The newly formed Soldiers and Sailors Union was designed as a Democratic-supporting veterans' group to counter the Republican-oriented Grand Army of the Republic. Espousing a more inclusive and conciliatory attitude towards the South, including its veterans, the Union named as its head the young Union cavalry hero, George Armstrong Custer, who had been moving into Democratic Party circles. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
Garry Boulard, The Swing Around the Circle: Andrew Johnson and the Train Ride That Destroyed a Presidency (New York; IUniverse, 2008), 15.
Record Data
Type
Campaigns/Elections
