Walter Williams (centenarian)

For other uses, see Walter Williams (disambiguation).

Walter Washington Williams
An old man resting in a bed below a Confederate flag, a gray confederate uniform, and a 48-star American flag
Williams in 1959 presumably on his death-bed
BornNovember 14, 1842 or 1854
Itawamba County, Mississippi
Died(1959-12-19)December 19, 1959
Houston, Texas
Known forClaim to last surviving Confederate veteran

Walter Washington Williams (November 14, 1842 or 1854 – December 19, 1959) was an American man who claimed to have been a forager for Hood's Brigade, which if true made him the last surviving veteran of the American Civil War.[1][2] However, serious doubts have been raised about the veracity of these claims.

  1. ^ Encyclopedia of the Veteran in America, by William Pencak, Volume 1, 2009, page 310
  2. ^ Civil War, A to Z: The Complete Handbook of America's Bloodiest Conflict, by Clifford L. Linedecker, 2005, page 326