“History lives only in the persons who created it. [. . .] As we look upon their faces, as we learn the stories of their lives, it will live again before us, and we shall stand as witnesses of its great actions.” — Reverend E.B. Hillard, The Last Men of the Revolution

In A Nutshell

As one of the eldest certifiable veterans of the American Revolutionary War, no one can doubt that the 106-year-old Lemuel Cook boasted a turbulent life. Yet Cook (and five other soldiers) lived through the late-18th and early-19th century . . . and even saw the end of the American Civil War. Incredibly, having lived into the age of photography, pictures of these men are still available for us to see.

The Whole Bushel

Almost every American who has studied history will be aware of the infamous Washington Crossing the Delaware painting, depicting US General George Washington sailing over the Delaware River in 1776. Similarly, the Harvest of Death photograph of the American Civil War is a staple source for the US historian. Morbidly fascinating, the picture depicts Union and Confederate soldiers lying dead and bloated on the Gettysburg battlefield. When we think of these images, we usually file them away in separate compartments of the brain. They were taken in separate centuries, after all, with 16 presidents and almost 100 years between them. Yet, to nine extraordinarily long-lived men, these photographs make up the bookends of their lifetime.

Congregational minister and amateur historian Rev. Elias Hillard embarked on what was truly a last-chance mission. In 1864, he decided to assemble records of the war—not the Civil War (which was happening at the time), but the first war in the history of the US. He was going to assemble records of the veterans who’d been there.

Incredibly, Hillard found six veterans of the Revolutionary War who were alive 83 years after the end of the War of Independence. All of them were over 100 years old. His mission became desperate. When asked about his motivations, Hillard said: “Our own are the last eyes that will look on men who looked on Washington; our ears the last that will hear the living voices of those who heard his words.”

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The names of the men he interviewed were Samuel Downing, Daniel Waldo, Lemuel Cook, Alexander Milliner, William Hutchings, and Adam Link.

Lemuel Cook, then 105, reported being present at the Brandywine and the surrender of British Lord Cornwallis to General Washington in 1781, where he recalled Washington telling his men not to laugh at the British, saying “it’s bad enough to have to surrender without being insulted.” Cook died at the age of 106 and was buried with full military honors.

Alexander Milliner enlisted as a drummer boy as he was too young to fight. He remembered Washington patting his head and the two sharing a drink out of his flask. Milliner cited the general as “a good man, a beautiful man. He was always pleasant; never changed countenance, but wore the same in defeat and retreat as in victory.” He was present at Saratoga.

Adam Link served three tours of duty in Pennsylvania; at 70 years of age, he built a farmhouse and lived there until his death.

Daniel Frederick Bakeman’s service in the War was not certifiable: However, Congress granted him a special act, which allowed him to receive a military pension for his alleged service. Ostensibly, his death in April 1869 made him the last surviving veteran of the war (assuming his claim about fighting is true). Impressive also was his love life. At the age of 12, he married Susan Brewer (who was 14 years and six months old) on August 29, 1772. Their marriage, at 91 years and 12 days, is the longest claimed on record and also the only marriage claimed to have exceeded 90 years.

Interviews with these men were published in Hillard’s book, The Last Men of the Revolution.

Show Me The Proof

Library of Congress: The Last Men of the Revolution

Archiving Early America: The Last Men of the Revolution