R.I. State Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States Main Home Page

State Commandery of Rhode Island MILITARY ORDER OF THE LOYAL LEGION OF THE UNITED STATES

Dedicated to the memory of Rhode Island Major Generals and MOLLUS Companions, Ambrose Everett Burnside (No. 00889) and George Sears Greene (No. 05520). Honoring and observing Rhode Island Battle Flag Day, when all R.I. Civil War Veterans placed their secred flags carried in battle in the R.I. State House, October 1903.

COMMANDERS

National MOLLUS Commander-in-Chief (2008 ~ 09)
Karl F. Schaeffer, MOLLUS ID# 22012.

RI MOLLUS State Commandery Commander (2008 ~ 09)
Gregg A. Mierka, MOLLUS ID# 22108.

R I M O L L U S THE RHODE ISLAND COMMANDERY WAS CHARTERED BY NATIONAL MOLLUS OCTOBER 19th-21st 2001. Come Share Our Fellowship & Honor Your Civil War Ancestor

Welcome to the Official Home Page of The Rhode Island State Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, created to succeed the Rhode Island Soldiers and Sailors Historical Society under the rules and regulations of National MOLLUS in the 21st Century. Here you can find information concerning the history of RI MOLLUS, conduct Civil War research, learn how to become a member, connect to the National MOLLUS Website, and find information about R.I. Civil War Officers and R.I. Officers who were members of MOLLUS. You can get to all these Web Pages by clicking our RI MOLLUS Information Center below.

WHO WE ARE

As a Hereditary-Veterans Order, recognized by the United States Congress and the U.S. Defense Department, the Loyal Legion is a fraternal, patriotic and educational non-profit veterans organization that represents the honor and memory of Civil War Veterans who served in the Union Armed Forces as Commissioned Officers. The mission of the R.I. Commandery of MOLLUS, is to perpetuate the memory and service of all Union Officers of the States who led U.S. Military units and hands in the Army, Navy, Marines and Revenue Corps. RI MOLLUS was founded in honor of the 100th anniversary of Rhode Island Battle Flag Day, 1903-2003. Approximately 11,920 honorably discharged Union Civil War officers were members of MOLLUS across the country between 1865 and 1900. About 104 MOLLUS Members who served as Union Officers were from Rhode Island. Of the five (5) Union General Officers who became President of the United States after the Civil War, one (General James A. Garfield) was assassinated in 1881, and the other 4 (General Ulysses Grant, General Rutherford Hayes, General Chester Arthur, General Benjamin Harrison) were members of MOLLUS. Rutherford B. Hayes also served two terms as Commander-in-Chief of MOLLUS in 1886 and from 1888 to 1893. MOLLUS is to the Civil War what the Society of the Cincinnati is to the Revolutionary War. RI MOLLUS was established in the State of Rhode Island to carry on the Legionnaire Companion tradition started by our ancestors, and to educate Rhode Islanders and keep green the memory of the leaders of the "Old Fellows In Blue" who preserved the nation in its darkest hour, 1861 to 1865.

LEX REGIT ARMA TUENTUR Arms Are Borne So The Law May Rule 1861 - 1865

Also incorporated under RI MOLLUS is the Rhode Island Soldiers and Sailors Historical Society, which served as a local forum for orginal MOLLUS members who lived in Rhode Island but were members of other State Commanderies during years when there was no official MOLLUS State Commandery in Rhode Island. Go to the RI MOLLUS Information Center Page to get to the RI MOLLUS War Papers (Personal Civil War Narratives) written by original MOLLUS members from Rhode Island who served as Union Officers during the Civil War. Through the Rhode Island legacy of the Society and National MOLLUS, therefore the history of RI MOLLUS extends back to the Civil War. Under and guided by the rules and regulations of National MOLLUS, today the Rhode Island Soldiers and Sailors Historical Society is the historical roots of RI MOLLUS as chartered under the National MOLLUS organization.

Brief History of National MOLLUS
&
RI MOLLUS

On 15 April 1865, as word of President Abraham Lincoln's death spread throughout the country, three Union Army officer friends met in Philadelphia at the historic "Union League" and "Philadelphia Club" to discuss the tragic news. Rumors from Washington of a conspiracy to destroy the Federal government by assassination of its leaders prompted the three officers to form an organization that could help thwart future threats to the national government.

A mass meeting of Philadelphia active Union Officers and officer veterans was held on 20 April 1865 to pledge renewed allegiance to the Union and to plan for participation in the funeral arrangements for the President. The Philadelphia officers, other officers and former Union Officers, who served as an officer corps honor guard for President Lincoln's funeral cortege (along with elements of the Iron Brigade), met again after the funeral was over to establish a permanent organization of Union Officers serving under Ulysses S. Grant. The Order was patterned after the Society of Cincinnati, which was established after the Revolutionary War by officers who served under George Washington. The name they chose, the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), first appeared in a notice calling a meeting in Philadelphia on 31 May 1865 at "Independence Hall".

