The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy (U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, Illinois, and grew to include hundreds of "posts" (local community units) across the North and West. It was dissolved in 1956 at the death of its last member.

According to Stuart McConnell:

“The Grand Army of the Republic, the largest of all Union Army veterans' organizations, was the most powerful single-issue political lobby of the late nineteenth century, securing massive pensions for veterans and helping to elect five postwar presidents from its own membership. To its members, it was also a secret fraternal order, a source of local charity, a provider of entertainment in small municipalities, and a patriotic organization.”

Linking men through their experience of the war, the G.A.R. became among the first organized advocacy groups in American politics, supporting voting rights for black veterans, promoting patriotic education, helping to make Memorial Day a national holiday, lobbying Congress to establish regular veterans' pensions, and supporting Republican political candidates. Its peak membership, at 410,000, was in 1890, a high point of various Civil War commemorative and monument dedication ceremonies.

This is a very nice example of a rare G.A.R. cannon ballot box, used during voting at posts. It is of all wood construction, with the "cannon" measuring 17 1/2 inches in length, and the base measuring approximately 16"L x 5"W x 4"T, not counting the cannon and mountings. Overall height with the cannon is about 13".

The box worked by having members roll marbles down the barrel of the cannon, which would be collected in the drawer at the rear of the base. Each member was given a white and black marble to use, and as with many fraternal organizations of the time, votes had to be unanimous to pass. The white marbles were used for "yes", and the black marbles were "no", so if there was one black marble, the vote did not pass. This is the original origin of the term "black balled". Similar devices used at other organizations would have a cover over where the marbles were deposited, however with the cannon that was not necessary.

We received the ballot box with a note indicating that it came from a G.A.R. hall in Greene County, Tennessee, and was probably made circa 1866-1870. We have seen other examples of these ballot boxes, and the cannon style seems to really only have been used by the Grand Army of the Republic.

The piece is in very good condition, especially considering the age. It does look to have been repainted at some point, but we have no idea when this occurred. The supports for the "cannon" are also a bit loose and wobbly, as the nails attaching them seem to no longer grip well. The ballot drawer still opens correctly, but it is a bit tight fitting, so it may take some effort to open.

A very good example of a rare U.S. G.A.R. cannon ballot box, ready to research and display!