First chartered in 1884 as a camp of the Grand Army of the Republic, the
Col. Friedrich K. Hecker Camp, #443 is one of 10 camps in the Department
of Illinois. The camp was chartered as part of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) in 1996. However, it is the only representation for the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) in southern Illinois that has a population of more than one million
people.
The SUVCW is a fraternal organization dedicated to preserving the history and legacy of heroes who fought and worked to save the Union. In 1881 the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) formed the SUVCW as the Sons of Veterans of the United States of America (SV) to carry on its traditions and memory long after the GAR ceased to exist. It became the SUVCW in name in 1925 and is the legal successor to the GAR, first founded in 1866.
For a more in depth history, please click on the following links:
Leaders & Legacies of the Civil War: The Grand Army of the Republic-Video
Dr. Todd Arrington, the site manager of James A. Garfield National Historic Site, discusses the Grand Army of the Republic—one of the most important Veterans groups in U.S. history. Click here for the video.
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