The Railsplitter. Department Commanders Report. Lincoln The Railsplitter. Department Commander James Locke Lyon I BUSINESS NAME

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1 BUSINESS NAME The Railsplitter D EPARTMENT OF ILLINOIS N OVEMBER 2015 Department Commanders Report Brothers of the Department of Illinois I would like to thank the Brothers from Col. Bryner Camp 67 for hosting our 132 Mid-term Encampment at their beautiful G.A.R. Hall. For those who were unable to make it we had a very good turn out from all of our Camps. Brother Hutchinson served a great homemade meal with nobody going away hungry. The work that needed to be done was with great Fraternity and Loyalty to each other and our order. I believe all the Brothers went away feeling that we had done our work to the best of our abilities. A great deal of time was spent talking about the 2016 National Encampment, Lincoln Tomb Service, and Dr Stephenson Service. It s our hope that after we show our National Officers and Membership what a great job we have done with the National Encampment we can get back the Lincoln Tomb service. With all the Camps help I think this will bring us back together as the great Department that we are. Our 133rd Encampment will be held in Sycamore sponsored by General Dutton Camp in May. The date, time, and place, is yet to be decided. This Encampment will be the last one before the 2016 National Encampment in Springfield and most important, will be the election of new Department Officers. Lincoln The Railsplitter It is my hope that we as a Department have gotten back on track with the election of officers so that they move up through the ranks. This makes us a better run Department, if a Brother that becomes Jr. Vice Commander knows that he is committing to possibly 6 years to the Department. After four years he will be the Commander and will have learned the workings of the Department and National organizations. There are also other elected offices than Commander, Sr. Vice Commander, and Jr. Vice Commander that need to be filled so let the nominating committee know if you would like to serve. If your Camp is doing a rededication or dedication of markers or monuments please consider inviting me, me as I think it is important for the Department Commander to be there to support you in your work. Over the last year and a half I have had the Honor to serve with you in the work of our Order, so please let me continue in these last six months to be there with you. Yours in Fraternity, Charity, & Loyalty James Locke Lyon I Department Commander Department Commander James Locke Lyon I

2 P AGE 2 D EPARTMENT OF ILLINOIS Please Remember:!!!! Form 22 for Election and Installation is due To Brother Aarli no later than: February 15, 2016 Illinois Department Encampment Schedule May 2016 Gen. E. F. Dutton Camp #49 Sycamore Oct Col. Friedrick Hecker Camp #443 Belleville Chaplain s Corner I got a call a few weeks back from a friend at a Civil War Round Table. The speaker that they had arranged long in advance had to cancel because of family reasons, and with five days to go - could I please do a First Person Presentation. I said yes, and that I would be talking about Reconstruction. Well, I immediately realized that I had made a terrible mistake. While I new a little about the topic from reading books and attending Round Table Lectures - I did not have a firm grasp on the topic from the eyes of Major General George Henry Thomas. I began to read, and read and read. History repeats itself. After the war the white troops wanted to hurry back to their homes and families. What General Thomas had in abundance were free men of color, who had volunteered to serve in Mr. Lincoln's Armies; their families were with them, and they had no place to return now that the War was over. Those soldiers were not in the least bit welcomed in the Southern States where General Thomas was the Military Governor. There were riots, assassinations, terrorism and worse. The local police would not interfere with the angry white demonstrators, and black troops could not be used to restore order. My studies revealed that General Thomas was under just about as much pressure during Reconstruction as he was during the Recent Unpleasantness. Then there arose the Klan, but not in a State in his Military Command, but it did spread. Why does the Almighty allow such trials and tribulation? With all of the destruction of the war - why could it not have all ended at Appomattox Court House? No simple answer - but a continuation of the prayer... Thy Will Be Done. One of the hardest parts of being a Christian is that prayer, and forgiving our enemies as we wished to be forgiven ourselves. Happy Thanksgiving May the Blessings of Christ's Birth bring you and your family Happiness and Joy In Fraternity, Charity & Loyalty Chaplain Jerry paptom@msn.com

3 T HE R AILSPLITTER P AGE 3 General E. F. Dutton Camp #49 Monument Dedication. By Tom Oestricher Nine Brothers of the Gen. E. F. Dutton Camp #49 were able to raise $13,000 in four months to make needed repairs to the De Kalb County Civil War Monument in Sycamore. The monument was dedicated in 1896 at a cost of $5,000. Newspaper coverage at the time estimated that a crowd of over 5000 attended the dedication. Over the years the bronze musket and Calvary sword "mysteriously disappeared. There have been several reports that it was a high school prank. In the 1970s a replica gun was placed on the. monument. Camp Brother James Locke Lyon, Department Commander, directed the effort to make the needed repairs. With great assistance from fellow camp Brother Ron Maness, contact was made to Professional molder maker and curator of the Soldiers and Sailors Museum in Pittsburgh, Mike Kraus. Mr. Kraus made trips to Sycamore to assess the project and make a presentation to prospective donors. Speakers also included camp Brother Denny Maher and De Kalb County Board President Mark Pietrowski. Patriotic music provided by bands from both Sycamore and Hampshire High Schools. With the assistance of the DeKalb County Foundation and nearly 100 individual donations, funds were raised and new bronze replacement items were made using original weapons. The rededication ceremony took place on a beautiful, but hot, August 15 with approximately 300 in attendance. Speakers at the event included Mayor Ken Mundy, County Judge Robin Stuckert, and Brothers Lyon and Maness. The camp plans to use the extra funds to restore other monuments and grave restorations.

4 T HE R AILSPLITTER P AGE 4 Patriotic Instructor Report Election 1860: A Republican Primer By Greg Carter, PCC Sitting in southern Illinois and watching the upcoming presidential election is an interesting experience in irony. I sit thirteen miles north of the road used by the U.S. Army to force-march thousands of Cherokee Indians to Oklahoma on the Trail of Tears. I live 40 miles south of the Mason-Dixon Line, deep within the part of Illinois where chattel slavery was legal well into the 1830s. Two miles away from my home is the cemetery where John A. Logan celebrated his first post-war Memorial Observance on April 26, Six blocks south of the cemetery is a college where 22 members of the student body voted in 1861 to enlist and fight for the Confederacy. I live in the center of a paradox, that s for sure. As I watch the impending U.S. presidential race with a growing feelings of disgust and fear for the future of our country, I have to remind myself that the nonsense we are all watching unfold on every media outlet in a constant negative news cycle is not a new phenomenon. In 1860 as the nation teetered on the brink of Civil War, the same critical election cycle was going on. As I write this over a dozen sub-par candidates vie for the Republican nomination in a no-holdsbarred race to see who can throw the most mud on the next guy in a desperate scramble to beat the Democrats at any price. In 1860, the Republican Party, a new organization cobbled together from other political agents tired of losing to the Democrats, faced a similar quandary. Why is this relevant today, you ask? My answer is this: most members of the SUVCW are ardent supporters of the G.O.P., and most of our Civil War ancestors voted the Republican ticket from 1864 until their deaths. Why does this matter? Because most members of the SUVCW devote considerable time to political commentary at encampments, camp meetings, and so on, and do so without really understanding what a Republican was in To that end, this article is dedicated to breaking down what it meant to be a member of the Party of Lincoln during the Civil War. The answers may shock you more than the plaque above, which was placed on the statue of Abraham Lincoln at Chicago s Northeastern Illinois University just a few years ago. Coalition Politics.

5 T HE R AILSPLITTER P AGE 5 The Republicans who put Abraham Lincoln into the White House in 1860 were an amalgam of other political parties, members of which were tired of losing. Here is a sample of the big component groups: Conservatives. These were former Whig Party members, including Abraham Lincoln and Gideon Welles. These men placed saving the Union above all other matters. Most Conservatives favored colonizing freed slaves in South America or Africa, nothing else. Late in the election cycle this group also included members of the Constitutional Union Party who deserted candidate John Bell. Radicals. These former members of the Liberty Party and the Free Soil Party were ravenous in their desire to end slavery and more importantly, to end Southern domination of the U.S. Congress. Also in this group were former members of the Anti-Masonic Party and the viciously anti-immigrant/anti-catholic Know Nothing Party. Standouts from this group included Edwin Stanton, William Seward, Thaddeus Stephens and Montgomery Blair. Democrats. Former supporters of Jacksonian Democracy, these men broke with the Democratic Party after Stephen A. Douglas attempted to repeal the Missouri Compromise. Disgusted with the Democrats as they stood, well over 100, Republicans were former Democrats who turned against their own party. Among those can be counted Governor William Bissell of Illinois and Governor Randall of Wisconsin. With this wide spectrum of inchoate political beliefs, it is easy to understand the umbrella of equally varied party planks and levels of commitment to Republican Party ideology. Because of this, Abraham Lincoln was not the first candidate in mind for the presidential nomination, but became so because he was a moderate who was most likely to please a majority of party members and voters. Platform ** Given these different constituent belief systems, what did the wide variety of Republican tickets look like across the country in 1860? Here is a sample from the seventeen basic principles produced at the 1860 Republican National Convention in Chicago, Illinois. The planks left out of this article all related to the eradication of slavery. 5. That the present Democratic Administration has far exceeded our worst apprehensions, in its measureless subservience to the exactions of a sectional interest, as especially evinced in its desperate exertions to force the infamous Lecompton Constitution upon the protesting people of Kansas; in construing the personal relations between master and servant to involve an unqualified property in persons; in its attempted enforcement everywhere, on land and sea, through the intervention of Congress and of the Federal Courts of the extreme pretensions of a purely local interest; and in its general Left: PCC Gregory Carter, Department of Illinois Memorials Officer, National Patriotic Instructor.

6 T HE R AILSPLITTER P AGE 6 and unvarying abuse of the power entrusted to it by a confiding people. 6. That the people justly view with alarm the reckless extravagance which pervades every department of the Federal Government; that a return to rigid economy and accountability is indispensable to arrest the systematic plunder of the public treasury by favored partisans; while the recent startling developments of frauds and corruptions at the Federal metropolis, show that an entire change of administration is imperatively demanded. 7. That the new dogma that the Constitution, of its own force, carries slavery into any or all of the territories of the United States, is a dangerous political heresy, at variance with the explicit provisions of that instrument itself, with contemporaneous exposition, and with legislative and judicial precedent; is revolutionary in its tendency, and subversive of the peace and harmony of the country. 12. That, while providing revenue for the support of the general government by duties upon imports, sound policy requires such an adjustment of these imports as to encourage the development of the industrial interests of the whole country; and we commend that policy of national exchanges, which secures to the workingmen liberal wages, to agriculture remunerative prices, to mechanics and manufacturers an adequate reward for their skill, labor, and enterprise, and to the nation commercial prosperity and independence. 14. That the Republican party is opposed to any change in our naturalization laws or any state legislation by which the rights of citizens hitherto accorded to immigrants from foreign lands shall be abridged or impaired; and in favor of giving a full and efficient protection to the rights of all classes of citizens, whether native or naturalized, both at home and abroad. 15. That appropriations by Congress for river and harbor improvements of a national character, required for the accommodation and security of an existing commerce, are authorized by the Constitution, and justified by the obligation of Government to protect the lives and property of its citizens. 16. That a railroad to the Pacific Ocean is imperatively demanded by the interests of the whole country; that the federal government ought to render immediate and efficient aid in its construction; and that, as preliminary thereto, a daily overland mail should be promptly established. *** A Republican platform that favored government spending on public programs and supported organized labor instead of corporate interests? Where at least one conservative religious organization did not have an overwhelming voice in government? Get out of town! So what about the candidate? Little known to most people, Abraham Lincoln was not the first choice of the who s who of the Republican Party. Lincoln was the second choice and chosen because he could walk the line between extremes, compromise with other candidates and officers, and appealed generally to the voting base the Republicans sought to convert to their message. A Republican voter or candidate in 1860 was definitely not a modern Republican by any stretch of the imagination. Where exactly does this leave us? The average voter: The following core items characterized what the average Republican voter looked for in election victory: The Union must be preserved at any price. States cannot secede. The end of slavery, but not the enfranchisement of nor equal citizenship for former slaves.