By 1899, MOLLUS had more than 8,000 Union Civil War officers as members on its roster. At its zenith, MOLLUS counted practically every prominent officer of the United States Army and Navy (Civil War and Post Civil War) among its ranks. Among some of the more notable Union Civil War Veteran Officers were: Lieut. Generals Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman; and Philip H. Sheridan; as well as Major Generals and Brigadier Generals George Armstrong Custer, Nelson A. Miles, John M. Schofield, Winfield Scott Hancock, William S. Rosecrans, George Crook, Henry W. Halleck, Alfred Pleasanton, George B. McClellan, Ambrose E. Burnside, John G. Parke, George H. Thomas, George Gordon Meade, James H. Wilson, Nathaniel P. Banks, Wesley Merritt, Silas Casey, Judson Kilpatrick, George Sears Greene, Jashua Lawrence Chamberlain, David McMurtie Gregg, Montgomery C. Meigs, Alexander McCook, Edward M. McCook, Theodore Roosevelt, Sr., Grenville M. Dodge and Elisha Hunt Rhodes. Of the U.S. Navy Admiral David G. Farragut; plus Rear Admirals Bancroft Gherardi, David D. Porter and George W. Melville were also members of the Order. Eight U.S. Presidents were members of MOLLUS. In addition to President Abraham Lincoln (posthumously inducted) were Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, who served as General Officers in the Civil War. Other Original MOLLUS Companions Presidents Chester A. Arthur, Benjamin Harrison and William McKinley also served as Presidents of the United States in the later half of the 19th century. U.S. Presidents inducted in to MOLLUS in the 20th Century were Herbert Hoover and 5 star General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower. Five star General of the Army Douglas MacArthur was also a member of MOLLUS as was his father General Arthur MacArthur. Vice President, Hannibal Hamlin; Secretary of War, Edwin M. Stanton; Secretary of the Treasury-later U.S. Supreme Court Chief Justice, Salmon P. Chase; and Secretary of the Navy, Gideon Welles of the Lincoln Administration were also Original Members of MOLLUS.

With the eventual aging of the Original Companions, membership within MOLLUS was changed to provide for Hereditary Companions; descendants of eligible officers. Many Original Companions of MOLLUS were also members and leaders of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Civil War Veterans organization. Similarly, many Hereditary Companions of MOLLUS are also members of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), the legal heir to the GAR. RI MOLLUS also supports the efforts of RI SUVCW Elisha Dyer Camp No. 7 (The legal heir to RI GAR Arnold Post No. 4), as well as RIASUVCW Elisha Dyer Auxiliary No. 2 (the ladies) and Battery A (Arnold's Battery--the 2nd R.I. Battery), 1st Regiment R.I. Light Artillery in their efforts to honor the GAR. Members of RI MOLLUS have joined with members of both organizations to form the R.I. GAR Civil War Museum, working with the Cranston Historical Society and the City of Cranston. In 1878, Col. Elisha Hunt Rhodes led a group of original R.I. Companions of the Massachusetts MOLLUS Commandery to form a Rhode Island Commandery, but the group eventually formed as the R.I. Soldiers and Sailors Historical Society (RISSHS) instead. RISSHS folded in the 1920s, but RI MOLLUS maintains its name and history under its charter. The RI MOLLUS Commandery was re-formed in 2001 to become the first official MOLLUS Commandery for the State of Rhode Island in 2003 on the 100th Anniversary of Rhode Island Battle Flag Day.

The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS) is composed of a National Commandery-in-Chief and individual state Commanderies. There are currently 19 Commanderies and three Provisional Commanderies in the Order across the country. MOLLUS is the 3rd oldest veterans organization in the Nation, recognized as such by the U.S. Congress, the U.S. Defense Department, all branches of the U.S. Armed Forces and all U.S. Military Academies.

OFFICERS AND GENTLEMEN

National MOLLUS is the 3rd oldest Veterans-Hereditary organization in the country, established on the day of the assination of President Abraham Lincoln, 1865. Chartered by Congress, MOLLUS represents the interests and memory of all Union Civil War Officers who saved our country during the American Civil War, 1861 to 1865. R.I. MOLLUS is the first ever Commandery in the State's history, Chartered by National MOLLUS October 19-20, 2001. New membership candidates can contact Web Master, Gregg A. Mierka, or the National MOLLUS Home Page first for application material and additional information. Honor the great service of your Union Officer ancestors and be a part of a new State Commandery of Rhode Island accepts up to 1/3 of the Order as Associates (without lineage). Neither you nor your ancester have to be native to Rhode Island for you to qualify for membership in the R.I. Commandery. Please contact us for applications and further information about R.I. MOLLUS.

