#ConfederateHeritageMonth: William J Rutledge

Rev. William Johnson Rutledge was born in Augusta County, Virginia in 1820. He is a member of a storied Virginia family that produced the authors of the state laws for Virginia and Georgia, and a signer of the Declaration of Independence. William was also a close friend of Abraham Lincoln, among other distinguished men of that time.

There is no dramatic reading video of this post, as this is all-new content. But here is our whole entire CHM playlist on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLzvlviaqXrgho2oywTJaU_S6ORHVk-FcZ

During the Civil War, this 40-something Virginian remained loyal to the United States and served as the chaplain of the Illinois 14th Infantry. The 14th is known for service at Shiloh, Vicksburg, and Sherman’s March to the Sea, suffering heavy casualties but playing a key role in major campaigns.

Rutledge is credited with first suggesting the formation of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) and helped organise it when his tentmate Benjamin Franklin Stephenson took him up on the suggestion. Rutledge is sometimes credited as a co-founder.

The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. The GAR became among the first organized advocacy groups in American politics, supporting voting rights for Black veterans, promoting patriotic education, helping to make Memorial Day a national holiday, lobbying Congress to establish regular veterans’ pensions, and supporting political candidates who weren’t fucking traitor secessionists, or candidates who were challenging fucking traitor secessionists. In later years, organisations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) and American Legion would copy the GAR playbook of establishing local posts, a uniform, and political activism for veterans.