One Gettysburg memorial stands out for its strikingly modern appearance, featuring a man in a midcentury suit and tie, no musket or battle flag in hand. The statue honors Albert Henry Woolson, the last surviving Civil War veteran, as he appeared at age 106, nine decades after the war’s end. At the time of his death in 1956, Woolson had outlived more than 2 million Union Army soldiers. 

Born in New York in 1850, Woolson (like many young recruits) likely lied about his age to enroll in the Union Army in 1864. He was accepted into the ranks at age 14, served as a drummer boy and bugler, and eventually was stationed in Chattanooga, Tennessee, a commission that kept him from combat.

After the war, Woolson held a variety of jobs, including teaching both mechanical engineering and music. He also became a living link with history, speaking at local schools about his experience and receiving letters and visits from around the country. As a member of the Grand Army of the Republic, a fraternity for Union veterans, Woolson met with other surviving veterans; the group, which had more than 400,000 members in 1890, had whittled down to only 16 men by 1949. Six of the Civil War veterans met in Indianapolis that year, including Joseph Clovese, the last formerly enslaved soldier. Called the “Grand Old Men,” the group paraded through the streets one final time. Woolson’s funeral a few years later would also attract a crowd. More than 1,500 people attended the burial, including the grandson of Ulysses S. Grant, who helped lay the soldier to rest as an honorary pallbearer.