Welcome to the home page of the Nebraska Commandery of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States. As you will see, the Order is one of the oldest veterans/hereditary organizations still in existence in the country. Please read over our history and our role today. We would appreciate hearing from you and about your officer ancestors who helped save the Union in 1861 -1865
The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States is 501(c)(10) organization and is approved (1974) by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as an organization to which tax deductible gifts can be made pursuant to Section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code, provided that said contribution are used exclusively for the Charitable purposes specified in section 170(c)(4) of the Internal Revenue Code. The MOLLUS also maintains a Loyal Legion Memorial Fund Trust which is a 501(c)(3) organization and is approved (1967) by the U.S. Internal Revenue Service as an organization to which tax deductible gifts can be made pursuant to Section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code.
Nebraska Commandery Officer:
Douglas R. Niermeyer
Commander and Recorder Protemp
302 West Springfield Ave
Union, MO 63084
Email: momollus@sbcglobal.net
Contents:
On 15 April 1865, as word of President Abraham Lincoln's
death spread throughout the country, three Union Army officer friends met in
Philadelphia to discuss the tragic news. Rumors from Washington of a conspiracy
to destroy the Federal government by assassination of its leaders prompted the
three officers to form an organization that could help thwart future threats to
the national government.
A mass meeting of Philadelphia veterans was held
on 20 April 1865 to pledge renewed allegiance to the Union and to plan for
participation in the funeral arrangements for the President. The Philadelphia
officers, who served as an honor guard for President Lincoln's funeral cortege,
met again after the funeral was over to establish a permanent organization of
officers and former officers patterned after the Society of Cincinnati
established after the Revolutionary War. The name they chose, the Military Order
of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS), first appeared in a notice
calling a meeting on 31 May 1865 at Independence Hall.
Since its
inception, the MOLLUS membership has included nearly 12,000 Civil War officers.
At its zenith, MOLLUS counted practically every prominent officer among its
ranks. Among them were Generals Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman; Lt.
Generals Philip H. Sheridan, George Armstrong Custer, Nelson A. Miles and John
M. Schofield; Major General Winfield Scott Hancock, George B. McClellan,
Rutherford B. Hayes, David McMurtie Gregg and Grenville M. Dodge; Admiral David
G. Farragut; Rear Admirals Bancroft Gherardi and George W. Melville. In addition
to Ulysses S. Grant and Rutherford B. Hayes, Original Companions Chester A.
Arthur, Benjamin Harrison and William McKinley served as Presidents of the
United States.
With the eventual aging of the Original Companions,
membership within MOLLUS was eventually changed to provide for Hereditary
Companions; descendants of eligible officers. Many Original Companions of MOLLUS
were also members of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR). Similarly, many
Hereditary Companions of MOLLUS are currently also members of the Sons of Union
Veterans of the Civil War, the legal heir to the GAR.
The Military Order
of the Loyal Legion of the United States is composed of a National
Commandery-in-Chief and individual state Commanderies. There are currently 19
Commanderies and three Provisional Commanderies.
The principal objectives of MOLLUS are to foster military and
naval science, promote allegiance to the United States government, perpetuate
the memory of those who fought to preserve the unity and indivisibility of the
Republic and to honor the memory and promote the ideals of President Abraham
Lincoln.
Each year MOLLUS sponsors and participates in a variety of
ceremonies and programs designed to promote its Objectives, including:
1. Programs to honor President Abraham Lincoln and events memorializing the Civil War and the men and women who were active in them,
2. Presentations of ROTC awards to further the studies of military and naval science,
3. Presentations of literary awards to promote further research and writing about Lincoln and Civil War subjects,
4. Erecting, restoring and maintaining plaques and monuments commemorating events and personalities of the Civil War,
5. Supporting efforts to preserve Civil War battlefields and sites,
6. Supporting the operation of the War Library and Museum of the Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States which was established by MOLLUS,
7. Publishing a quarterly historical journal, The Loyal Legion Historical Journal, and
8. Engaging in other patriotic and educational activities.
There are currently two categories of membership within the Commandery: Hereditary and Junior.
Hereditary - Direct male descendants of the age of 18 years or more of a commissioned officer in the U.S. Army, Navy or Marines who served during the War of the Rebellion, or male descendants of a brother or sister of any such officer.
Junior - Direct male descendants under age 18 years of an eligible officer or of a brother or sister of any such eligible officer. Junior Companions cannot vote or hold office.
Additional membership information may be obtained by going to our interactive Membership Information Requestform.
