# Would It have Been A Common Sight in 1930 (Civil War Vets Marching in Memorial Day Parades)? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 3, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-have-been-a-common-sight-in-1930-civil-war-vets-marching-in-memorial-day-parades/724159 "2015-07-03T19:39:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 7:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-have-been-a-common-sight-in-1930-civil-war-vets-marching-in-memorial-day-parades/724159/1 "2015-07-03T19:39:12Z")
Several million men were mobilized in the Civil war; the majority Union forces. Assuming that many survived the war, the youngest vets would be about 80 in 1930. Given the state of health back then, would there be many capable of marching in parades? My Dad tells me that he recalled seeing these vets as late as 1935. Statistically speaking, how many would be around, 70 years after the war? ---
**Author:** ![Obeseus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbce88/32.png) [@Obeseus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Obeseus)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-have-been-a-common-sight-in-1930-civil-war-vets-marching-in-memorial-day-parades/724159/2 "2015-07-03T19:53:16Z")
I don’t know about marching, but in my town (population 15K in 1930), CW vets would ride in an automobile or on a float. From what I know of our parades, it seems they were always riding from around 1915 until they died out. They likely marched in earlier years, but I can’t confirm. My town’s last CW vet died at age 88 in 1934. A large city would have had a higher number of vets living in the 1930s, but I’d be surprised if they were marching. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-have-been-a-common-sight-in-1930-civil-war-vets-marching-in-memorial-day-parades/724159/3 "2015-07-03T19:55:28Z")
The Grand Army of the Republic (the Union Civil War veteran’s organization) held reunions up until 1949, so it’s certainly possible. The Confederate counterpart was last held in 1951. Note that some people joined the army as drummer boys; only had to be 12. ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-have-been-a-common-sight-in-1930-civil-war-vets-marching-in-memorial-day-parades/724159/4 "2015-07-03T20:18:10Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The Confederate counterpart was last held in 1951. Who did the 103-year-old Pleasant Crump reunite with, in 1951? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-have-been-a-common-sight-in-1930-civil-war-vets-marching-in-memorial-day-parades/724159/5 "2015-07-03T20:34:17Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > The Confederate counterpart was last held in 1951. > [@Peremensoe](#): > > Who did the 103-year-old Pleasant Crump reunite with, in 1951? The North. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [July 3, 2015, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-have-been-a-common-sight-in-1930-civil-war-vets-marching-in-memorial-day-parades/724159/6 "2015-07-03T20:35:51Z")
Probably marching civil-war vets were common enough, judging by these movies that you may have come across. [**These marchers**](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gif1Vy5a8q4) are in a 1930 flick on YouTube. Also, Edison’s movies [**from the 1890s**](https://youtu.be/3UbutvHCiQA?t=3m20s) including “what may be the earliest motion-picture recordings of veterans of the war between the states,” suggests there were many marches. **[And here](https://youtu.be/AIPMtdPTsMM?t=1m19s).** This YouTube search [**for marching civil war veterans**](https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=marching+civil+war+veterans) hauls up a bunch of videos, some of which may show different marchers than those above. ---
**Author:** ![Schnitte](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/schnitte/32/9033_2.png) [@Schnitte](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Schnitte)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 11:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-have-been-a-common-sight-in-1930-civil-war-vets-marching-in-memorial-day-parades/724159/7 "2015-07-04T11:37:08Z")
It’s not directly related to the question, and has been covered on the SDMB before, but I assume it might be of interest to readers of this thread: The [last Civil War veteran’s widow](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maudie_Hopkins) died in 2008, and the [last widow to actually get a pension](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gertrude_Janeway) for her husband’s service in the Civil War died in 2003. These were, of course, women who were married at an early age to very old veterans with the purpose of getting pension entitlements. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-have-been-a-common-sight-in-1930-civil-war-vets-marching-in-memorial-day-parades/724159/8 "2015-07-04T14:18:24Z")
> [@](#): > > This Woman Is the Last Civil War Pensioner Alive > Sam Frizell @Sam\_Frizell May 10, 2014 > The last living child of a Civil War veteran, Irene Triplett still receives a monthly pension from the federal government > > Irene Triplett, 84, receives a $73.13 monthly pension payment from the Department of Veteran Affairs every month. It’s for her father’s military service—in the American Civil War. > **[This Woman Is the Last Civil War Pensioner Alive](https://time.com/95195/civil-war-pensioner/)** > > The last living child of a Civil War veteran, Irene Triplett still receives a monthly pension from the federal government ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 2:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-have-been-a-common-sight-in-1930-civil-war-vets-marching-in-memorial-day-parades/724159/9 "2015-07-04T14:34:58Z")
