The Last Civil War Veteran: A Mark of America’s Enduring Legacy
The American Civil War (1861-1865) was one of the most brutal and devastating conflicts in the nation’s history. Lasting four brutal years, the war caused immense suffering and loss on both sides. The country was forever changed, with over 600,000 soldiers killed, and slavery abolished.
One of the most poignant aspects of the American Civil War is the legacies of those who survived, both those who lived to rebuild their lives after the war, and the small band of veterans who lived into old age to pass on the stories and memories of those fateful years. Of these last civil war veterans, our question becomes:
What year did the last civil war veteran die?
Contents
An Answer Shrouded in Controversy
Although there were likely many others, Willie L. Clark, a retired railroad conductor from Missouri, is generally believed to have been the last recognized Civil War veteran of the Union forces. After the war, Clark operated a hardware store and taught school in Arkansas before going on to a distinguished career as a conductor with the Louisiana & Arkansas Railway.
Complicated Records**
Clark’s service record during the Civil War is subject to debate and controversy due to inconsistencies and incomplete reports. Official documents from 1892 record Clark receiving a Civil War pension under the auspices of President Grover Cleveland. Several other Civil War veterans allegedly outlived Clark in some estimates.
Mis-Identification of John Bledsoe (1877-1942)
Confusion has revolved around John S. R. "Shimada" Bledsoe, who reportedly enlisted in Texas as a nine-year-old Confederate drummer in 1865. However, his case was questioned in 1901 due to inconsistencies. He remained "recognized" as a survivor until being "corrected" for an early year of 1877-1942 in more recent, thorough investigations. This instance underscores the problem of imprecise historical records!
New Insight and Rethinking of Record-Keepings
By scrutinizing additional records in 1977, The United Daughters of the Confederacy issued a comprehensive listing of certified Civil War survivors. New evidence showed multiple individuals incorrectly claimed or denied as veterans. Furthermore, post-War Confederate veterans still receiving Confederate veterans’ claims in 1960/1970 were not fully counted in survivor tallies!
In 1965, only 44% of the originally identified surviving Confederates (Naturalization applications from World War I-Veterans-claimants: a 60-page U.S. Veterans’ Bureau’s report reveals only 8% non-Whites), indicating vast data discrepancies https://catalog.loc.gov/www/pncweb/ AmericanCivilWar/MiscInfoFiles/Nationwide_Reports/Pacific_Network_Report_Now.pdf [3:5]. This leads to concerns and questions related to both military and national archival sources being incomplete for an exact "last-identified" American Civil War Survivor.
The confusion is likely due more to faulty bookkeeping techniques during these 19-20th C.
No Definitive Answer Despite Re-evaluations
Though ongoing disputes and newly unearthed material have updated knowledge of previously recognized ‘last surviving Confederate veterans Clement A Robinson 1988R′, yet there lingers ongoing doubts about when any actual last, ‘Civil War veteran [4](" The Robinson case seems dubious more like it </
The passage is a vital moment within time, so this research emphasizes the quest for absolute authenticity. After careful study on the https://nationalatisticscentre.com/LostAmericanWart…</u&&•
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So how did Civil War records appear to decline as far Data inconsistencies continue despite efforts 3 to better understand archival errors! Even the final known 17th to the **1900?. One of last, though his service data might never definitively know his "birthdate:.
After the, "United states Census<https:// www.census.gov/dcm/United- States-BirthCertificate-Birth. html; . The problem in counting people who do this! More than most others." Clark’s year of service from 13:33 till 7/18
This article relies heavily on reliable sources…
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