Military Order of the Loyal Legion
of the United States
Bound by blood. United by honor. Defined by history.
More than 160 years ago, men of extraordinary courage stood at the defining crossroads of American history. They fought not for glory, but for conviction — leaving behind a heritage for future generations written in sacrifice, service, and honor.
The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of the United States (MOLLUS) is the first and oldest Civil War Union hereditary organization in the United States. The Order was founded by Union commissioned officers on April 20, 1865, only days after Lincoln’s assassination and Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.
Direct descendants and collateral relatives, first cousins and closer in relationship, of Civil War Union commissioned officers who honorably served in the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Revenue Cutter Service, or Federalized state militia/home guard may be eligible for membership in the Loyal Legion as Hereditary Companions.
Associate membership is also available.
"The Loyal Legion is the noblest of all the American Orders."
History
"To bind up the nation's wounds"
On April 18, 1865,
as word of President Lincoln’s death spread throughout the country, three Union Army Officers, Thomas Ellwood Zell, a former Lt. Colonel in a Pennsylvania Regiment; Samuel Brown Mitchell, commissioned as the Surgeon of the Eighth Pennsylvania Cavalry; and Peter Dirck Keyser who had served in the 91st Pennsylvania Infantry, met in Philadelphia to discuss the tragic news. Rumors from Washington of a conspiracy to destroy the Federal Government by the assassination of its leaders prompted the three officers to call other officers and former officers together to form an organization that could help thwart future threats to the National Government…
READ MORE
Companions
We are the living legacy...
The Military Order of the Loyal Legion of The United States is a distinguished society of men who carry that lineage forward. Descendants of those who served in the Civil War, united by a shared commitment to honoring the past and preserving it for generations to come, we are not simply a hereditary society. We are a brotherhood.
Our members gather for solemn commemorations and living history events that bring the past into the present. We conduct rigorous genealogical and historical research that ensures the stories of our ancestors are never reduced to footnotes. And we hold one another to the standard our forebears set: of character, integrity, and purposeful action.
Membership in MOLLUS is not a certificate on a wall. It is a responsibility, and a privilege.
Your ancestor answered the call. Will you?
If you are a man of proven descent from a Union Civil War serviceman, and you believe that legacy is something worth protecting — we invite you to take your rightful place among us.
Membership in MOLLUS connects you to a brotherhood of men who share your heritage, your values, and your commitment to keeping history alive. Together, we ensure that what those men endured is never forgotten, and is never taken for granted.
Apply for Membership and carry the legacy forward.
Activities and Events
MOLLUS attends and participates
in many ceremonies and events. Annual nationally recognized events include the Lincoln Birthday Celebration at the Lincoln Monument in Washington, D.C. and the Annual Lincoln Tomb Ceremony in Springfield, Illinois… READ MORE
