“You don’t get me to march under that thing!”

Members of the G.A.R. in Wheeling, probably in front of the old courts house at 12th and Chapline. — Members of the G.A.R. in Wheeling, most likely in front of the old court house at 12th and Chapline.

As mentioned in a previous post, the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.), the largest of Civil War veterans’ groups, was very active in Wheeling during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Grateful for an end to the bloody, exhausting war, most Americans were more than willing to reward these veterans with generous pensions. Unfortunately, as is often the case where money is involved, some took advantage, exaggerating or even falsifying pension claims. One veteran, for example, apparently filed for an injury received during a post war July 4th celebration.

As the first Democrat to be elected President after the war, Grover Cleveland took office as a reformer amid the rampant corruption of the “Gilded Age.” Since one of his prominent reform targets was the waste and fraud of veterans’ pensions, he promptly began vetoing pension bills. Needless to say, these actions did not endear him to the G.A.R. The rancor was intensified by Cleveland’s support for the idea of returning battle flags, including captured Confederate flags, to their states of origin.

CIVIL WAR VETERANS MARCH IN WHEELING

At the apex of President Cleveland’s unpopularity, on August 26, 1887, the G.A.R. held its 11th annual reunion in Wheeling. The city was proud to be showcased, and the Wheeling Intelligencer (a staunchly Republican newspaper at the time) predicted an influx of as many as 100,000 visitors.

The G.A.R. planned to parade throughout the streets of Wheeling. At 16th and Market, in front of the headquarters of the Wheeling Register (then a staunchly Democratic newspaper), was stretched a banner depicting Grover Cleveland’s likeness with the words, “GOD BLESS OUR PRESIDENT COMMANDER IN CHIEF OF THE ARMY AND NAVY OF THE UNITED STATES.”

This rare photograph of the Cleveland banner was discovered earlier this year in the Ohio County Public Library’s Archives in an album of prints, mostly taken by Thomas M. Darrah — a clerk of the City Court and early Wheeling photographer — between 1885 and 1893.

A rare photograph of the Cleveland banner from the Darrah collection, OCPL. The McLure Hotel and Grand Opera House are visible at right, looking north on Market Street.

It did not take long for the G.A.R. posts marching in the parade to notice the banner. In protest, some of them began leaving the street, parting the crowd to march on the sidewalk in order to avoid walking beneath the Cleveland banner. “You don’t get me to march under that thing!” one of the men reportedly declared.

Two cabinet cards recently acquired by the Ohio County Public Library Archives clearly show the marchers veering to avoid the banner. Even the “floats” or decorated wagons in the first image appear to be veering away from the provocative banner.

Grover Cleveland Banner, GAR Reunion Parade, 1887, Wheeling, W. Va. — GAR Reunion Parade, 1887, Wheeling, W. Va. Photo from the Archives Vertical Files of the Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling, WV.

"File Left" - Veterans marching around the Grover Cleveland Banner at the GAR Reunion Parade, 1887, Wheeling, W. Va. Photo from the Archives Vertical Files of the Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling, WV. — “File Left” – Veterans marching around the Grover Cleveland Banner at the GAR Reunion Parade, 1887, Wheeling, W. Va. Photo from the Archives Vertical Files of the Ohio County Public Library Archives, Wheeling, WV.

The “banner incident” story was picked up by newspapers all over the country and soon grew into a national political scandal. Some editorialists criticized the G.A.R. marchers for being disrespectful and unpatriotic. Others defended their actions, pointing out that the banner was deliberately placed in their path as a political trick and an insult to veterans.

A wood-cut engraving of the incident appeared on the cover of the September 1887 edition of Frank Leslie’s Illustrated, a copy of which was recently acquired by the Ohio County Public Library’s archives. The detailed image was captioned, “WEST VIRGINIA–THE BANNER INCIDENT AT WHEELING ON THE OCCASION OF THE RECENT GRAND ARMY PARADE–VETERANS SWERVING FROM THE LINE OF MARCH TO AVOID PASSING BENEATH PRESIDENT CLEVELAND’S PORTRAIT.”

The cover of Frank Leslie's Illustrated, September 10, 1887 — The cover of Frank Leslie’s Illustrated, September 10, 1887

Frank Leslie's Illustrated Etching of GAR Banner Incident - The Grand Opera House and the McLure depicted at the back of the right hand side of Market Street. — Frank Leslie’s Illustrated Etching of GAR Banner Incident – The Grand Opera House and the McLure depicted at the back of the right hand side of Market Street.

A close up of the Grover Cleveland banner that put Wheeling in the national spotlight.

A comparison of the wood-cut and the Darrah photograph supports the accuracy of the former, at least insofar as the appearance of the banner itself is concerned.

Visible in the background of the wood-cut (but not in the Darrah image) is the famous arch, erected in honor of the G.A.R. at 12th and Market Streets. Many may be familiar with the arch because of its inclusion in the library’s Brown Collection of photographs.

The Brown photograph of the G.A.R. arch. The Opera House and McLure are at left, looking south.

GAR marching under arch on Market Street — Close up of the Frank Leslie’s Illustrated etching showing soldiers marching North under the arch on Market Street. The McLure, here, is depicted on the far right.

The banner incident was examined in detail in an article by Beverly Fluty and Kenneth R. Nodine published in the Spring/Summer 1985 edition of the Upper Ohio Valley Historical Review. Read the full article HERE, hosted on Wheeling National Heritage Area’s website.

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