LOYAL LEGION OF THE UNITED STATES, Military Order of the, was the first society formed by officers in the Civil War, who were honorably discharged. Its objects are to cherish the memories and associations of the Civil War, to strengthen the ties of fellow ship and sympathy, to relieve the widows and children of dead companions of the order and to advance the general welfare of the soldiers and sailors of the United States. On the day after the assassination of President Lincoln, Col. S. B. Wylie Mitchell, Capt. Peter D. Key ser, M.D., and Lieut.-Col. T. Ellwood Zell met in Philadelphia to arrange for a meeting of ex officers of the army and navy to adopt resolu tions relative to the death of President Lin coln. It was decided to effect a permanent or ganization, and an adjourned meeting was held for this purpose in the hall of the Hibernia Fire Company in Philadelphia 3 May 1865. Eligibility to membership is as follows: Orig inal companions of the first class—commis sioned officers and honorably discharged com missioned officers of the United States army, navy and marine corps, regular or volunteer, in cluding officers of assimilated or corresponding rank by appointment of the Secretary of the War or Navy, who were actually engaged in the suppression of the Rebellion prior to 15 April 1865, or who served under the Presi dent's call of 15 April 1861 ; or who, having served as non-commissioned officers, warrant officers or enlisted men, during the War of the Rebellion, have since been or may hereafter be commissioned as officers in the United States regular or volunteer army, navy or marine corps. All midshipmen in the United States navy and all cadets of the United States army, who, while pursuing their course in the United States Naval Academy or the United States Military Academy, actually rendered service. Hereditary companions of the first class. The
/Erect male lineal descendants, who shall have attained the age of 21 years, of deceased orig inal companions of the first class, and of de ceased officers not members of the order. but who were eligible as such, and whose direct descent shall in every case he traced anew from the original founder of the membership in the order, or from the deceased eligible officer, and not otherwise. Any original companion having no direct lineal male descendant may, by writ ing, filed with the recorder of his commandery, nominate a companion of the second class from among the collateral male members of his family, descending only from his own brother or sister, and the person so nominated when he shall have attained the age of 21 years shall become eligible to membership for life in the second class. Second class — the sons, and if there be no sons, the grandsons, of living com panions of the first class, whether original, in succession, or by inheritance, who shall have attained the age of 21 years, shall be eligible to membership. Third class.— Companions of this class are those gentlemen who in civil life during the Rebellion were specially distin guished for conspicuous and consistent loyalty to the national government and were active and eminent in maintaining the supremacy of the same; and who, prior to 15 April 1890, were elected members of the order pursuant to the then existing provisions of the Constitution, the power to elect such having ceased at that date. There are State commanderies in Penn sylvania, New York, Maine, Massachusetts, California, Wisconsin, Illinois, District of Co lumbia, Ohio, Michigan, Minnesota, Oregon, Missouri, Nebraska, Kansas, Iowa, Colorado, Indiana, Washington, Vermont and Maryland. The total membership in 1917 was 6,914.