The Woman's Relief Corps (W.R.C.) was a “patriotic organization whose express purpose is to perpetuate the memory of the Grand Army of the Republic ” The W.R.C. was formed in July 1883 as an auxiliary to the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) and its history in many ways mirrors that of the G.A.R. (see WVM Mss 1).
Women had served as nurses and even soldiers during the Civil War. Afterwards, they engaged in numerous relief efforts. By 1878, several women's relief organizations had gained the attention of the G.A.R. The G.A.R. adopted a resolution in 1882 that approved the creations of a female auxiliary group. The W.R.C. was formed the next year at the G.A.R. national encampment in Denver. Women from several states were among the 58 charter members, and E. Florence Barker of Massachusetts became the first national president of the organization. Barker visited La Crosse and chartered the W.R.C. Department of Wisconsin and its initial seven corps in 1884.
Conceived as a national organization, the W.R.C. consisted of departments at the state level and “corps” at the local level. The local corps were attached to a G.A.R. post, sharing its name, but not necessarily its number. The W.R.C. held their annual national convention concurrently and in the same city as the G.A.R.'s national convention. W.R.C. departmental conventions took place during the state G.A.R. conventions. Several W.R.C. national conventions were held in Wisconsin, including 1925 (Milwaukee), 1937 (Madison), and 1944 (Milwaukee). Several Wisconsin women held the position of national president of the W.R.C.: Charity Rusk Craig, Belle W. Bliss, May Luchsinger, and Daisy Heineman.
The purpose of the W.R.C., as stated in its “Rules and Regulations,” was threefold. The first objective was to “specially aid and assist the Grand Army of the Republic and to perpetuate the memory of their heroic dead.” The second was “to assist such veterans as need our help and protection, and to extend needful aid to their widows and orphans. To find them homes and employment, and assure them of sympathy and friends. To cherish and emulate the deeds of our army nurses and of all loyal women who rendered loving service to our country in her hour of peril.” And, finally, the W.R.C. sought “to maintain true allegiance to the United States of America; to inculcate lessons of patriotism and love of country among our children and in the communities in which we live; and encourage the spread of universal liberty and equal rights to all.”
Membership in the W.R.C. was open to all “loyal” women. Perhaps in response to similar groups that restricted membership to the relatives of veterans, the W.R.C. dictated that a corps charter could be revoked if membership was refused to a woman simply because she was not related to a veteran. Race was not even a factor in membership; Department of Wisconsin Corps 127 (Joseph Ledergerber) in Keshena consisted entirely of Menominee women. The Department of Wisconsin took pride in this fact, as the Wisconsin delegates to the 1911 National Convention wore badges with the inscription, “Keshena, The Only Indian Corps in the World.” Seven years later, a group of Oneida women resurrected Corps 73 on the Oneida reservation.
The first department convention in Wisconsin was held in the state Senate chambers in January 1885, and Harriet Dunlap of Lodi became the first president. That same year the size of the Department of Wisconsin tripled to twenty-one corps (from the initial seven corps) and 430 members. The Wisconsin W.R.C. quickly became involved in the development of a veteran's home for soldiers and their wives by donating money for the purchase of land and the construction of a home. When the Grand Army Home opened in August 1888, representatives of the W.R.C.'s Department of Wisconsin were present. The Wisconsin W.R.C.'s involvement with the Grand Army Home did not end with its opening. They continued to donate money, material, and time to the home and its inhabitants. In particular, they worked toward the construction and maintenance of a chapel on the grounds of the home.
While initially dedicated to the veterans of the Civil War, the W.R.C. also opened its arms to the veterans of subsequent conflicts. At the end of the nineteenth century, the organization donated money to Spanish-American War soldiers and their families. The Department of Wisconsin bought $1,000 in liberty bonds and volunteered in the Red Cross during World War I, and the national W.R.C. gave $147, 860 and four mobile units to the Red Cross during World War II.
Following World War I, membership in the W.R.C. reached a peak. The W.R.C.'s open membership policy and their willingness to serve all veterans allowed them to flourish at a time when the G.A.R. was fading. By the early 1920's, Wisconsin boasted 148 corps and over 11,000 members. In 1928-1929, Wisconsin's first two Junior Clubs of the W.R.C. were organized in Pardeeville and Lodi. The Junior Clubs allowed school-aged girls to participate in W.R.C. activities.
At the beginning of the twentieth century the national organization took control of the grounds on which the infamous Andersonville prisoner of war camp stood. They gave control of the park over to the United States government in 1910, but continued to contribute to its upkeep. A cottage at Andersonville National Park contained a Wisconsin Room filled with items donated by the Wisconsin W.R.C. The national W.R.C. also began collecting G.A.R.-related items and eventually founded the Grand Army of the Republic Memorial Museum near Decatur, Illinois, the birthplace of the G.A.R. The museum has come to serve as the national headquarters for the W.R.C. The Department of Wisconsin gave time and money toward the upkeep of Cushing Memorial Park in Delafield, WI. Named in honor of a Wisconsin Civil War artilleryman, the park has since been given to the city of Delafield.
The W.R.C. took great pride in the fact that, in 1923, it established the authorship of the “Pledge of Allegiance” to Francis Bellemy. Further, it originated the movement to urge the teaching of patriotism and the “Pledge of Allegiance” in public and private schools.
At the beginning of the twenty-first century, the W.R.C. is still active. The organization offers annual scholarships; distributes flags and patriotic literature; promotes the Americanization of immigrants; contributes time and money to anti-drug programs, the Red Cross, national defense, and veterans hospitals; presents an annual Gettysburg Address plaque to educational institutions; supports pro-veteran legislation on the state and national level; continues to support a Junior Corps; and promotes proper etiquette of the American flag and observance of national holidays.
