Pleasant Riggs Crump is the last verifiable veteran who fought for the Confederacy

Confederate States of America

The Confederate States of America was a government set up from 1861 to 1865 by 11 Southern slave states of the United States of America that had declared their secession from the U.S...

 soldier during the American Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. Although he was survived by several other claimants in the 1950s, such as Thomas Riddle, William Lundy

William Lundy

William Lundy was a claimant of the last living Confederate veteran of the American Civil War, having claimed to have served with the Alabama Home Guard in 1865.-Biography:...

, John B. Salling

John B. Salling

John B. Salling claimed to be the second-oldest surviving Confederate Veteran of the American Civil War, though his claim of being born in 1846 has since been debunked...

 and Walter Williams), historical research has subsequently debunked these claims. Crump officially remains the the last surviving veteran of the Confederate Army.

Biography

Born in Crawford's Cove, St. Clair County, Alabama

St. Clair County, Alabama

St. Clair County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama.It is a part of the Birmingham–Hoover–Cullman Combined Statistical Area. Its name is in honor of General Arthur St...

, Crump and a friend left home and traveled to Petersburg, Virginia

Petersburg, Virginia

Petersburg is an independent city in Virginia, United States located on the Appomattox River and south of the state capital city of Richmond. The city's population was 32,420 as of 2010, predominantly of African-American ethnicity...

, where Crump enlisted as a private in the 10th Alabama Infantry in November 1864. Assigned to Company A, Crump saw action at the Battle of Hatcher's Run

Battle of Hatcher's Run

The Battle of Hatcher's Run, also known as Dabney's Mill, Armstrong's Mill, Rowanty Creek, and Vaughn Road, fought February 5–7, 1865, was one in a series of Union offensives during the Siege of Petersburg, aimed at cutting off Confederate supply traffic on Boydton Plank Road and the Weldon...

, participated in the siege of Petersburg

Siege of Petersburg

The Richmond–Petersburg Campaign was a series of battles around Petersburg, Virginia, fought from June 9, 1864, to March 25, 1865, during the American Civil War...

 before witnessing General Robert E. Lee

Robert E. Lee

Robert Edward Lee was a career military officer who is best known for having commanded the Confederate Army of Northern Virginia in the American Civil War....

's surrender at Appomattox Court House

Appomattox Court House

The Appomattox Courthouse is the current courthouse in Appomattox, Virginia built in 1892. It is located in the middle of the state about three miles northwest of the Appomattox Court House National Historical Park, once known as Clover Hill - home of the original Old Appomattox Court House...

, as well as attending Lee's official surrender to Union General Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant

Ulysses S. Grant was the 18th President of the United States as well as military commander during the Civil War and post-war Reconstruction periods. Under Grant's command, the Union Army defeated the Confederate military and ended the Confederate States of America...

. Returning to his home in rural Alabama

Alabama

Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...

 following the Confederate surrender, Crump soon relocated to Lincoln

Lincoln, Alabama

Lincoln is a city in Talladega County, Alabama, United States. At the 2000 census the population was 4,577. It was named for Major General Benjamin Lincoln, who served in the American Army during the Revolutionary War.-Geography:...

 in nearby Talladega County. There, at age 22, he married Mary Hall, a local. Five children resulted from this marriage, which lasted until she died on December 31, 1901. Crump took Ella Wallis of Childersburg as his wife in 1905. Following her death in July 1942, he shared a home with a grandson's family. The United Confederate Veterans

United Confederate Veterans

The United Confederate Veterans, also known as the UCV, was a veteran's organization for former Confederate soldiers of the American Civil War, and was equivalent to the Grand Army of the Republic which was the organization for Union veterans....

 awarded him the honorary title of colonel

Colonel (United States)

In the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, colonel is a senior field grade military officer rank just above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general...

. In 1950, he met with 98-year-old Gen. James Moore, who was then recognized to be the only other remaining veteran of Alabama. Crump died having just turned 104 and is buried in Hall Cemetery, Lincoln.

External links

• Linedecker, Clifford L., ed. Civil War, A-Z: The Complete Handbook of America's Bloodiest Conflict, New York
  New York
  New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
  
  , Ballentine Books, 2002. ISBN 0-89141-878-4
• Hoar, Jay S., The South's Last Boys in Gray: An Epic Prose Elegy, Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1976, pp. 463–466.