General John A. Logan called for the first nationwide Decoration Day observance in 1868.
Logan was a Union general and the commander in chief of the Grand Army of the Republic, a major organization of Union veterans. On May 5, 1868, he issued General Order No. 11, asking members to decorate the graves of Civil War dead on May 30.
The order did not create every local remembrance ceremony, because communities had already been holding their own events. Instead, it helped coordinate a national observance and gave the day a widely recognized date. The first national Decoration Day was held on May 30, 1868.
Logan is sometimes described as the sole founder of Memorial Day, but the holiday developed from many local traditions. His lasting contribution was the national call that helped unify those ceremonies under one annual observance.