CIVIL-WAR VETERANS, SOCIETIES OF. Associat ions of veterans of the United States Civil War or their descendants. The predominant pur pose of these associations is social ; occasionally. however, political aims have been added, as in the ease of the Grand Army of the Republic. which has striven successfully for the increase of time pension list and rate, and has become recognized as a considerable factor in national polities. The oldest of the Civil War associations is the Military Order of the Loyal Legion. (See LOYAL LEGION.) Membership in this society is re stricted to officers of the army, navy, and marine corps, and to their oldest male lineal descend ants; thus following closely, in organization. the Society of the Cincinnati. The most influ ential as well as the largest of the societies of the Civil War is the Grand Army of the Repub lic (q.v.). This organization admits to mem bership any soldier or sailor of the army, navy, or marine corps who was honorably discharged. It has two auxiliary organizations, known as the 'Woman's Relief Corps,' which admits to membership mothers, wives, daughters. and sis ters of Union soldiers, and the Sons of Veterans. which Is composed of lineal descendants of those who served in the Civil War. Similar to the Grand Army is the Union Veteran Union (see VETERAN UNION, UNION), the membership clause of which, however, is more exacting, requiring service for a term of three years. This society also has an auxiliary society, known as the Ladies of the Union Veteran Union. and the Loyal Guard, for its junior male members. The Union Veteran Legion (see VETERAN LEGION. rNION) admits to membership only participants in some battle who possess an honorable di- from the army. la addition to the fore going, there are three special organiZations, whose character is indicated by their name,. are: The Society of the Army of the Ten nessee. organized on April 14. NW): time Society
of the Army of the Cumberland, .rganized Feb ruary 6, ISGS; and the Society of the Army of the Potomae, organized September 2. 1S114, There was formerly a Soeiel• of the Army of the James. but that was merged. in 15711. into the Society of time Army of the Potomac. There are also numerous corps societies. such as that of the Eleventh Army Corps and the Sixth Army Corps, which hold annual meetings, and whose work has consisted largely in the erection of monuments on various battle-fields and in other places to the memory of their leaders. The Na tional Association of Naval Veterans (q.v.) ad mits to membership any appointed or enlisted man who served in the navy during the period of the Civil War. The memory of the Civil War is preserved in the Southern States through the instrumentality of three flourishing organiza tions. known as the United Confederate Veterans (see CONFEDERATE VETERANS, ITED). which ) admits to membership actual participants in the Civil War; the United Sons of Confederate Veterans (see CONFEDERATE VETERANS, UNITED Sox8 OF), IA was organized by the male de scendants of the Confederates; and the United Daughters of the Confederacy (see CONFED ERACY. UNITED DAUGHTERS OF THE) which ad-' wits to membership the widows. wives, mothers, sisters, and lineal female descendants of those who served in the Confederate armies. There are various other societies which. while they do not restrict their membership to participants in the Civil War, admit to membership pa•tieipat ors in that conflict or their descendants. Of this character are the Military Order of Foreign Wars (see FonEms XV.ins. MILITARY ORDER oF) the Naval Order of the United States (q.v.), and the Medal of Honor Legion (q.v.).