Grand Army of the Republic

Winfield Courier, June 1, 1882.
A number of old soldiers met Monday evening in Judge Soward’s office and organized “Kilpatrick’s Post, G. A. R.” A number of the old boys were present and for an hour or more after the meeting the battles of Gettysburg, Shiloh, Mission Ridge, and a dozen others were fought over in story and reminiscence. A charter has been applied for and as soon as the necessary papers arrive, the old soldiers of the county will be notified and a complete organization effected.
COURANT, JUNE 8, 1882. A few evenings ago a number of old soldiers met at Judge Soward's office for the purpose of organizing a post of the Grand Army of the Republic.  After they were about all in the room, someone proposed that they all arise and repeat the Lord's Prayer in concert.  Each looked at the other to begin the prayer.  Finally Judge Soward, seeing that nobody else would commence, started in as follows:  "The Star Spangled banner in triumph ..." when Mayor Troup hunched him and told him he was wrong.  The Judge was a little mad, and told him to go ahead himself, if he thought he knew it all, and the Mayor started in "Now I lay me down to sleep."  Senator Hackney, who was present, stopped Troup, and told him that was not it, when Troup told Hackeny to speak.  The Senator cleared his throat and commenced, "Rock of Ages cleft for me," when Dr. Wells pulled his coat and made him stop.  Hackney quit, and told the doctor to work it up, and Wells began, "There's a land that is fairer than this," but they all told him to cheese it, and he quit, blushing like a school girl.  Just at this point Charley Steuven became disgusted, said he was ashamed of the whole gang, and they told him to try to start it.  Charles rolled his eyes up and started, "The Lord into the garden came."  At this juncture General Green came in and asked what they were drilling on.  He was informed of the condition of things, and relieved the suspense by starting, "Our Father who art in Heav­en."  They all joined in then, and after the prayer had been repeated, someone said that Green's associations with the minis­try gave him a big advantage over the rest of them.
Winfield Courier, July 13, 1882.  Attention, Veterans! L. M. Lange, Judge Advocate, Dept. Of Kansas G. A. R., will muster a post in this city Thursday, July 13th, at 8 o’clock p.m. All old soldiers desiring to join the G. A. R. apply at once to T. H. Soward in this city.
The Winfield Courier of November 23, 1905 printed a list of all of the veteran’s residing in the County.
“Many Union veterans setled in Cowley County in the early years.  Former wearers of the Union blue came to this county by the hundreds.”
“The majority of them in time became affiliated with the Grand Army of the Republic, the organization formed for Union veterans of the Civil War.  There were several G.A.R. posts in Cowley County.”
“In the year 1905, Col.  E.  C.  Manning, founder of Winfield, was commander fo Siverd Post of Winfield.  In that year he compiled a list of Union war veterans who lived then in Cowley County.He secured the list from the assessors’ rolls.”
“However, the list was not complete as not all assessors noted war service on men whom they assessed that spring.  None was turned in by the Liverty township assessor.  Colonel Manning noted.  At the time Colonel Manning noted that he believed the list was incomplete.”

“The list, however, even at that time, more than 40 years after the end of the Civil War, was imposing.   Here it is as complied by Colonel Manning and printed in the Courier of November 23, 1905.”