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

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

See also

References

External links