7 T HE R AILSPLITTER P AGE 7 No Roman Catholic immigrants should be granted citizenship without a loyalty oath and a 10- year period before being allowed full citizenship. Import tariffs are the only government-sponsored programs designed to protect and benefit big business interests. All workers should be allowed to belong to labor unions to protect and improve their economic situation. In addition, the federal government is obligated to protect any citizens who unionize in order to further their own financial independence from the coercion of their employers. The federal government should invest capital in internal improvements to the nation, including port facilities, railroads, bridges, highways and other public works projects. Where exactly does this leave us? With the results of Republicans taking power in 1860 and keeping it (with one four-year exception) until Republican-sponsored Programs and Expansions of the U.S. Government, The following major programs were initiated by the Republican-dominated congress between 1861 and Many of them are still in place today, demonstrating how effective and futureoriented the original Republican Party was: Between 1861 and 1862 the U.S. armed forces were expanded to a size unequaled in the history of the western hemisphere. The U.S. Army never returned to pre-war levels again and has only grown in size. The Morrill Act of This program, initiated by Senator Justin Morrill, created the largest expansion of government-funded public higher education in the history of the planet up to that time. The creation of Veterans Administration, the National Cemetery System, the US Department of Agriculture, the Internal Revenue Service, the New York Stock Exchange, the U.S. Secret Service, the Selective Service System, the U.S. House Ways and Means Committee and House Appropriations Committee we all know today. These expansions of permanent government were the largest in American history until Franklin Roosevelt assumed the presidency in Yes, by signing the bill creating the organization, Abraham Lincoln is directly responsible for creating the IRS. The Mississippi River Lock and Dam System. Another program still in use today, this vast project was signed into law by Abraham Lincoln and created the largest U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project and the largest water management program in US history.

8 T HE R AILSPLITTER P AGE 8 The end of chattel slavery and the complete enfranchisement of voting rights to black males. Requiring two constitutional amendments to secure, these two actions benefitted over four million people, and thereby constituted the largest liberal action of any government in the western hemisphere between 1492 and 1920, when U.S. women received suffrage rights. The Transcontinental Railroad. One of the largest and most ambitious public works programs in the world at the time, the T-CRR became the fountainhead of western U.S. expansion in the four decades following the American Civil War. Organization of three new American States- West Virginia, Colorado and Nevada. Acquisition of Alaska. **** There you have it. The government of the United States, dominated almost completely since 1860 by Republicans, has not always been what it is. Contradictions abound between the party of Lincoln from the antebellum and the modern era. From 1933 to present, in truth, the Republican Party has not represented Abraham Lincoln at all, and is beginning to look more and more like the secession democrats and copperheads of the 1860s today. Before voting in the name of Abraham Lincoln, a voter today would do well to carefully consider the implications of claiming Lincoln s assumed agreement with his or her voting choice. Copperheads in the north and states-rights democrats in the south were more comparable to the modern-day T.E.A. Party from than they are to the average Republican of the same time period. How times have changed. Respectfully Submitted: PCC. Gregory Carter

9 T HE R AILSPLITTER P AGE 9 A Couple Genealogy Tips As many of you know I am very much into genealogy and researching my family s lines. I know many of you that kept track of PC-in-C Campbell know that he was very much into tracing his family lineage as well. In fact, if you followed him much at all on Facebook you are well aware that no matter where he went he was able to post some picture of an ancestor s headstone. I have found as with Br. Tad that the more I learn the more I want to learn. Hopefully a couple quick tips will help you with your search. A quick story I was on my favorite research website ancestry.com and Br. Tad had posted that he was at the monument of his Great Great whatever Grandma in Boston. When I read it and looked at the monument I went, wait, that is my Great Great whatever Grandma. Come to find out that Br. Tad and I are cousins with a few removes thrown in the mix none the less we are related. You just never know what or whom you are related to and that is exciting. So, I of course have the itch to look at more hereditary societies and see which ones I qualify for. So I started with Google to determine the best way to find the different societies, so here is tip #1 - This website is a very comprehensive listing of the societies that are out there for you to explore. I never knew there were so many. They are not hot linked to the organization website but a simple Google search will get you there almost as fast. Now I found one that I was interested in, The Society of Colonial Warriors. On to find the membership requirements; the only problem was that any mention of membership was very vague and was not thorough enough for my liking. So I shot an off to the webmaster that got me a return from a registrar. After meeting with the registrar I learned that they would only accept a complete line of proof and would not accept any other organizations membership as a starting point. For the warriors you must find primary sources and provide a copy of all. The average application is 80 pages and takes 6 months to complete. Most members use a professional genealogist for help. The other thing is once you have the application done you must have two sponsors from the organization for sponsorship which can prove to be difficult to get. I was told it was more of a club than society. Hmm, now it becomes a personal challenge. Here is hint #2 to get me there. As you can see here I have a folder named Warriors this is the root for the organization I want to join. Then I have generation folders 0, 1, 2 N this is where I store the evidence needed for lineage proof. Of course my details such as birth certificate, marriage license etc. is in Gen Zero. Then you store all evidence by generation until you reach the generation required for membership. There are lots of little tidbits that can be useful to us all if you have any tricks, tips, or shortcuts for us please pass them to me I would love try new techniques. Happy Researching. Respectfully Submitted: PCC. Paul T. Zeien Jr. Editor

