Last surviving United States war veterans

A photograph of Lemuel Cook (1759–1866), the last official veteran of the American Revolutionary War who enlisted in the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons, Continental Army.

This is an incomplete list of the last surviving veterans of American wars. The last surviving veteran of any particular war, upon his death, marks the end of a historic era. Exactly who is the last surviving veteran is often an issue of contention, especially with records from long-ago wars. The "last man standing" was often very young at the time of enlistment and in many cases had lied about his age to gain entry into the service, which confuses matters further.

Pre U.S. independence

Veteran Lifespan Notes
French and Indian War (1754-1763)
Jonathan Benjamin 1738–1841 Also fought in American Revolutionary War. Settled in Granville, Ohio in 1802.[1][2]

Post U.S. independence

Veteran Lifespan Notes
American Revolutionary War (1775—1783)
Daniel Bakeman 1759–1869 Claimed to be veteran and was awarded pension by Congress, though could not prove service.[3]
John Gray 1764–1868 Last verifiable veteran although service period was too short for pension qualification.[4]
Samuel Downing 1764–1867 [5][6]
Lemuel Cook 1759–1866 Last official veteran.[7]
Shays' Rebellion (1786-1787)
David Whitney 1767–1867 Massachusetts State Militia[8]
Whiskey Rebellion (1791-1794)
Michael Edwards 1767–1876 Pennsylvania State Militia[9]
War of 1812 (1812—1815)
Hiram Cronk 1800–1905 United States Army.[10]
Black Hawk War (1832)
Henry L. Riggs 1812–1911 [11]
Toledo War (1835-1836)
James Monell Kidd 1813–1909 Michigan State Militia.[12]
Texas Revolution (1835—1836)
William P. Zuber 1820–1913 [13][14]
Bear Flag Revolt (1846)
John Grider 1826–1924 Californian Rebel.[15][16]
Mexican-American War (1846—1848)
Owen Thomas Edgar 1831–1929 United States Navy.[17]
American Civil War (1861—1865)
Albert Woolson 1848–1956 Last Union veteran.[18]
James Hard 1843–1953 Last Verified Combat Veteran. Fought for the Union. [19]
Pleasant Crump 1847–1951 Verified Confederate veteran. See Last surviving Confederate veterans.
Thomas Edwin Ross 1850–1952 Insufficient evidence. See Last surviving Confederate veterans.
Richard William Cumpston 1841–1952 No evidence. See Last surviving Confederate veterans.
William Loudermilk[20] 1847–1952 Insufficient evidence. See Last surviving Confederate veterans.
William Jordan Bush[21][22] 1846–1952 Insufficient evidence. See Last surviving Confederate veterans.
William Townsend[21][23] 1846–1953 Insufficient evidence. See Last surviving Confederate veterans.
American Indian Wars (1622—1924)
Frederick Fraske 1872–1973 [24]
John Daw 1870–1965 [25][26]
Dewey Beard 1857–1955 Native American from Lakota tribe. Last survivor of Battle of the Little Big Horn.[27] He also fought at Wounded Knee.[28]
Spanish–American War (1898)
Jones Morgan 1882–1993 [29]
Boxer Rebellion (1897—1901)
Nathan E. Cook 1885–1992 [30]
Philippine–American War (1899—1902)
Nathan E. Cook 1885–1992 [30]
Border War (1910—1919)
Samuel Goldberg 1900–2006 [31]
World War I (1914—1918)
Frank Buckles 1901–2011 [32]
Pancho Villa Expedition (1916—1917)
Mark Matthews 1894–2005 [33]
Allied intervention in the Russian Civil War
American and other Allied forces were involved in the Polar Bear Expedition which began during World War I and continued into the Russian Civil War
Warren V. Hileman 1901–2005 Served in the 27th Infantry Regiment as part of the American Expeditionary Force Siberia.[34]
Harold Gunnes 1899–2003 Served in a naval brigade attached to the 339th Infantry Regiment as part of American Expeditionary Force North Russia.[35]
Spanish Civil War (1936—1939)
Delmer Berg 1915– Volunteered in 1938. Served in anti-aircraft in the Abraham Lincoln Brigade. Lives in Columbia, California.[36]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Niles' national register, Volume 61. Cambridge: Harvard University. 1841. p. 192.
