@ During the Civil War that threatened to tear the United States apart came the realization that only a handful of veterans of the American Revolution still survived—men who had fought the war that created the nation. Six of these men were photographed and interviewed for a book by Reverend E. B. Hillard that appeared late in 1864. Their images have captivated generations since then; but—through a combination of faded memories and the interviewer’s patriotic agenda—the biographies accompanying these amazing photographs were garbled and distorted, containing information that ranged from inaccurate to implausible. Now for the first time the military careers of these men have been researched in detail using a wide range of primary sources. The result is a new perspective on the actual service of these soldiers, from enlistment to discharge, along with new details of their relatively quiet postwar lives. Join us on the Watkins Museum Facebook and YouTube pages for a live online discussion with Don N. Hagist, author of The Revolution’s Last Men: The Soldiers Behind the Photographs. You’ll be able to post questions and comments! This event is part of America at 250 and Civil War on the Border. CWB 2026 is sponsored by the John Nalbandian Gift Fund.
