The Last Veteran of the Civil War

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In this video:

The American Civil War ended almost a century and a half ago (April 9th, 1865) with the surrender of the Confederate forces at the Appomattox Court House in Northern Virginia. About 54 years ago, in December 1959, the last reported surviving veteran of the Civil War, Walter Washington Williams, passed away in Houston, Texas at the reported age of 117. President Dwight Eisenhower declared it a national day of mourning and gave him an honorary rank. Congress recognized his passing on the floor. Reporters, writers, and well-wishers all came to Houston to pay respects to the man who was America’s last direct living link to the war that divided the United States for a time. Of course, this all may have been a lie.

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Sources:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_W...
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Image Credit:

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