  2. ↑ Find A grave memorial
  3. ↑ Zuerlein, Roger. "?". FortuneCity. Retrieved November 12, 2010.
  4. ↑ Dalzell, James McCormick; Gray, John (1868). Private Dalzell, his autobiography, poems, and comic war papers, sketch of John Gray, Washington's last soldier, etc. R. Clarke. p. 189.
  5. ↑ Taylor, Maureen (2003). "The Last Men of the Revolution" (PDF). American Spirit. pp. 30–31. Retrieved November 7, 2010.
  6. ↑ Find A grave memorial
  7. ↑ Cook, Burr. "Lemuel Cook". The Burr. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  8. ↑ "Whitney, David (1767-1867)". Whitney Research Group. Retrieved November 1, 2014.
  9. ↑ "Michael Edwards". findagrave.com. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  10. ↑ Henley, Benjamin James (1911). The art of longevity ... Syracause: New Warner Co. pp. 205–208.
  11. ↑ "DEATH OF THE LAST SURVIVOR OF THE BLACK HAWK WAR." 14. Journal of the Illinois State Historical Society. 1922.
  12. ↑ "James Monell Kidd". findagrave.com. Retrieved November 2, 2014.
  13. ↑ Robert Bruce Blake. "ZUBER, WILLIAM PHYSICK". Texas State Historical Society. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  14. ↑ "William P. Zuber to Ben. E McCulloch Describing events at San Jacinto". Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Retrieved August 15, 2012.
  15. ↑ Lanz Christian Bañes (2009). "Vallejo author uncovers the story of Bear Flag Revolt hero John Grider". Times-Hearld. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Searching for John Grider, an African American Bear Flag Veteran". Blackpast.org. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  17. ↑ Associated Press (September 1929). "Mexican War's Last Survivor, 98, is Dead". The Dallas Morning News.
  18. ↑ The Banner (1956). "Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War: Albert Woolson". Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  19. ↑ "James A. Hard - Obituary". Binghamton Press, Associated Press. 1953. Retrieved April 21, 2015.
  20. ↑ Polston, Mike. "WILLIAM LOUDERMILK, THE LAST CONFEDERATE". Couch Genealogy. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
  21. ↑ 21.0 21.1 "Last Surviving Confederate Veterans". Genealogy Trails. Retrieved 2010-11-07.
  22. ↑ Find a grave
  23. ↑ Find A grave
  24. ↑ "LAST VET OF INDIAN WARS DIES AT AGE 101". Chicago Tribune. June 17, 1973.
  25. ↑ Chicago Corral of the Westerners (1965). Westerners brand book, Volumes 22–25. Siedlce. p. 24.
  26. ↑ "John Daw". Genealogy Trails. 2006. Retrieved October 20, 2010.
  27. ↑ Hopkins, John Christian (March 11, 2006). "129 years after Little Big Horn". Gallup Independent. Retrieved October 18, 2010.
  28. ↑ Lawson, Michael L.; Rosier, Paul C. (2007). Little Bighorn: Winning the Battle, Losing the War. Infobase Publishing. p. 126. ISBN 978-0-7910-9347-4.
  29. ↑ Seitz, George (January 24, 2007). "Jones Morgan". Find A Grave.
  30. ↑ 30.0 30.1 "NATHAN EDWARD COOK". Ancestry.com. June 6, 2008. Retrieved October 21, 2010.
  31. ↑ Will Everett (April 6, 2007). "World War I veteran". PRI's THE WORLD. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  32. ↑ Courson, Paul (February 28, 2011). "Last living U.S. World War I veteran dies". CNN. Retrieved February 28, 2011.
  33. ↑ Melissa Corley (1998). "Veterans to honor Buffalo Soldier Man, 103, is last survivor of regiment of black troopers". The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 26, 2014.
  34. ↑ Linda Rush (February 3, 2005). "STATE'S 'LAST' WORLD WAR I VETERAN DIES: WARREN V. HILEMAN DIED SUNDAY IN ANNA AT 103". The Southern: Illinoisan. Retrieved May 19, 2013.
  35. ↑ Kramer, Andrew/Associated Press (August 14, 2001). "Centarian Is Last Veteran of Only U.S.-Russia War". The St. Petersburg Times. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  36. ↑ http://www.albavolunteer.org/2014/12/del-berg-interviewed-by-friends-and-neighbors/ Last survivor