10 P AGE Mid Term Encampment, Peoria, IL Although the day was rainy and chilly the Chili was warm and delicious. Thank you to the Bryner Camp for putting on a great encampment. It is always a joy to visit the GAR Hall in Peoria. The pictures are courtesy of Stuart Stefany. D E P AR TM E N T O F I L L IN O IS

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12 P AGE 12 D EPARTMENT OF ILLINOIS GENERAL PHILIP H. SHERIDAN CAMP #2, CHICAGO, IL FORGOTTEN DOWNERS GROVE, ILLINOIS CIVIL WAR VETERANS HONORED Downers Grove, IL -- Over 150 people gathered Saturday, September 19 in Downers Grove, Illinois historic Oak Hill Cemetery to dedicate new grave markers for three Civil War veterans buried there. An additional 43 Civil War veterans also buried in Oak Hill and the adjacent Oak Crest Memorial Cemetery were recognized. The dedication ceremony, jointly sponsored by Philip H. Sheridan Camp # 2, Illinois Department, SUVCW and the Oak Hill / Oak Crest Cemeteries Foundation, was the culmination of a year-long project undertaken by Sheridan Camp # 2 to rigorously identify and document all the Civil War veterans buried in the Cemeteries, procure and install new grave markers on those graves needing them and straighten and clean the markers on the other Civil War veterans graves. The project was undertaken with the support of Downers Grove Township. Using previously published lists of veterans burials for Illinois, Sheridan Camp members researched all burials that could have been potential Civil War veterans to definitively determine those buried in the cemetery. This list was matched with cemetery burial records to determine which were in fact buried there. After a walk-through to evaluate the condition of existing headstones, Sheridan Camp # 2 then worked with local Boy Scouts from Naperville Illinois s Troop # 889 to clean the headstones of the 43 Civil War veterans who already had markers. Forty-six Civil War veterans are buried in the Oak Hill and Oak Crest Memorial Cemeteries. Most of the graves are of men who served in locally raised units, including veterans of the 13 th, 55 th, 105 th and 156 th Illinois Infantries, as well as the 8 th Illinois Cavalry. Receiving new markers were: Jacob Escher (Company E, 8 th Illinois Cavalry), Judson Farrar (Company E, 8 th Illinois Cavalry) and Herman Pilz (Company I, 52 nd Ohio Infantry). A fourth veteran, Martin Stanger (Company A, 82 nd Illinois Infantry) was later identified as being interred in the cemetery without a headstone. A marker for him will be installed at a later date. After a welcome and introductory remarks by Mr. David C. Bailey, Sr., PDC IL SUVCW and PCC of Sheridan Camp # 2, the dedication ceremony opened with an invocation by Jerome Kowalski, the National Chaplain of the SUVCW. The colors were presented by a combined color guard composed of members from Boy Scout Troop #889, Century VFW Post # 503, the 8 th Veteran Reserve Corps and IL SUVCW. Local historian Lois Sterba discussed the military and post-war experiences of the veterans receiving new markers. Remarks on the significance of the day s event were provided by Sheridan Camp Commander Gary Gunderson, Illinois SUVCW Department Commander James Locke Lyon, Downers Grove Township Supervisor Frank Wurster, Illinois State Representative Patricia Bellock and Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs Assistant Director Frank Sawyer. Attendees joined in the singing of the Battle Hymn of the Republic. Rifle and artillery salutes were provided respectively by the 8 th Veteran Reserve Corps and Mulligan s Battery (an IL SUVCW SVR unit). Memorial wreaths were placed on the graves of those receiving new markers by their descendants. Before the benediction

