By KC Colaianni
Decoration
Day was borne out of the Civil War and a
desire to honor our dead. It was officially proclaimed on May 5,1868 by General
John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 1. “The 30th
of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or
otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their
country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every
city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of
Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary
of any particular battle.
On the
first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington
National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000
Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.
The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890, it was recognized by all of the northern states. The old confederacy refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dad on separate days until after World War I, when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war.
The first state to officially recognize the holiday was New York in 1873. By 1890, it was recognized by all of the northern states. The old confederacy refused to acknowledge the day, honoring their dad on separate days until after World War I, when the holiday changed from honoring just those who died fighting in the Civil War to honoring Americans who died fighting in any war.
