The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), or, simply, the Loyal Legion, is a
United States military order organized on April 15, 1865, by three veteran officers of the
Union Army. The original membership was composed of commissioned officers of the Regular or Volunteer Army,
U.S. Navy, or
U.S. Marine Corps who served during the
American Civil War, or who had served and thereafter been commissioned and who thereby "had aided in maintaining the honor, integrity, and supremacy of the national movement" during the Civil War.
The Loyal Legion was formed in response to rumors from Washington of a conspiracy to incapacitate the United States government by the assassination of its leaders in the immediate aftermath of the assassination of President
Abraham Lincoln.[1] The founding members stated their purpose as cherishing the memories and associations of the war waged in defense of the unity and indivisibility of the Republic; the strengthening of the ties of fraternal fellowship and sympathy formed by companionship in arms; the relief of the widows and children of dead companions of the order; and the advancement of the general welfare of the soldiers and sailors of the United States. The veterans' organization became a hereditary society after the original officers died off. The modern organization is composed of men who are direct descendants, nephews, or first cousins of these officers (hereditary members), and also other men who share the ideals of the Order (Associate members), who collectively are considered "Companions". A female auxiliary, Dames of the Loyal Legion of the United States (DOLLUS), was formed in 1899 and accepted as an affiliate in 1915.[2]
Origins
Following the assassination of President
Abraham Lincoln on April 14, 1865, rumors spread that the act had been part of a broader conspiracy to overthrow the legally constituted government of the United States by assassinating its chief men. Many people at first gave credence to these rumors, including three of the officers assigned to the honor guard for Lincoln's body as it was transported to
Springfield, Illinois, for burial; these three men, Brevet Lt. Col.
Samuel Brown Wylie Mitchell, Lt. Col. Thomas Ellwood Zell, and Captain
Peter Dirck Keyser, are considered the founders of the Order. To demonstrate their loyalty, they decided to form a "Legion" modeled on the
Revolutionary WarSociety of the Cincinnati. The Loyal Legion was organized mainly during the same meetings that planned Lincoln's funeral and during a mass meeting of Philadelphia war veterans on April 20, culminating in a meeting on May 31, 1865, in
Independence Hall in
Philadelphia, at which the name was chosen.
The Order initially was composed of three classes of members:
Officers who had fought in the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps of the United States in the suppression of the Rebellion, or enlisted men who had so served and were subsequently commissioned in the regular forces of the United States, constituted the "Original Companions of the First Class." The eldest direct male lineal descendants of deceased Original Companions or eligible officers could be admitted as "Hereditary Companions of the First Class."
"Companions of the Second Class" were the eldest direct male lineal descendants of living Original Companions or of living individuals who were eligible for membership in the First Class. (NOTE: The use of the Rule of
Primogeniture was abolished in 1905 for both the First and Second classes of membership, opening membership to all male lineal descendants, and later changes opened membership to male lineal descendants of siblings of eligible officers (i.e., a nephew relationship), and in 2021, to male lineal descendants of an aunt or uncle of eligible officers (i.e., a first-cousin relationship.) The Second Class of Companions was discontinued as the former officers died off and the Order became composed entirely of descendants.)
The Third Class comprised distinguished civilians who had rendered faithful and conspicuous service to the Union during the Civil War. By the law of the Order, no new elections to this class were made after 1890.[3]
Later history
The Loyal Legion grew rapidly in the late 19th century and had Companions in every Northern state and many of the states that had once formed the
Confederacy. The Commandery in Chief was established on October 21, 1885, with authority over the 14 state commanderies. Previously, the Pennsylvania Commandery functioned as the "first among equals" of the commanderies as it was both the oldest and largest.
The Loyal Legion is one the oldest hereditary military societies in the United States. Predecessors to it include the
Society of the Cincinnati, instituted in 1783, and the
Aztec Club of 1847, both similarly founded by and for commissioned officers of the United States military.
Today, the Order serves as a
hereditary society (male relatives of eligible officers) rather than as a functioning military order (though many Companions are either military veterans or on active military duty). Among other activities, Companions organize and participate in commemorative events, provide awards to deserving ROTC cadets, and assist with preservation efforts. Of particular note is that each year, the Loyal Legion commemorates President Lincoln's birthday with a wreath-laying ceremony at the
Lincoln Memorial in
Washington, D.C. In 2009, the MOLLUS helped coordinate an extended tribute with the help of the
Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Commission to celebrate the two-hundredth anniversary of Lincoln's birthday.
There are now three basic categories of membership: Hereditary, Associate (non-hereditary), and Honorary. Just as many Original Companions of the Order were also members of the
Grand Army of the Republic (the "GAR"), many current Companions of the Order are also members of the
Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW), the legal heir to the GAR.
Organizationally, the Loyal Legion is composed of a National Commandery-in-Chief and individual state Commanderies. There are currently 20 state Commanderies. Current national officers for the 2023–2025 term include Commander-in-Chief Michael Timothy Bates, Esq, of New Jersey; Senior Vice-Commander-in-Chief Paul Davis of Michigan; Junior Vice-Commander-in-Chief William F. Forbes of Pennsylvania; Treasurer-in-Chief Lee Alan Tryon, CPA, of Connecticut; Recorder-in-Chief Gary L. Grove, PhD. of Pennsylvania; Registrar-in-Chief Jefferson Davis Lilly II, MPA, of Indiana; Judge Advocate-in-Chief Matthew D. Dupee of Pennsylvania; Surgeon-in-Chief Peter B. Kane of Pennsylvania; and Chaplain-in-Chief Jeffry C. Burden, Esq. of Virginia.
A membership medal given to an "Original Companion" (here, Capt. Edward Taylor of the 95th Ohio Infantry). The design of the medal remains unchanged.
A membership medal worn by Brevet Col. Perrin V. Fox of the 1st Michigan Engineers. His son later wore this medal as a descendant member. Descendant members wore a ribbon with a blue stripe in the center until 1935, when all members were entitled to use a red-center ribbon.
Enrollment certificate of Col. Charles Anderson, 93rd Ohio Infantry.
Commanders-in-Chief
Major General
George Cadwalader – First MOLLUS Commander-in-Chief, 1865–79. (Died in office.)
Brigadier General Samuel W. Fountain – 1930. (Died in office.)
Brevet Major George Mason – 1930–31.
Captain
William P. Wright – 1931–33. (Died in office. Last Civil War veteran to serve as MOLLUS commander-in-chief. Also was Commander in Chief of the
Grand Army of the Republic from 1932 to 1933.)
Colonel Hugh Means – 1933–35.
Colonel William Ennis Forbes – 1935–40. (Resigned.)
William H. Upham – 1985–89. (Last commander-in-chief to serve more than two years in office.)
1st Lieutenant Lowell V. Hammer – 1989–91. (SUVCW Commander-in-Chief, 1991–92.)
Henry N. Sawyer – 1991–93.
Colonel Scott W. Stucky, USAFR – 1993–95. (Federal judge.)
The Rev. Canon Robert G. Carroon – 1995–97.
The Hon. Michael P. Sullivan – 1997–99.
Major Robert J. Bateman – 1999–2001.
Gordon R. Bury II – 2001–03. (SUVCW Commander-in-Chief, 1986–87.)
Douglas R. Niermeyer, 2003–05.
Benjamin C. Frick, Esq. 2005–07.
Karl F. Schaeffer, 2007–09.
Keith Harrison – 2009–11. (SUVCW Commander-in-Chief, 1994–95.)
Jeffry C. Burden, Esq. – 2011–13.
Waldron K. Post II – 2013–15.
Captain James A. Simmons, USAF – 2015–17.
Colonel Eric A. Rojo, USA – 2017–19.
Dr. Joseph T. Coleman – 2019–21.
Colonel Robert D. Pollock, USAF – 2021–23.
Michael T. Bates, Esq. - 2023- .
Prominent Companions
Note – the ranks indicated are the highest the individual held in the United States armed forces or in state militia service and not necessarily the highest rank held during the Civil War.
Presidents of the United States
Abraham Lincoln (Captain, Illinois Militia) – Posthumously enrolled.
Dwight Eisenhower (General of the Army, U.S. Army) – Honorary Companion (elected in 1953).
Note – Presidents
Andrew Johnson and
James Garfield were both generals in the U.S. Army during the Civil War and were thus eligible to be veteran companions of MOLLUS but did not join the Order.
Vice Presidents
Vice President
Hannibal Hamlin, who had served under President Lincoln from 1861 to 1865, was elected MOLLUS Companion of the 3rd Class. While he was vice president, he served as a corporal with Company A of the Maine State Guard (a.k.a. Maine Coast Guards) at
Fort McClary in
Kittery, Maine from July to September 1864.
