At Grand Army of the Republic headquarters in Washington, D.C., on May 3, 1868, an order designated May 30, 1868, for strewing flowers on and otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died defending their country during the late rebellion. No fixed ceremony was prescribed, and local posts and comrades were to arrange fitting services of respect as circumstances allowed. The order tied the observance to the organization’s purpose of preserving fraternal bonds among the soldiers, sailors, and marines who had united to suppress the rebellion, and urged the living to cherish the heroic dead, guard their graves with sacred vigilance, protect them from neglect and vandalism, and remember the cost of a free and undivided republic. It called for gathering at the appointed time to garland the graves with spring flowers, raise above them the old flag they had saved from dishonor, and renew pledges to aid the widows and orphans they left behind. The commander in chief intended to inaugurate an annual observance to continue as long as a survivor of the war remained, asked the public press to help spread the order for simultaneous observance across the country, and directed department commanders to make it effective.