A group of shoe shine boys gather around an old Civil War veteran to listen to his war stories, 1935.

A group of shoe shine boys gather around an old Civil War veteran to listen to his war stories, 1935.


The Civil War veteran in the photograph is wearing the cap of the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR), which was the largest Union veterans' organization founded in 1866.

The number on his cap indicates that he belonged to Post 139, located in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

This prize-winning amateur photograph from the 1935 Newspaper National Snapshot Awards was taken by Mrs. Nathan Klein of Wyoming, Pennsylvania. The caption on the back of the photo reads: "Old soldier talking to bootblacks."

Many Civil War veterans lived long lives. In fact, around 1,800 veterans attended the 75th reunion of the Battle of Gettysburg in 1938, with an average age of about 95.

According to the National Civil War Museum, the last documented Civil War soldier, Albert H. Woolson from Minnesota, passed away in 1956.

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