The Nevada G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic) was organized on Monday, January 7, 1884, and given the name Jason D. Ferguson, Post #31, in honor of a brave Story County soldier who belonged to the 12th Iowa Infantry and was killed at the Battle of Shiloh. One of every four soldiers killed at Shiloh was an Iowan. Iowa had more men in the conflict, in proportion to its population than any other state.
A cannon was shipped from the Rock Island Arsenal to the Jason D. Ferguson, G.A.R. Post #31, Nevada, Iowa, on January 29, 1901. Copy of the shipping orders shown on right. The Watchman, a newspaper printed in Nevada in the late 1800's and early 1900's, ran a story on Friday, February 8, 1901, that the cannon had arrived the day before. After that date, there is no mention of the cannon that can be found.
