<Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (April 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Td> </Td> <Td> This section needs additional citations for verification . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . (April 2018) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) </Td> </Tr> <P> After the end of American Civil War, various state and local organizations were formed for veterans to network and maintain connections with each other . Many of the veterans used their shared experiences as a basis for fellowship . Groups of men began joining together, first for camaraderie and later for political power . Emerging as most influential among the various organizations during the first post-war years was the Grand Army of the Republic, founded on April 6, 1866, on the principles of "Fraternity, Charity and Loyalty," in Decatur, Illinois, by Dr. Benjamin F. Stephenson . </P> <P> The GAR initially grew and prospered as a de facto political arm of the Republican Party during the heated political contests of the Reconstruction Era . The commemoration of Union Army and Navy veterans, black and white, immediately became entwined with partisan politics . The GAR promoted voting rights for Negro veterans, as many white veterans recognized their demonstrated patriotism and sacrifices, providing one of the first racially integrated social / fraternal organizations in America . Black veterans, who enthusiastically embraced the message of equality, shunned black veterans' organizations in preference for racially inclusive and integrated groups . But when the Republican Party's commitment to reform in the South gradually decreased, the GAR's mission became ill - defined and the organization floundered . The GAR almost disappeared in the early 1870s, and many state - centered divisions, named "departments", and local posts ceased to exist . </P>

When was the grand army of the republic formed