Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War
Worcester, Massachusetts
In Burwood Hall on February 12,1894 (Abraham Lincoln's birthday), Camp Officers were elected and the camp was officially named Willie Grout in honor of the first soldier from Worcester to die in the Civil War.
On February 19, 1894, 52 members wwere mustered in by Past Captain R.L. Ward of Sons of Veterans Camp 2.
On February 26,1894 in the 2nd G.A.R. Post 10 hall on 4 Walnut Street, Worcester, MA, Colonel A.C. Blaisdell of Lowell, MA, Commander of the Massachusetts Division of the Sons of Veterans along with Past Commander in Chief of S of V, C.F. Merrill, Adjundant F.E. Bolluk and Reverend H.G. Ogden installed the first officers of Willie Grout Camp Sons of Veterans.
Willie Grout's sister and her husband, Reverend G.H. Gould gave the camp an army chest, commission letter from Governor Andrew and mementos that belonged to Willie Grout.
Prior to the Spanish American War, 35 members of the camp took part in the formation of a militia company named "The Wellington Rifles". The company was formed the same year as the Camp and when officers were elected for the militia unit, Cpt. Charles Burbank was elected. In 1898, the Wellington Rifles which was Company H of the 2nd Massachusetts Infantry was pressed into service.
On May 3, 1898, "The Wellington Rifles" left Worcester for Camp Dewey, South Framingham, MA. By May 12th they were in Lakeland and then Ybor City, Florida. As part of the 5th Army Corps on June 13, 1898, they headed to Cuba which they reached on June 23rd. They marched to Siboney and then to El Caney. They engaged the enemy at Santiago and remained under fire until July 14,1898 when the city surrendered. The company spent a month in Cuba getting sick from disease, exposure and lack of proper food and treatment. On Augus 27th and againd on August 31st, Worcester welcomed home all the militia companies to inlcude the Wellington Rifles. Of the 3 companies that left Worcester with 231 men, only 113 came back.
Today "The Wellington Rifles" live on as Company D of the 1/181st Infantry Battalion of the Massachusetts National Guard's 29th Infantry Division.
As for the Camp, it took part in many ceremonies along side the other Worcester's Sons of Veteran's Camp #2 the General A.A. Goodell Camp. As it turns out the Grand Army of the Republic created Camp #2 and the Union Veterans Legion created Camp #25. Both camps were Sons of Veterans Camps, but unlike the G.A.R. which allowed all Civil War Veterans, the U.V.L. was restricted to actual combat veterans.
Past Camp Commander Edwin Foster was also a National Commander-in-Chief for the G.A.R.
Past Camp Commander Clark Mellor was a National Commander-in-Chief of the S.U.V.C.
First Officers of Willie Grout Camp
(1894) (1896)
Cpt. Charles BURBANK (Commander) Cpt. Edward A. GLEASON
1st Lt. E.A. Gleason 1st Lt. C.W. Brown
2nd Lt. F.H. Leach 2nd Lt. G.A. Cheever
Camp Council Camp Council
C.E. Farrington C.E. Farrington
R.R. Simmonds J.F. Armstrong
Chaplin Rev. C.G. Mosher C.S. Knight jr.
1SGT H.N. Leach Quartermaster SGT Roland Hatch
Quatermaster SGT F.H. Beals Colors SGT H.D. Simmons
Color SGT C.E. Monroe Sergeant of Guard M.F. Ames
Sergeant of Guard G.G. Downes Corporal of Guard A.C. LaPointe
Corporal of Guard George Knight Camp Guard C.E. Torey
Camp Guard H.A. Mower Principal Musician W.W. Ricker
Pincipal Musician C.W. Bemis