Briefing

The Centennial Legion of Historic Military Commands

One of the most unusual, and little known, military organizations in the United States is "The Centennial Legion of Historic Military Command," composed of some 100 military units � ranging from active elements of the National Guard to veterans' associations � that have been in existence for a century of more.

The formation of the Legion came about as a consequence of the celebration of the Centennial of the American Revolution. At the commemorative observances in Massachusetts in 1875, Maj. George W. McLean, Commander of the Old Guard of the City of New York, chanced to meet Capt. Robert C. Gilchrist, of Charleston's Washington Light Infantry. From this meeting grew the notion of forming an organization of historic military units from the original thirteen states to honor the memory of the Revolutionary past, and, not incidentally, to help heal the wounds of the only recently concluded Civil War. Moving with surprising speed, the Legion was organized on July 4, 1876, at Philadelphia, in conjunction with the centennial celebration of the Declaration of Independence, inaugurating its existence with a great parade that included not only the member units of the newly formed Legion, but also many other militia units� including two companies of black men � from all over the country, as well as the cadets of the U.S. Military Academy and a battalion of Marines.

Since that first parade, the Centennial Legion has grown considerably. To qualify for membership, a unit has to be at least 100 years old, and to have originated in the one of the thirteen original states.

Some units are still on active duty as members of the National Guard. Other units are active in the state guard. Still others remain active under state militia laws, or are privately chartered non-profit making organizations. Many of them perform ceremonial functions. The foot and horse guard units in Connecticut, for example, which are the governor's formal escort, as is New York's Veteran Corps of Artillery, while that state's Old Guard � City of New York is the mayor's official escort. And such ceremonial units have often played roles in the nation's wars, supplying cadres for state defense force units during both world wars, sending members into active duty, and so forth.