John J. Williams (American Civil War)
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John Jefferson Williams (1843 – May 13, 1865) was a Union soldier and private in Company B the
34th Regiment Indiana Infantry The 34th Indiana Veteran Volunteer Infantry Regiment, nicknamed ''The Morton Rifles'', was an Infantry Regiment that served in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It had the distinction of fighting in the last land action of the war, the ...
. He was killed at the Battle of Palmito Ranch, the last land battle of the American Civil War, and is generally recognized as the last soldier killed in the conflict.


Biography

Williams was born in the year 1843 in
Jay County, Indiana Jay County is a county in the U.S. state of Indiana. As of 2020, the population was 20,478. The county seat is Portland. History The Indiana State Legislature passed an omnibus county bill on 7 February 1835 that authorized the creation o ...
, and joined the Union Army in September, 1863, probably in Anderson. He moved to
Camp Joe Holt Camp Joe Holt was a Union base during the American Civil War in Jeffersonville, Indiana, across the Ohio River from Louisville, Kentucky, on land that is now part of Clarksville, Indiana, near the Big Eddy. It was a major staging area for troops ...
where his unit drilled before being put on duty in their field. His regiment spent most of the war on guard and Garrison duty in the Western Theatre, including New Orleans where he was stationed before his unit joined the army forming for the invasion and occupation of Texas in spring of 1865. He first saw action in the Battle of Palmito Ranch near
Brownsville, Texas Brownsville () is a city in Cameron County in the U.S. state of Texas. It is on the western Gulf Coast in South Texas, adjacent to the border with Matamoros, Mexico. The city covers , and has a population of 186,738 as of the 2020 census. It ...
, where he died May 13, 1865. Williams is generally recognized as being the last soldier to have been killed in action during the Civil War, although some sources make this claim for Corporal John W. Skinner, killed on 19 May 1865 in an ambush at Hobdy's Bridge, near
Eufaula, Alabama Eufaula is the largest city in Barbour County, Alabama, Barbour County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2010 census the city's population was 13,137. History The site along the Chattahoochee River that is now moder ...
.Hobdy's Bridge
Explore Southern History He was buried at
Alexandria National Cemetery Alexandria National Cemetery is the name of two US National Cemeteries: *Alexandria National Cemetery (Alexandria, Virginia) Alexandria National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery, of approximately , located in the city of Alexandria, ...
in Pineville, Louisiana but his remains were moved to his home town in Jay County Indiana around 1897 or 1898 and is currently buried at the Jay County Infirmary Cemetery.Museum of the Soldier Portland Indiana


See also

* Indiana in the American Civil War *
Daniel Hough Daniel Hough ( – April 14, 1861) was an Irish-born American soldier who became the first man to die in the American Civil War. His death was accidental, caused by a cannon that went off prematurely during a salute to the flag after the Battle o ...
– First American soldier to die in the Civil War


References


External links

* 1865 deaths People of Indiana in the American Civil War People from Anderson, Indiana Burials in Louisiana 1843 births Union Army soldiers Union military personnel killed in the American Civil War People from Jay County, Indiana {{AmericanCivilWar-bio-stub