Berita Hari Ini: The last Civil War vet died more recently than you think


	March 30, 2026

Original photo by WoodsnorthPhotography/ Alamy Stock Photo

The last surviving Civil War veteran died in 1956.

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 the last surviving Civil War veteran as he appeared at age 106 — nine decades after the war's end. So who was this man, and what was his story?

Ride Into Spring on Two Wheels

Days are getting longer, and the trails are calling. Skip the traffic and parking. Upway offers certified, refurbished e-bikes from Specialized and Aventon at a fraction of retail price. Each bike is performance-tested, backed by a one-year warranty, and delivered to your door so you can ride into spring with confidence (and a fuller wallet).

Find Your Ride

*This content is brought to you by our sponsor, which helps keep our content free.

		Numbers Don't Lie

Number of soldiers (Union and Confederate) who fought in the Civil War

3 million

Year the National Park Service began caring for former battleground sites

1933

Approximate running time (in hours) of Ken Burns' 1990 documentary "The Civil War"

Number of veterans living in the U.S., as of 2022

16.2 million

Abraham Lincoln helped turn Robert E. Lee's home into a cemetery.

Arlington National Cemetery is the final resting place for more than 400,000 soldiers and their family members, but at one time, the Virginia military cemetery was an estate run by Confederate General Robert E. Lee and his wife, Mary. The couple abandoned the property as the war broke out, and shortly afterward the U.S. Army seized the Arlington estate to protect nearby Washington, D.C., which it overlooked. The U.S. government took hold of Arlington after the Lees failed to pay taxes on the land, and turned some portions into a village for formerly enslaved people; the government also soon created plans for a potential military cemetery there. When presented with the idea, Lincoln gave presidential approval for the concept, with the idea that if Lee ever returned, the burial ground would force him to reconsider his role in the war — though Lee never made any effort to reclaim the land. Arlington became a national cemetery in June 1864, and today is the second-largest national cemetery in the U.S.