The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is a Congressionally Chartered organization, charged with the solemn duty of carrying on the memory of the Grand Army of the Republic and the men who fought to preserve the Union 1861-1865. Elisha Dyer Camp no. 7 was founded in 1909 by members of the Rhode Island G.A.R. Arnold Post no. 4 and is Rhode Island's longest serving SUVCW Camp.
Many people hear "Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War" and assume that it is a Civil War reenacting group deployed on a mock battlefield or encamped in tents at living history events. While there are many historical interpreters in the SUVCW, the organization is decidedly not a living history group. We are the official organization of lineal descendants of the Union Soldiers, authorized by the Grand Army of the Republic itself. We are the legal heirs to their historic records and properties. We work to preserve any records and artifacts that we retain or receive. We work in education, assist in research, and promote patriotism. We tend to the preservation and restoration of monuments and headstones. We place flags on Veterans' graves and garnish the final resting places of the Union soldiers with flowers for Memorial Day, our most sacred charge. We have a mission to locate, document and preserve the final resting place of EVERY Union soldier. We provide educational programs for schools and youth organizations like the Boy Scouts and JROTC. All for the old "Boys in Blue." Why? Is it a love for history? For some, yes. For others, it is because we have a great uncle or great-great grandfather who fought in the war.But mostly, it's because, if we don't do it, who will? Who will?

Our battle is the march of history, and how quickly people dismiss history as just echoes of the past. Join us.
Help help us tell the story of the Boys in Blue.