Civil War veteran and auxiliary organizations can be confusing and tough to understand What was it that they did? A veritable alphabet soup of groups, the GAR, WRC, LGAR, DUCVW, UVU and SUVCW just to name a few, can be difficult to untangle and figuring out what each of them actually did can be challenging. Let's take a look at one of the groups, the Woman's Relief Corps, the official women’s auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic.
What exactly did the Woman's Relief Corps do? The charitable and patriotic activities of the WRC followed the same guiding tenets of the Grand Army of the Republic; “Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty.” Nearly everything the GAR or the WRC did, or aimed to do, can be put under one of those three themes. The letters "F.C.L." can be seen in the logos of both the WRC and the GAR. Their work was diverse and their activity constant. One hundred years ago, in February 1925, the kind of work they engaged in can specifically be seen in a recap of some of the Corps’ activity from the end of 1924. In addition to local WRC news and announcements, a “veterans” column in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper shared details of efforts from the organization at the national level.
The Woman's Relief Corps, it was explained, engaged in the “usual philanthropies and educational work.” What were those “usual” activities precisely? One was the distribution of donations and gifts at Christmas. That year the WRC sent a Christmas gift of $20 to every former army nurse of the Civil War who was known to be in need. Together with a $20 gift an uplifting message to the nurses was included that read:
“‘Army Nurse’ - what a world of meaning in those words. We love you for your work and what it means to us, for your sacrifice in early life; we love to call you ‘God's Angels of the Battlefields and Hospitals.’ We will strive to cherish and emulate your deeds of loyal service to your country and your flag and to teach the lesson of patriotism you have exemplified throughout your life.”
To every soldiers’ home across the country, providing homes and care for aging Civil war veterans as well as thousands of sick and disabled World War veterans, the WRC sent gifts and material assistance. Orphans and widows of veterans and soldiers were likewise remembered with gifts and holiday greetings. These gifts could include money, clothes, necessary supplies or items to make life more enjoyable, such as books and games.
Notably, the WRC also helped support Civil War veterans living beyond the borders of the United States. An annual gift of $50 was sent overseas for the London branch, American Civil War veterans. In 1925, there were just twenty-four living members of the London branch. The WRC strove to keep the veterans and widows “from need,” and also “keep alive Memorial Day and Fourth of July ceremonies in London.” The funds were also to help “provide suitable burials for Civil war veterans as they pass away” mirroring the respect granted to veterans of the war in the United States.
Of all the patriotic orders associated with the veterans of the Civil War, it was the Woman's Relief Corps that was the most tangibly productive in charitable work.This snapshot from one month a century ago offers some perspective on the many decades of work done by the dedicated women of the WRC.
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