General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, officially proclaimed “Memorial Day” on May 5, 1868 in his General Order No. 11.  In this order, he designated May 30, 1868 to strewn flowers or decorate the graves of solders who died in defense of their country during the Civil War, whose bodies, he noted, “now lie in almost every city, village, and hamlet church-yard in the land.”  General Logan left it to the posts and surviving comrades to arrange fitting services and testimonials. The first state to officially recognize Memorial Day was New York in 1873.  The northern states recognized it by 1890.  Eventually, ... Read More >