Paul Vandervoort (July 12, 1846 – July 29, 1902) was an American soldier of Belgian descent who served in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

and as the 11th Commander-in-Chief of the

Grand Army of the Republic 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, Il ...

, 1882-1883.

Early life and military career

Vandervoort was born July 12, 1846, in

Clinton County Clinton County may refer to: *Counties named for George Clinton, first and third Governor of New York, and later the fourth Vice President of the United States: **Clinton County, New York **Clinton County, Ohio *Counties named for DeWitt Clinton, s ...

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

, to William and Theresa (Harvey) Vandervoort. During the

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

, he lied about his age and enlisted June 10, 1862, as a private in Company G, 68th Illinois Volunteer Infantry (a 3-month regiment). Vandervoort was mustered out September 26, 1862, at Camp Butler near

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. On May 19, 1863, he enlisted as a private in Company M, 16th Illinois Volunteer Cavalry (again, lying about his age) and mustered out of the service August 1, 1865, as a

sergeant Sergeant (abbreviated to Sgt. and capitalized when used as a named person's title) is a rank in many uniformed organizations, principally military and policing forces. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and other uni ...

. While with the 16th Illinois Cavalry, Vandervoort was captured by Confederates near Jonesville,

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

, in December 1863 and held at Andersonville Prison in Georgia, and Belle Isle and Libby prisons in

Richmond, Virginia (Thus do we reach the stars) , image_map = , mapsize = 250 px , map_caption = Location within Virginia , pushpin_map = Virginia#USA , pushpin_label = Richmond , pushpin_m ...

Post-war service

Following the Civil War, Vandervoort became active in politics, first in Illinois and later in

Omaha Omaha ( ) is the largest city in the U.S. state of Nebraska and the county seat of Douglas County. Omaha is in the Midwestern United States on the Missouri River, about north of the mouth of the Platte River. The nation's 39th-largest city ...

Nebraska Nebraska () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by South Dakota to the north; Iowa to the east and Missouri to the southeast, both across the Missouri River; Kansas to the south; Colorado to the southwe ...

, where he also worked as chief clerk for the

Railway Mail Service The Railway Mail Service of the United States Post Office Department was a significant mail transportation service in the US from the mid-19th century until the mid-20th century. The RMS, or its successor the Postal Transportation Service (PTS), ...

. Like many other Union Army veterans, Vandervoort was a

Republican Republican can refer to: Political ideology * An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law. ** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...

; however, he later switched his political affiliation to the Populist Party. Vandervoort became active in the

in 1866 and helped reorganize the Department of Nebraska after the organizations' initial difficulties. He was elected 11th Commander-in-Chief of the G.A.R. and served 1882-1883. Of particular note is that Vandervoort was the first veteran who had been an enlisted man to rise to the highest position within the G.A.R.. At the 1883 National Encampment, the National Woman's Relief Corps was recognized as an official auxiliary organization of the G.A.R. and Vandervoort was made an honorary member. When Vandervoort lost his position with the Railway Mail Service, he became an assistant manager for the Cuban Land and Steamship Company of New York. Vandervoort helped transport many Union Army veterans who hoped to find new lives as citrus farmers in

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

after the United States installed a government there in 1899. Vandervoort became a land speculator and personally laid out a colony known as La Gloria, which became the largest American settlement in Cuba. Vandervoort did not live to see La Gloria prosper; and it did not. He died July 29, 1902, in

Puerto Principe Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is defin ...

, Cuba, and is buried at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Omaha.

References

* Grand Army of the Republic. ''Final Journal of the Grand Army of the Republic, 1866-1956'' (Washington, DC: U.S. Govt. Print. Off.), 1957. {{DEFAULTSORT:Vandervoort, Paul American people of Belgian descent 1846 births 1902 deaths People of Illinois in the American Civil War Grand Army of the Republic Commanders-in-Chief

Early life and military career

Post-war service

See also

References