Atlantic City now is known as a place of gambling, Casinos line the boardwalk, with buses arriving from all over the Mid-Atlantic region. Before that it was known for the Miss America Contest and as the location where the game Monopoly got its geography. However, in 1910 it played host to the 44th Encampment of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). The GAR was the largest veterans organization ever organized in the United States up to that time. It was made up of Civil War Union veterans. It met every year at its Encampment where its members symbolically slept in tents (most then went to resort hotels), reunited with old comrades, and paraded through the cities’ streets. The Atlantic City Encampment ran from September 19 to 24.
On September 17, 1910 the mayor of Atlantic City flipped a switch which illuminated two giant electric American flags, A streetcar raced down the boulevard and at each stop a crewman would jump out and light strings of light to welcome the veterans. The chief of police instructed his men not to take any veterans into custody, even though, he told them, the vets might give way to alcohol. He ordered them they to take care of the inebriated former soldiers, but not arrest them.
On September 18, 1910, the New York Times reported that “Every avenue is decked with flags, nearly every building having festoon of red, white, and blue…the boardwalk is a blaze of light.” As delegations from around the country arrived in Atlantic City, they were met with bands and escorted to their hotels.
One of the principal sites that the veterans took in in Atlantic City was the Absecon Lighthouse at the north end of the city. The lighthouse is 171 feet high and it is the tallest one in New Jersey and the third tallest in the United States. It was constructed right before the Civil War from 1854 to 1857. The light was such a popular site that the lighthouse keeper would show the structure to tourists as a semi-official part of his job.
At the lighthouse, the State of New Jersey has placed a sign commemorating the GAR Encampment. The sign is a little off kilter because it has been blown by the wind!
Approximately 18,000 Union veterans attended the Encampment. The site was particularly popular with veterans from Pennsylvania since the city is just over two hours by train from Philadelphia. There were also nearly 500 veterans from Brooklyn.
At the Encampment, the delegates discussed improving pensions for aged veterans, the removal of Robert E. Lee’s statue from the Capitol in Washington (narrowly defeated), and the admission of men who served in the Revenue Cutter Service into the GAR. There was also a suggestion that the GAR organize an Encampment with Confederate veterans. There were at least a few Confederate veterans at the Atlantic City Encampment.
There were 18,000 Civil War veterans in attendance. In addition to relaxing, reuniting with old friends, and discussing current issues, the biggest event was the annual parade in which 15,000 people marched. The U.S. Grant Post from New York City led off the event. Behind them marched the former members of Civil War bands, the youngest of whom was 72 years old. The biggest delegation came from Pennsylvania. According to the New York Times: “Many of them were barely able to hobble along with heavy canes. Some were obliged to fall out, and others waivered and tottered in the line…They realized it might be their last march, and they stuck it out.”
The parade was presided over by United States Vice President James Sherman. Major General Dan Sickles and the “Drummer Boy of Shiloh” Johnny Clem were among the celebrities who participated in this event including General Granville Dodge and General Nelson Miles.
If you visit the plaque, you should also visit the lighthouse. There is the lighthouse keepers house there which has a small museum and access to the seventeen story lighthouse using these stairs.
If you have limited mobility, you will find these stairs up quite intimidating, but you should at least go in to see the construction techniques from 170 years ago.
The lighthouse is not right next to the sea. Since Atlantic City is flat, the government decided to place it away from the Atlantic Ocean so it would not be threatened in storms. The light, a fixed Fresnel lens, still remains in the lighthouse and can be seen by climbing up the stairs to the top. It weighs weighs 12,800 pounds.
The lighthouse also must have excited the veterans because it was designed by Major General George Meade, the commander of the Union Army of the Potomac and the victor at Gettysburg. As a young engineer he designed several lighthouses including one north of Atlantic City along the Jersey Shore.
The site with the plaque and the lighthouse is located at Vermont and Pacific Avenues in Atlantic City.
Note: All color photos of buildings in this post were taken by Patrick Young except as noted.
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