Dixie RelicsDixie RelicsThis is a stamped brass wreath with letters "G A R” mounted in the center. Letters are stamped out of white metal. Original four attachment wire remain mounted on a fabric mount ready to be used on a hat. G.A.R. was the Grand Army of the Republic and was a popular Union veteran’s organization. It was founded in 1866 in Springfield, IL, and grew to include hundreds of "posts" (local community units) across the nation. The G.A.R. reached its largest enrollment in 1890, with 410,000 members. It held an annual "National Encampment" every year from 1866 to 1949. In 1956, after the death of the last member, Albert Woolson, the G.A.R. was formally dissolved.