of the fallen heroes of all our nation’s wars. This general order is read each year during Memorial Day ceremonies in Sidney. Headquarters, Grand Army of the Republic I. The 30th day of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet churchyard in the land. In this observance no form or ceremony is prescribed, but posts and comrades will in their own way arrange such fitting services and testimonials of respect as circumstances may permit. [ Back ] [ Next ] [ Up ] [ New Search ] |