The 1903 first observance of Rhode Island Battle Flag Day badge
worn by the Veterans who placed the Civil War Battle Flags
in the Rhode Island State House.

MILITARY ORDER OF THE LOYAL LEGION
OF THE UNITED STATES
IN RHODE ISLAND

R.I. MOLLUS was also Chartered in Honor of the 100th Anniversary of Rhode Island Battle Flag Day, 1903-2003. Each year R.I. MOLLUS plans its annual R.I. Battle Flag Day Congress or annual meeting observing the Civil War flags and displays in the Rhode Island State House followed by a traditional steak-fry over the fire-place in the historic East Greenwich, R.I., Varnum Memorial Armory military museum room and Mess Hall Meeting. All historic traditions started by General Philip A. Sheridan after the Civil War are observed. R.I. MOLLUS officer selections for the Commandery are held at an annual meeting-convention conducted biannually. The R.I. MOLLUS membership also supports the project to open the R.I. Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Civil War Museum and quarters in Cranston by the membership of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, Elisha Dyer Camp No.7 and ASUVCW Elisha Dyer Auxiliary No.2. We are also working with the Cranston Historical Society to rennovate the R.I. Civil War Governor William Sprague Museum Carriage House facility. This project is still in the developmental stages, but R.I. MOLLUS will open its State wide office at the museum along with the offices of the other hereditary Orders when the project is completed.

Major General George Cadwalader
The first Commander-in-Chief of National MOLLUS
1865 to 1879
PA MOLLUS ID # 00060.

FIRSTS IN RHODE ISLAND

Photos Left to Right:
Colonel Elisha Hunt Rhodes, Massachusetts MOLLUS ID# 09476, was the last commander of the 2nd Rhode Island Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Civil War and fought in every engagement in the 2nd R.I., 6th Corps, Army of the Potomac from 1861 to 1865. He was a co-founder & served as commander of RI Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Prescott Post No. 1 in 1867, he was the fourth Department or State Commander of RI Dept. GAR in 1872 & 1873 (2 consecutive terms), he served as Jr. Vice and Senior Vice Commander-in-Chief of the National GAR in 1876 & 1877. He was the Founder and first President (7 consecutive terms--longest in its history) of the Rhode Island Soldiers and Sailors Historical Society, and he was a member of the Rhode Island Odd Fellows as well as a Rhode Island Masonic Worshipful Grand Master, a Rhode Island Knight Templar Companion of St. John's Commandery No. 1 (Oldest in America) and a R.I. Master Mason of Harmony Lodge.

Gregg A. Mierka, RI MOLLUS ID# 22108, is the first and current Commander of RI MOLLUS, who organized the Rhode Island State Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (RI MOLLUS) to represent Union Civil War Officers in the State of Rhode Island under the rules and regulations of National MOLLUS in part to succeed The Rhode Island Soldiers and Sailors Historical Society. He is a co-founder of the Rhode Island Civil War Round Table, he is a hereditary life member of the Military Order of the Iron Brigade, he is a member of the Honorable Artillery Order of Saint Barbara and a charter member of the National Congress of Patriotic Organizations, he served as Commander of RI SUVCW Elisha Dyer Camp No. 7 in 1993. He is a Past Dept. Commander of the RI Dept. SUVCW (6 consecutive terms--longest in its history) 1994 to 2000, and he is a Rhode Island Knight Templar Companion of St. John's Commandery No. 1 (Oldest in America) and a R.I. Master Mason of Harmony Lodge.

You are visitor number: Since the RI MOLLUS Internet Site was created in April 2000

For More Information Contact RI MOLLUS at the
RI GAR Civil War Museum
762 Dyer Avenue, Cranston, R.I. 02920

© All Rights Reserved, 2009

This Civil War Heritage Ring site is managed by
Gregg A. Mierka.

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~ CREDITS ~

We wish to thank Brother/Companion Keith G. Harrison, Past National SUVCW Commander-in-Chief and, current National SUVCW and MOLLUS Webmaster, as well as all the artists/musicians for the use of their music on all the pages in our site.
©1983 by Swinging Door Music-BMI. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Thanks also to Robert Hunt Rhodes for allowing us to use some of his material about his ancestor, Elisha Hunt Rhodes and to Ken Burns for featuring E.H. Rhodes and our State's Civil War History in his PBS series on The Civil War. And a special thanks to David McCullough, Edwin Bearrs, Brian Pohanka, Jeff Shaara and Ron Maxwell for their support for Rhode Island Civil War History and raising the American conscience about the triumphs and tragidies of the Great War of the Rebellion 1861 to 1865.

Thank you for stopping by R.I. MOLLUS.
Please let us know if we can help you again.
All For The Union !
and
The Old Fellows In Blue !

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