13 T HE R AILSPLITTER P AGE 13 and retiring of the colors, Taps was played by Mr. Richard Wacker of Bugles Across America. The formal dedication was completed with the singing of the Doxology by vocalist Michael Zafran. This is the thirteenth Civil War veteran headstone project completed by the Sheridan Camp. Previous projects included Warrenville Cemetery (Warrenville, IL), Union Ridge Cemetery (Chicago, IL), Jewel Grove Cemetery (Wheaton, IL), Root Street Memorial Cemetery (Aurora, IL), Lyonsville Cemetery (Indian Head Park, IL), Mount Greenwood Cemetery (Chicago, IL), Alexander Cemetery (Romeoville, IL), Plainfield Township Cemetery (Plainfield, IL), Wheatland Presbyterian Cemetery (Plainfield, IL), West Aurora Cemetery (Aurora, IL), Hillcrest Cemetery (Bolingbrook, IL) and St. John s Lutheran Cemetery (Darien, IL). Identifying and marking the graves of Union Civil War veterans remains one of the principal responsibilities of the organization. The Camp is currently spearheading other cemetery projects in Oswego, Elwood and Montgomery, IL. For further information on Philip H. Sheridan Camp # 2 and these projects,

14 P AGE 1 4 D E P AR TM E N T O F I L L IN O IS SUVCW National Chaplain Jerome Kowalski and Jo Ellen Kowalski present a memorial wreath on one of the new grave markers All Photos Courtesy of Br. David Bailey

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16 T HE R AILSPLITTER P AGE 16 CANDIDATE ANNOUCEMENTS Br. Harry William Reineke IV Running for 2016 Junior Vice Commander Dear Brothers, I write to you today to ask your support as I seek election in the office of Department Junior Vice Commander at our upcoming Encampment in May 2016 at Sycamore, Illinois. I have enjoyed serving our Department for the last 2 years in the role of Guide/Guard. Very few things make me as proud of my various affiliations than the spirit of Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty which permeates from every conversation I've had with my Brothers in Illinois. I believe that our Order is strongest when our members are active and our numbers growing. As a Department, every Brother needs to be involved in recruiting new members. As Junior Vice Commander of Camp 2, I have actively contacted potential members, and followed up on contacts from our various public events. As the Department JVC, I promise to follow in the wonderful footsteps of Brother Bigwood, who held the post when I applied for membership. As a member of the millennial generation, I fully intend to seek new members for our Order from the under 35 crowd in addition to our regular growth among the over 35 crowd. We often hear our various clubs, churches, and political leaders say the youth is our future, but I disagree; the youth is our present. Every one of us are part of a present that has no future without younger people, but the younger crowd is just as much the present as we are. It is for these reasons I seek to be your Department JVC. Below, you will find a resume of my activities with the SUVCW and other groups. You will see that I am dedicated to American history in all of its glory (and some of its not-so-good times). Please elect me in May, and I vow to you that I will carry out the office with as much dedication and dignity as I can bring it. In Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty, Harry W. Reineke IV Department of IL Guide/Guard JVC (SVC-Elect), Sheridan Camp 2, Aurora

17 T HE R AILSPLITTER P AGE 17 Resume of Activity SUVCW Joined Sheridan Camp 2, October 2013 Initiated at Quad-Camp Banquet January 2014 Have attended every Department Encampment since initiation Have attended every National Encampment since initiation Appointed Department Guide/Guard June 2014 Elected Camp 2 JVC, November 2014, installed January 2015 Received Richard Haussman Distinguished Service Award from Camp 2, January 2015 Appointed Assistant Chaplain, Camp 2, May 2015 Functioned as Chaplain, Jewell Grove Memorial Day Ceremony, May 2015 Master of Ceremonies, West Aurora Memorial Day Ceremony, May 2015 Appointed Chairman, William P. Wright memorial project, Camp 2, June 2015 Appointed Chairman, Department Fraternal Relations Committee October 2015 Elected Camp 2 SVC, November 2015, to be installed January 2016 Other Organizations Sons of Confederate Veterans Camp 516, Chicago Camp Chaplain Camp 1 st Lt Commander Camp Commander 2015-Present Chair, Lee-Jackson Dinner 2014-Present Editor, Douglas Dispatch newsletter Sons of the American Revolution Fox Valley Chapter Chapter Secretary, 2014-Present Received Bronze and Silver Color Guard Medals Received Bronze Good Citizenship Medal Also hold membership in Military Order of the Stars and Bars Deo Vindice Chapter 270 Society of the Order of the Southern Cross General Society of the War of 1812 (Illinois Society)

