Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States

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 consisted of commissioned officers of the Regular or Volunteer Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, or the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service 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 D.C. 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. 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. Of the 258 hereditary societies that qualify for a listing with the Hereditary Society Community of the United States of America, the Loyal Legion ranks 25th in terms of insignia precedence.

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 Society 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: Companions of the First Class Original Companions of the First Class The First Class was constituted of 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. They were the Original Companions of the Order. Hereditary 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. 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. This class was discontinued as the former officers expired and the Order became composed entirely of descendants. Companions of the Third Class. 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.New International Encyclopedia 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).

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.

At its height about 1900, the Order had more than 8,000 Civil War veterans as active members, including nearly all notable general and flag officers and several presidents: Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman, Philip H. Sheridan, George H. Thomas, George B. McClellan, Jefferson C. Davis, Rutherford B. Hayes, Chester A. Arthur, Benjamin Harrison, and William McKinley. The Order's fame was significant enough to inspire John Philip Sousa to compose the "Loyal Legion March" in its honor in 1890.

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 21 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 Thomas Davis of Michigan; Junior Vice-Commander-in-Chief William Frederick Forbes of Pennsylvania; Treasurer-in-Chief Lee Alan Tryon, CPA of Connecticut; Recorder-in-Chief Gary Lee Grove, Ph.D. of Pennsylvania; Registrar-in-Chief Jefferson Davis Lilly II, MPA, of Tennessee; Chancellor-in-Chief Linn William Malaznik of California; Judge Advocate-in-Chief Matthew D. Dupee, Esq. of South Carolina; Surgeon-in-Chief Peter Bayard Kane, M.D. of Pennsylvania; and Chaplain-in-Chief Jeffry Christian Burden, Esq. of Virginia.

Commanders-in-Chief Major General George Cadwalader – 1865–79. First MOLLUS Commander-in-Chief. (Died in office.) Major General Winfield Scott Hancock – 1879–86. (Died in office.) Major General Rutherford B. Hayes – 1886. General Philip H. Sheridan – 1886–88. (Died in office.) Major General Rutherford B. Hayes – 1888–93. (Died in office.) Rear Admiral John J. Almy – 1893. Brigadier General Lucius Fairchild – 1893–95. Major General John Gibbon – 1895–96. (Died in office.) Rear Admiral Bancroft Gherardi – 1896–99. Lieutenant General John M. Schofield – 1899–1903. Major General David McMurtrie Gregg – 1903–05. Major General John R. Brooke – 1905–07. Major General Grenville M. Dodge – 1907–09. Lieutenant General John C. Bates – 1909–11. Rear Admiral George W. Melville – 1911–12. (Died in office.) Lieutenant General Arthur MacArthur – 1912. (Died in office.) Colonel Arnold A. Rand – 1912–13. (First non-flag officer to serve as MOLLUS commander-in-chief.) Brevet Brigadier General Thomas Hamlin Hubbard – 1913–15. (Died in office.) Rear Admiral Louis Kempff – 1915. Lieutenant General Samuel B.M. Young – 1915–19. Lieutenant General Nelson A. Miles – 1919–25. (Died in office.) Rear Admiral Purnell F. Harrington – 1925–27. Master Robert M. Thompson, USN – 1927–30. (Died in office.) Brigadier General Samuel W. Fountain – 1930. (Died in office.) Brevet Major George Mason – 1930–31. Captain William P. Wright – 1931–33. Commander in Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic from 1932 to 1933. (Died in office. Last Civil War veteran to serve as MOLLUS commander-in-chief.) Colonel Hugh Means – 1933–35. Colonel William Ennis Forbes – 1935–40. (Resigned.) Major General Malvern Hill Barnum – 1940–41. Mr. James Vernor Jr. – 1941–47 (First MOLLUS commander-in-chief who did not serve in the United States Armed Forces.) Rear Admiral Reginald R. Belknap, USN – 1947–51. Donald H. Whittemore – 1951–53 Commander William C. Duval, USNR – 1953–57 Major General Ulysses S. Grant III – 1957–61. SUVCW Commander-in-Chief, 1953–55. Lieutenant Colonel Donald M. Liddell Jr., USAR – 1961–62. (Resigned.) Lieutenant Colonel H. Durston Saylor II, USAR – 1962–64. Major General Clayton B. Vogel, USMC – 1964. (Died in office. Last flag officer to serve as MOLLUS commander-in-chief.) Colonel Walter E. Hopper, USAR – 1964–67. Lieutenant Colonel Lenahan O'Connell, USAR – 1967–71. Colonel Brooke M. Lessig, USAR – 1971–73. Charles Allan Brady Jr. – 1973–75. Colonel Joseph B. Daugherty – 1975–77. Thomas N. McCarter III – 1977–81. Lieutenant Colonel Philip M. Watrous – 1981–83. Alexander P. Hartnett – 1983–85. 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. The Hon. Colonel Scott W. Stucky, USAFR, 1993–95. Judge, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces. 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., 2023–25. 1st Lieutenant Paul T. Davis, 2025 to present.

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. Ulysses S. Grant (General, U.S. Army) – Veteran Companion. Rutherford B. Hayes (Brevet Major General, Volunteers) – Veteran Companion and MOLLUS Commander in Chief from 1888 to 1893. Chester A. Arthur (Brigadier General, New York Militia) – 3rd Class Companion. Benjamin Harrison (Brevet Brigadier General, Volunteers) – Veteran Companion.