Although now in the age of camera phones and Internet searches it seems like “Stolen Valor” is a new thing, at least some of the old Civil War vets were frauds. > **[Fake War Stories Exposed](https://www.cbsnews.com/news/fake-war-stories-exposed/)** > > Weekly Standard: Phony Soldiers Bring Shame To Military Forces According to that article the last dozen or so confederate survivors were phony. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-have-been-a-common-sight-in-1930-civil-war-vets-marching-in-memorial-day-parades/724159/10 "2015-07-04T14:40:38Z")
> [@Loach](#): > > Although now in the age of camera phones and Internet searches it seems like “Stolen Valor” is a new thing, at least some of the old Civil War vets were frauds. > > [Fake War Stories Exposed - CBS News](http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fake-war-stories-exposed/) > > According to that article the last dozen or so confederate survivors were phony. _Florida’s last Civil War veteran, Bill Lundy, poses with a jet fighter, 1955_ → [Florida's last Civil War veteran, Bill Lundy, poses with a jet fighter, 1955 [600x474] - Imgur](http://imgur.com/gallery/uOv1NUY) ---
**Author:** ![Loach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/loach/32/350_2.png) [@Loach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Loach)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 2:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-have-been-a-common-sight-in-1930-civil-war-vets-marching-in-memorial-day-parades/724159/11 "2015-07-04T14:44:22Z")
> [@Donnerwetter](#): > > _Florida’s last Civil War veteran, Bill Lundy, poses with a jet fighter, 1955_ > > → [Florida's last Civil War veteran, Bill Lundy, poses with a jet fighter, 1955 [600x474] - Imgur](http://imgur.com/gallery/uOv1NUY) He died still claiming he was a veteran but census records show he was probably born in 1860. ---
**Author:** ![Donnerwetter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b2d939/32.png) [@Donnerwetter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Donnerwetter)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-have-been-a-common-sight-in-1930-civil-war-vets-marching-in-memorial-day-parades/724159/12 "2015-07-04T14:53:02Z")
> [@](#): > > Public records don’t support Lundy’s claim to veteran status, according to an article by Virginia native William Marvel in the February 1991 issue of “Blue and Gray,” a Civil War history magazine. > > “The census of Walton County, Fla., shows he was not born until May 1860,” the article states. “In 1910, he made no mention of having been a Civil War soldier.” > > The 1910 U.S. census provided opportunity for Civil War veterans to identify themselves, Marvel’s article stated. > > During the Great Depression of the 1930s, people started to claim Civil War veteran status so they could qualify for pensions, according to Marvel. > > “An aging (Southerner) need only tack on a few more years and fabricate service in some obscure militia unit,” Marvel said. > > The practice was not uncommon, Betty Curenton’s nephew, historian Mark Curenton, a Laurel Hill native, said. > > “By the late 1920s and early 1930s, actual veterans were getting scarce,” Curenton said. “Old men would get together and swear to each other’s pension application in order to qualify for the money. There were not any real soldiers left at that time to dispute their claim.” [http://www.crestviewbulletin.com/news/government/special-report-who-was-uncle-bill-lundy-the-man-behind-the-debated-crestview-monument-1.234624?page=0](http://www.crestviewbulletin.com/news/government/special-report-who-was-uncle-bill-lundy-the-man-behind-the-debated-crestview-monument-1.234624?page=0) ---
**Author:** ![Jim\_s\_Son](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19adc/32.png) [@Jim\_s\_Son](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jim_s_Son)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2015, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/would-it-have-been-a-common-sight-in-1930-civil-war-vets-marching-in-memorial-day-parades/724159/13 "2015-07-04T15:17:47Z")
In 1938 there was a commemoration of the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. Assuming there were no impostors, it had 25 actual veterans of the battle, !,359 Union and 486 Confederate. There were about 8,000 living veterans of the Civil War. One of my great-grandfathers was too young (born 1856) but he lived to be 98 (an older brother who was an Army lieutenant died of pneumonia during the war) and was still active as a 95 year old. So not everybody born back then died young or was feeble early. > **[1938 Gettysburg reunion](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1938_Gettysburg_reunion)** > > The 1938 Gettysburg reunion was an encampment of American Civil War veterans on the Gettysburg Battlefield for the 75th anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. The gathering included approximately 25 veterans of the battle: 72  with a further 1,359 Federal and 486 Confederate attendees out of the 8,000 living veterans of the war. The veterans averaged 94 years of age. Transportation, quarters, and subsistence was federally funded for each veteran and their accompanying attendant. The reunion'...