18 T HE R AILSPLITTER P AGE 18 CANDIDATE ANNOUCEMENTS Br. Paul T. Zeien Jr. Running for 2016 Department Commander I have been a member of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War since September 1991 when I joined the Custer Camp #1. I am now the Secretary and PCC for the John A. Logan Camp #26. I am also a member of the Rockford Zouaves. I have truly enjoyed my time with this organization. I have reached a point in my life where I would like to continue to advance within the leadership roles of the department. I have truly enjoyed the position of Sr. Vice Commander of the department and have been proud to serve under the command of Department Commander Jim Lyon. My participation with the SUVCW has been in many forms at the camp level as Secretary, Camp Commander, Eagle Scout Coordinator, Signals Officer, and ROTC Coordinator; at the department level Department Signals Officer and a position on the Council of Administration; at the national level member of the Technology Committee, Chairman of the Membership Process Development Committee, and National SUVCW Photographer. As Railsplitter Editor PCinC Campbell awarded the Railsplitter the Marshal Hope Award for Outstanding Newsletter. I have also participated in numerous department committees including 2016 National Encampment and Dr. B F Stephenson Memorial Plaza Committee. I hope that with the experience listed above my professional experience you would be willing to give me your vote for Department Commander.

19 T HE R AILSPLITTER P AGE 19 In Fraternity, Charity, and Loyalty, Paul T. Zeien Jr. Secretary / Eagle Scout Coord. / ROTC Coord. / Signal Officer Logan Camp #26 Department of Illinois Senior Vice Commander Department of Illinois Signal Officer v: e: zeien01@gmail.com Retiring: paul@boonecountysports.com Other Hereditary/Fraternal Organizations: Sons of the American Revolution MOLLUS Sons of Confederate Veterans Star in the East #166 Masonic Lodge Tebala Shrine

20 P AGE 20 D EPARTMENT OF ILLINOIS Brothers of the Department of Illinois, this is your opportunity to invest in the 2016 National Encampment hosted right here is beautiful Springfield Illinois. Please consider purchasing an Encampment Bond such as the one shown above. These can be purchased in any denomination. So ask your camp, friends, relatives, etc. We are also selling Ancestor Memorials for the program that is issued to the encampment attendees, honor your civil war ancestor. For more information please contact: Br. Bill Johnson at mymymagic@yahoo.com

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22 P AGE 22 ROTC News. Br. William Shipper of Dutton Camp #49 is looking for help with ROTC ceremonies. This is the future of our country please help if you are able. For more information please contact Br. Shipper at: D EPARTMENT OF ILLINOIS Department of Illinois Officer Department Commander : James L. Lyon PCC/PDC Dept. Senior Vice Commander: Paul T. Zeien Jr. PCC Dept. Junior Vice Commander: John Bigwood PCC Dept. Secretary: Steve Aarli PCC Dept. Treasurer: William Johnson Dept. Council #1: Nick Kaup PDC Dept. Council #2: Terry Dyer PDC Dept. Council #3: Garry Ladd PCC 2016 National Encampment Medals are for sale. There are only 150 numbered medals. Support the 2016 National Encampment by purchasing yours today. Numbered medals are $ each and Bronze Medals are $50 each. Contact Br. Bill Johnson for details. mymymagic@yahoo.com Thank you all for supporting the Railsplitter. zeien01@gmail.com Paul T. Zeien Jr. Editor Secretary / Eagle Scout Coord. / ROTC Coord. / Signal- Officer Logan Camp #26 Department of Illinois Senior Vice Commander Department of Illinois Signal Officer