Excerpt from What Women Did for the War, and What the War Did for Women: A Memorial Day Address Delivered Before the Soldiers Club at Wellesley, May 30, 1894

"If all that has been said by orators and poets since the creation of the world in praise of woman was applied to the women of America, it would not do them justice for their conduct during this war." - Lincoln.

Mr. Chairman, and Ladies and Gentlemen:

Memorial Day, popularly known as Decoration Day, was established by the Grand Army of the Republic, the first post of which was organized on the sixth day of April, 1866, at Decatur, Ill.

May 5, 1868, a general order was issued by John A. Logan, Commander-in-chief of the Grand Army, designating the thirtieth day of May "for the purpose of strewing with flowers or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defence of their country during the late rebellion." No particular form of ceremony was prescribed, but posts and comrades were left to arrange in their own way such fitting services as circumstances might permit.

On that day, without legislative sanction or executive proclamation, the Grand Army posts and the people in twenty-seven States responded to this call with such services and tributes of respect that Congress caused the proceedings to be collected and published in a volume. The following year the demonstrations were still more extensive, and the reports of them were also published by order of Congress. The day has since been made a legal holiday in thirty-two States and Territories.

The custom of decorating the graves of those who fell in the civil war was first adopted in the Southern States before the date of this order.

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