Kaaterskill Books

Complete and Annotated Collection of all 433 Minnesota Commandery Circulars

[Civil War] Minnesota Commandery.

Circular[s]: Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, Commandery of the State of Minnesota. 1885-1922 [Four Volumes].

[St. Paul]: [Commandery of the State of Minnesota], 1885-1922. 8vo. Cloth. First edition. Spine ends and joints scuffed, one band split, else a very good set, with the bookplate of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, Commandery of the State of Illinois on front pastedowns of most volumes, shelf sticker on foot of most backstrips, most circulars quite fresh, binding firm. Item #31861

The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States, begun in Philadelphia in 1865, was modeled on the Society of the Cincinnati, and formed to protect the republic amid rumors of a plot to destroy the government after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Among its members were Presidents Ulysses S. Grant, Rutherford B. Hayes, Benjamin Harrison, and William McKinley. By 1899 it had over 8000 members which included nearly every officer of note.

This is a complete collection of all 433 Minnesota Commandery circulars through 1922, ending with the dedication of the Lincoln Memorial. Contains circulars, papers, treasurers' reports, black-bordered "In Memoriam" notices, each with a biography of the deceased, annual meeting notices of which most are signed, corrected, and annotated by the Minnesota Commandery recorders (beginning with George Q. White); they include the disposition of each person seeking membership. A few other items such as invitations, a special program with a portrait of Lincoln, etc, bound in. Large "In Memoriam" notice for Rutherford B. Hayes.

A wealth of information and a very scarce collection, which would be nearly impossible to assemble today. Other than the Minnesota Historical Society's Organization Archive of the Commandery, OCLC shows only a few scattered documents.

Price: $1,200.00