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The Civil War and Chicago: Memorialization, Commemoration, and Remembrance at Rosehill Cemetery

George H. Thomas Post #5

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George H. Thomas Post #5 Monument

 
The Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.) was a fraternal organization composed of Union veterans.  Organized into posts, their names typically honored war heroes.  Post #5, Chicago’s largest, honors Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas, who is known for standing his ground at the Battle of Chickamauga. 
 
In 1874, the post erected a monument in Rosehill Cemetery.  The monument, weighing approximately 33,000 pounds, is a boulder taken from the cliffs at the Chickamauga National Battlefield. 
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Chicago Tribune, May 26, 1895

Chicago Tribune, May 26, 1895

The Hero of Chickamauga.

The monument, instead of being chiseled stone, is a vast, irregular rock-faced mass of granite, weighing 33,000 pounds, and left precisely in the shape in which it left the quarry, with the exception of a portion of one face, curved and polished in the shape of a shield bearing the inscription: “George H. Thomas, Post, No. 5, Department of Illinois, G.A.R.”  The stone has been named “the Rock of Chickamauga,” in honor of Gen. Thomas.

Only five veterans have been buried in this lot, and the rule is to put no names on their graves, which are distinguished by numbers carved on small stones.  The post has just had manufactured an elaborate bronze grave-mark.  But it is not for use in this lot.  The address at the dedication of the monument will be delivered by Gen. John C. Black.  The George H. Thomas Post has been for several years the largest post in the Grand Army, its membership numbering 1,200.  Among its members in years past have been Gens. P.H. Sheridan, Nelson A. Miles, A.I. Chetlain, John C. Black, W.C. Newberry, M.R. Hardin, and Joseph Stockton, and Cols. George R. Davis, Edgar D. Swain, C.R.E. Koch, and Henry L. Turner. 

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Detail of George H. Thomas Post #5 Monument's Artillery Piece

In the years since its installation, additions have been made to the original monument.  The “Rock of Chickamauga” is now accompanied by the barrels of two artillery pieces, which were added between 1897 and 1908. 
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George H. Thomas Post #5 Monument's Grave Marker

At one point, the plot also included a pyramid of projectiles, although they’ve since been removed and replaced by a stone featuring the original grave marker.
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Chicago Tribune, May 31, 1895

A lengthy article describing the dedication of the monument on Decoration Day 1895 was included in the Chicago Tribune.  The article printed the address by Gen. John C. Black in its entirety. 
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Inscription on George H. Thomas Post #5 Monument Featuring Text Added During 1994 Rededication

The monument was rededicated on August 21, 1994 by Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW).  New inscriptions were made and the two stars of a Major General were added to the main panel.