Vice President
Charles G. Dawes, who served under President Coolidge from 1925 to 1929, became a First Class Companion in succession to his father, Brevet Brigadier General
Rufus Dawes. Vice President Dawes served as a brigadier general with the U.S. Army during
World War I and also received the
Nobel Peace Prize.
In addition to the above, President Andrew Johnson, vice president before President Lincoln's death and the founding of MOLLUS, was eligible to become a First Class Companion of MOLLUS but did not join the Order. President Chester A. Arthur, who was vice president prior to the death of President Garfield, was elected in 1882 as a 3rd Class Companion while serving as president.
Honorary Companions
A limited number of individuals may be elected as Honorary Companions of MOLLUS. They are usually individuals with distinguished careers in public service or the military.
Brigadier General
Richard C. Drum – U.S. Army adjutant general.
Brigadier General
Charles P. Eagan – U.S. Army Commissary General court-martialed during the "embalmed beef" scandal during the Spanish–American War. Expelled from MOLLUS after making disparaging remarks about General Nelson Miles before a Congressional committee investigating the scandal.
Lieutenant Colonel
John L. Broome – Veteran of the Mexican War and the Civil War.
Major and Paymaster John C. Cash
3rd Class Companions
From 1865 to 1890, a limited number of civilians who contributed outstanding service to the United States during the Civil War were elected into the Order as 3rd Class Companions.
Initially, the MOLLUS had Companions of the Second Class, the eldest sons of Companions of the First Class (i.e., veterans of the Civil War who also held a commission at some point). A Second Class Companion became a First Class Companion upon his father's death, and brothers of fallen officers were allowed to join as hereditary companions if there was no surviving issue. These practices were discontinued in 1905 when the MOLLUS Constitution was changed to allow any direct male descendant of a U.S. Army officer to become a MOLLUS Companion. The nomenclature of First Class and Second Class Companions was discarded, leaving only the qualifiers of "Original" and "Hereditary" Companions. Later, the eligibility rules were changed to allow nephews of U.S. officers to become hereditary Companions of the MOLLUS; and as of October 2021, a first-cousin relationship to an officer (i.e., the officer was the child of the aunt or uncle of the applicant) qualifies the applicant for hereditary membership.
All male
descendants of 19th-century railroad tycoon
Cornelius Vanderbilt are eligible to join MOLLUS as collateral descendants of Vanderbilt's youngest son, Captain George Washington Vanderbilt, who graduated
West Point in 1860 and died on January 1, 1864, in
Nice, France without issue. These descendants include the current
Duke of Marlborough and
CNN reporter
Anderson Cooper. Anderson Cooper is also eligible for hereditary membership in MOLLUS because of his descent from Major General
Hugh Judson Kilpatrick.
Major General
David D. Porter, USMC, a recipient of the Medal of Honor, was eligible for membership in MOLLUS by right of his descent from his grandfather, Admiral
David Dixon Porter.
Secretary of State
John Foster Dulles and his brother, CIA Director
Allen Dulles, were eligible for membership in MOLLUS by right of their descent from their maternal grandfather Colonel
John W. Foster, who served as Secretary of State in the administration of President Benjamin Harrison.
Vice-president of the United States
Richard (Dick) Cheney, by right of descent from Captain Samuel Fletcher Cheney of the 21st Ohio Volunteer Infantry.
John Bouvier Kennedy Schlossberg, grandson of President John F. Kennedy, by right of descent from Captain John V. Bouvier of the 80th New York Volunteer Infantry (20th New York State Militia). Captain Bouvier was the great-grandfather of First Lady
Jacqueline Bouvier Kennedy.
Eligible royalty
Several Europeans of royal descent at eligible for membership in MOLLUS by right of their descent from Captain
Philippe d'Orleans, the grandson of King
Louis Philippe I of France.
King
Felipe VI of Spain and his father, former King of Spain
Juan Carlos, are eligible for hereditary companionship in MOLLUS, as are their male descendants. The same is true for the family of the
Orleanist pretenders to the throne of France.
King
Manuel II of Portugal (1889–1932) was eligible to become a hereditary companion of MOLLUS as his mother was a daughter of Philippe d'Orleans. He had no offspring.
Prince Pedro Carlos of Orléans-Braganza (b. 1945) is a claimant to the Brazilian throne and a descendant of Philippe d'Orleans. His nephew is
Peter, Hereditary Prince of Yugoslavia (b. 1980).
Carroon, Robert G. & Dana B. Shoaf (2001). Union Blue: The History of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. Shippensburg, PA: White Mane Books.
ISBN1-57249-190-6.
LCCN00049955.