William Lundy
Encyclopedia
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.
, in Pike County
, Alabama
, on January 18, 1848 (also reported at Coffee Springs
, Coffee County
). He is said to have enlisted in the last days of March 1864, at age 16; Company D (Brown's), 4th Alabama Cavalry Regiment (Home Guard) at Elba
; and to have been honorably discharged at Elba in May 1865, on account of close of war. He moved his family to Laurel Hill
in 1890, where he and wife, Mary Jane Lassiter, raised ten children. He was granted a Confederate soldiers pension in Florida
, no. 8948, of $600 per annum was awarded to be paid effective from June 12, 1941. At some point the pension increased to $75 per month ($900 per annum), and finally, in 1953, it was increased to $150 per month ($1800 per annum). Source: Florida Pension Records On January 18, 1955, the Boston Traveler published an article, "Reb on T.V.", of which William Allen Lundy was the subject; making mention of the 107 year old Confederate veteran being on television in Pensacola
.
By a Joint Resolution of Congress of July 18, 1956, a gold medal was authorized to be struck and presented to the only four surviving Civil War veterans; One Union veteran, and three Confederate veterans. The Union soldier died before the medals could be presented.
He was the last surviving Confederate soldier residing in Florida, and one of three (all Confederate) Civil War veterans in the United States.
At the ostensible age of 109, Private Lundy died at Crestview
, Okaloosa County
, on September 1, 1957. He is interred at Almarant Cemetery, Laurel Hill.
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...
veteran of 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...
, having claimed to have served with the Alabama Home Guard in 1865.
Biography
William Lundy was allegedly born near TroyTroy, Alabama
Troy is a city in Pike County, Alabama, United States. As of the 2010 census, the population was 18,003. Troy experienced a growth spurt of over 4,000+ people since 2000. The city is the county seat of Pike County....
, in Pike County
Pike County, Alabama
Pike County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of General Zebulon Pike, of New Jersey, an explorer who led an expedition to southern Colorado and discovered Pikes Peak in 1806. As of 2010 the population was 32,899. Its county seat is Troy.- History :In 1819 the State...
, 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...
, on January 18, 1848 (also reported at Coffee Springs
Coffee Springs, Alabama
Coffee Springs is a town in Geneva County, Alabama, United States. It is part of the Dothan, Alabama Metropolitan Statistical Area. At the 2000 census the population was 251.-Geography:Coffee Springs is located at ....
, Coffee County
Coffee County, Alabama
Coffee County is a county of the U.S. state of Alabama. Its name is in honor of General John Coffee. As of 2010 the population was 49,948. Its county seats are Elba and Enterprise....
). He is said to have enlisted in the last days of March 1864, at age 16; Company D (Brown's), 4th Alabama Cavalry Regiment (Home Guard) at Elba
Elba, Alabama
Elba is a city in Coffee County, Alabama. At the time of the 2000 U.S. census, its population was 4,185.Elba is the official county seat of Coffee County, though Coffee County has two County Courthouses, with the other one being located in the town of Enterprise...
; and to have been honorably discharged at Elba in May 1865, on account of close of war. He moved his family to Laurel Hill
Laurel Hill, Florida
Laurel Hill is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. The population was 549 at the 2000 census. As of 2004, the population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau is 576...
in 1890, where he and wife, Mary Jane Lassiter, raised ten children. He was granted a Confederate soldiers pension in Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, no. 8948, of $600 per annum was awarded to be paid effective from June 12, 1941. At some point the pension increased to $75 per month ($900 per annum), and finally, in 1953, it was increased to $150 per month ($1800 per annum). Source: Florida Pension Records On January 18, 1955, the Boston Traveler published an article, "Reb on T.V.", of which William Allen Lundy was the subject; making mention of the 107 year old Confederate veteran being on television in Pensacola
Pensacola, Florida
Pensacola is the westernmost city in the Florida Panhandle and the county seat of Escambia County, Florida, United States of America. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 56,255 and as of 2009, the estimated population was 53,752...
.
By a Joint Resolution of Congress of July 18, 1956, a gold medal was authorized to be struck and presented to the only four surviving Civil War veterans; One Union veteran, and three Confederate veterans. The Union soldier died before the medals could be presented.
He was the last surviving Confederate soldier residing in Florida, and one of three (all Confederate) Civil War veterans in the United States.
At the ostensible age of 109, Private Lundy died at Crestview
Crestview, Florida
Crestview is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, United States. Crestview’s name was chosen because of its location on the peak of a long woodland range between the Yellow and Shoal rivers which flow almost parallel on the east and west side of the City....
, Okaloosa County
Okaloosa County, Florida
Okaloosa County is a county located in the state of Florida. Located in northwest Florida, it extends from the Gulf of Mexico to the Alabama state line. As of the 2000 census, the population was 170,498. The U.S. Census Bureau 2005 estimate for the county is 182,172. The 2009 estimate for the...
, on September 1, 1957. He is interred at Almarant Cemetery, Laurel Hill.
Further reading
- Linedecker, Clifford L., ed. Civil War, A-Z: The Complete Handbook of America's Bloodiest Conflict. New York: Ballentine Books, 2002. ISBN 0-89141-878-4