Original photo by WoodsnorthPhotography/ Alamy Stock Photo
One Gettysburg memorial stands out for its strikingly modern appearance, featuring a man in a midcentury suit and tie, no musket or battle flag in hand. The statue honors Albert Henry Woolson, the last surviving Civil War veteran, as he appeared at age 106, nine decades after the war’s end. At the time of his death in 1956, Woolson had outlived more than 2 million Union Army soldiers.
Oops, incorrect!
It's a factAn 1864 battle between the USS Kearsarge and CSS Alabama took place off the French coast. Known for plundering Union supply ships, the Alabama was finally cornered by the USS Kearsarge while docking for repairs in France. The Confederate raider sank after taking several hits.
Born in New York in 1850, Woolson (like many young recruits) likely lied about his age to enroll in the Union Army in 1864. He was accepted into the ranks at age 14, served as a drummer boy and bugler, and eventually was stationed in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a commission that kept him from combat.
After the war, Woolson held a variety of jobs, including teaching both mechanical engineering and music. He also became a living link with history, speaking at local schools about his experience and receiving letters and visits from around the country. As a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternity for Union veterans, Woolson met with other surviving veterans; the group, which had more than 400,000 members in 1890, had whittled down to only 16 men by 1949. Six of the Civil War veterans met in Indianapolis that year, including Joseph Clovese, the last formerly enslaved soldier. Called the “Grand Old Men,” the group paraded through the streets one final time. Woolson’s funeral a few years later would also attract a crowd. More than 1,500 people attended the burial, including the grandson of Ulysses S. Grant, who helped lay the soldier to rest as an honorary pallbearer.
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The ______, the highest U.S. military award, was created during the Civil War.
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The Congressional Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military award, was created during the Civil War.
Abraham Lincoln helped turn Robert E. Lee’s home into a cemetery.
Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 400,000 soldiers and their family members, but at one time, the Virginia military cemetery was an estate run by Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his wife, Mary. The couple abandoned the property as the war broke out, and shortly afterward the U.S. Army seized the Arlington estate to protect nearby Washington, D.C., which it overlooked. The U.S. government took hold of Arlington after the Lees failed to pay taxes on the land, and turned some portions into a village for formerly enslaved people; the government also soon created plans for a potential military cemetery there. When presented with the idea, Lincoln gave presidential approval for the concept, with the idea that if Lee ever returned, the burial ground would force him to reconsider his role in the war — though Lee never made any effort to reclaim the land. Arlington became a national cemetery in June 1864, and today is the second-largest national cemetery in the U.S.
Nicole Garner Meeker is a writer and editor based in St. Louis. Her history, nature, and food stories have also appeared at Mental Floss and Better Report.
