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Albert Henry Woolson (February 11, 1850 – August 2, 1956) was the last known surviving member of the Union Army who served in the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...
; 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 (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
,
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...
, 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 The 1850 United States census was the seventh decennial United States Census Conducted by the Census Office, it determined the resident population of the United States to be 23,191,876—an increase of 35.9 percent over the 17,069,453 persons ...
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 Union Army. Willard was wounded at the
Battle of Shiloh The Battle of Shiloh, also known as the Battle of Pittsburg Landing, was a major battle in the American Civil War fought on April 6–7, 1862. The fighting took place in southwestern Tennessee, which was part of the war's Western Theater of the ...
and was transported to an Army hospital in Windom,
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
, where he would die of his wounds. Albert and his mother had moved to Windom to accompany Willard. Albert enlisted as a drummer boy in Company C, 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery Regiment 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. Carpenter ...
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 (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...
(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 Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...
. 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. ...
at Park Hill Cemetery. Following his death, President
Dwight D. Eisenhower Dwight David "Ike" Eisenhower (born David Dwight Eisenhower; October 14, 1890 – March 28, 1969) was the 34th president of the United States, serving from 1953 to 1961. During World War II, he was Supreme Commander of the Allied Expeditionar ...
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 ( ''tumbos'') or sepulchre () 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 '' immurement'', alth ...
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, 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
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 (United States Navy, U.S. Navy), and the United States Marine Corps, Marines who served in the American Ci ...
was dissolved because Woolson was its last surviving member. Some of Woolson'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 2011–2012 ''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 File:Gettysburg Battlefield, Pennsylvania, US (92).jpg, Statue of Albert Woolson at Gettysburg National Military Park


See also

* 1st Minnesota Heavy Artillery Regiment * Last surviving United States war veterans * Pleasant Crump, last surviving Confederate veteran of the same Civil War * Samuel J. Seymour


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 men centenarians Child soldiers in the American Civil War 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