James Albert Hard (July 15, 1843 – March 12, 1953) was the last verified living Union combat veteran of the
American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
and the third-to-last verified veteran overall; only drummer boys
Frank H. Mayer and
Albert Woolson post-deceased him. Though he claimed to have been born in 1841, research in 2006 found that the
1850 Census indicated a birthdate of 1843.
He died in
Rochester, New York
Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
, at the claimed age of 111. Census research indicates, however, that he was probably a year or two younger and may have inflated his age in order to enter the military. He is recorded as having joined 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 ...
on May 14, 1861, aged 19. The 1850,
1910
Events
January
* January 13 – The first public radio broadcast takes place; live performances of the operas '' Cavalleria rusticana'' and ''Pagliacci'' are sent out over the airwaves, from the Metropolitan Opera House in New York C ...
, and
1920
Events January
* January 1
** Polish–Soviet War in 1920: The Russian Red Army increases its troops along the Polish border from 4 divisions to 20.
** Kauniainen, completely surrounded by the city of Espoo, secedes from Espoo as its own ma ...
censuses, however, suggest that he was born in 1843 and 1842 respectively.
Hard served with the
32nd New York Volunteer Infantry as "Albert," participating in the battles of
First Bull Run
The First Battle of Bull Run (the name used by Union forces), also known as the Battle of First Manassas ,
Antietam
The Battle of Antietam (), or Battle of Sharpsburg particularly in the Southern United States, was a battle of the American Civil War fought on September 17, 1862, between Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee's Army of Northern Virginia and Union ...
,
Fredericksburg, and
Chancellorsville. The regiment's term of service expired before the
Gettysburg Campaign. He claimed to have met
Abraham Lincoln
Abraham Lincoln ( ; February 12, 1809 – April 15, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and statesman who served as the 16th president of the United States from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. Lincoln led the nation thro ...
at a White House reception.
['Last Civil War Veteran in Each State,' 1951, by. C. Stewart Peterson, Baltimore, Maryland]
See also
*
Last surviving United States war veterans
This is an incomplete list of the last surviving veterans of American wars. The last surviving veteran of any particular war, upon their death, marks the end of a historic era. Exactly who ''is'' the last surviving veteran is often an issue of co ...
References
External links
*
Obituary at genealogytrails.com
1841 births
1953 deaths
People of New York (state) in the American Civil War
Burials at Mount Hope Cemetery (Rochester)
American centenarians
Men centenarians
Union Army soldiers
{{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub