Albert Henry Woolson (February 11, 1850 – August 2, 1956) was the last known surviving member of the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union (American Civil War), Union of the collective U.S. st ...

who served in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and t ...

; he was also the last surviving Civil War veteran on either side whose status is undisputed. At least three men who outlived Woolson claimed to be Confederate veterans, but one has been debunked and the other two are unverified. The last surviving Union soldier to see combat was James Hard (1843–1953).

Biography

Woolson was born in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, to Willard P. Woolson (1811–1862) and Caroline Baldwin (ca. 1822–unknown). He claimed to be born on February 11, 1847, but his entry in the 1850 United States Census lists him as born in 1850. Entries in the later census records and in the 1905 Minnesota State Census support the conclusion that he was born in 1850. His father, Willard Woolson, enlisted in the

. Willard was wounded at the

Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh (also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing) was fought on April 6–7, 1862, in the American Civil War. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater. The battlefield i ...

and was transported to an Army hospital in Windom,

Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over t ...

, where he would die of his wounds. Albert and his mother moved to Windom to accompany Willard. Albert enlisted as a drummer boy in Company C,

1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery Regiment The 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery Regiment was a Minnesota USV artillery regiment during the American Civil War. Service The 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery Regiment mustered in at St. Paul, and Rochester, Minnesota, between November 1864 and F ...

on October 10, 1864, becoming the company's drummer. However, the company never saw action, and Albert Woolson was discharged on September 7, 1865. Woolson returned to Minnesota, where he lived the rest of his life. He was a

carpenter Carpentry is a skilled trade and a craft in which the primary work performed is the cutting, shaping and installation of building materials during the construction of buildings, ships, timber bridges, concrete formwork, etc. Carpenters t ...

and later a member of the

Grand Army of the Republic The Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) was a fraternal organization composed of veterans of the Union Army (United States Army), Union Navy ( U.S. Navy), and the Marines who served in the American Civil War. It was founded in 1866 in Decatur, ...

(G.A.R.), a powerful political organization made up of Civil War veterans where he became senior vice commander in chief in 1953. In his final days, he lived at 215 East Fifth Street in

Duluth, Minnesota , settlement_type = City , nicknames = Twin Ports (with Superior, Wisconsin, Superior), Zenith City , motto = , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top: Downtown Dul ...

. Woolson died at St. Luke's Hospital in Duluth on August 2, 1956, at what was then thought to be the age of 109, of a "recurring lung congestion condition". He was twice widowed and was survived by six daughters and two sons. Woolson was buried with full military honors by the

National Guard National Guard is the name used by a wide variety of current and historical uniformed organizations in different countries. The original National Guard was formed during the French Revolution around a cadre of defectors from the French Guards. Nat ...

at Park Hill Cemetery. Following his death,

President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) * President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ...

Dwight D. Eisenhower said:

The American people have lost the last personal link with the Union Army ... His passing brings sorrow to the hearts of all of us who cherished the memory of the brave men on both sides of the War Between the States.

Legacy

Woolson and fellow drummer boy Frank Mayer marched together, both aged 99, in the Memorial Day Parade in May 1949, to lay a wreath at the

tomb A tomb ( grc-gre, τύμβος ''tumbos'') is a repository for the remains of the dead. It is generally any structurally enclosed interment space or burial chamber, of varying sizes. Placing a corpse into a tomb can be called ''immureme ...

of General Grant in New York City. ''Life'' magazine ran a seven-page article upon the death of Albert Woolson, in the August 20, 1956, issue. The article included much information about the G.A.R., with pictures or drawings of several encampments (conventions). Also included were photos of the last three living Confederate soldiers (status and age disputed):

William Lundy William Allen Lundy (January 18, 1848? – September 1, 1957) claimed to be one of the last living Confederate veterans of the American Civil War, having claimed to have served with the 4th Alabama Infantry from 1864 to 1865. His age is disputed ...

, 108; Walter Williams, 113; and John Salling, 110. In mid-2006, new census research indicated that Albert Woolson was actually 106 years old, being listed as less than one year old in the 1850 census. Previous research in 1991 had suggested he was only a year younger than claimed (108 instead of 109), although this does not affect his veteran status. After his death, the

was dissolved because Woolson was its last surviving member. Some of Albert’s artifacts are on display at the Veterans Memorial Hall gallery, a program o
St. Louis County Historical Society
in the St. Louis County Depot in downtown Duluth, Minnesota. The 2011–12 ''Minnesota Legislative Manual'' was dedicated to him. In 1956 a monument of Woolson was erected in Gettysburg as a memorial to the Grand Army of the Republic. A twin statue is on display outside the St. Louis County Depot in downtown Duluth, Minnesota.

Images

File:1850UnitedStatesFederalCensus 312130447.jpg, Woolson as "Henry Albert Woolson" in the 1850 census as a newborn

References

External links

Bert Woolson collection on Albert Woolson at the Whitman College and Northwest Archives, Whitman College.

Albert Woolson
image at Corbis
Sons of Union Veterans biography

Article in the ''Civil War News.''

Article in the ''Duluth News Tribune'', June 10, 2004. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Woolson, Albert 1850 births 1956 deaths Age controversies American centenarians Men centenarians People from Antwerp, New York People from Duluth, Minnesota People of Minnesota in the American Civil War Union Army soldiers Grand Army of the Republic officials

Biography

Legacy

Images

See also

References

External links