Group preserves memory of Union soldiers

Perhaps Steve Hammond was destined to be a Civil War buff.

He was born near the battlefield in Gettysburg, Pa., and his great-great-grandfather served in the Union Army.

So, it wasn't that much of a stretch, at least as Mr. Hammond sees it, for him to become involved with a group dedicated to preserving the memory of Grand Army of the Republic and the ancestors who fought for the Union.

"It's trying to keep that memory alive," he said.

Mr. Hammond, who lives in Crofton, serves as commander of the Odenton-based General George G. Meade Camp of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War.

Founded four years ago,...