In Newtown, PA's Last Civil War Veteran To Be Remembered At Ceremony

NEWTOWN BOROUGH, PA —Pennsylvania's last Civil War veteran who died in 1949 will be remembered during a ceremony on Saturday, Sept. 14 at the Newtown Cemetery where he is buried with his wife and two daughters.

A graveside service will be conducted at 11 a.m. by the Baker-Fisher Camp 101 Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War for lifelong Newtown resident Charles Duckworth, who was born in 1846 and who died at the age of 102 in 1949.

“The Sons of Union Veterans is honoring people who were the last surviving Civil War veterans from each state when they died," said Bob Louis of the Sons of the Union Veterans Camp in Hatboro. "And we’re doing this around the country, not just to honor Private Duckworth but all the Civil War veterans who fought for the Union.”

According to Louis, Private Duckworth was the last surviving Civil War veteran to die in Pennsylvania. "He wasn’t a general or a high-ranking officer. He was a private and he did his bit just like many others did from the community."

Duckworth was born in Bucks County, where he lived his entire life. He was a chore boy on a Bucks County farm when he joined the Union Army at the age of 16.

"Many people who fought in the Civil War, like Private Duckworth, had never left their hometowns," said Louis. "They had never gone more than a few miles from where they lived. They volunteered and traveled hundreds of miles away to get shot at and some of them were killed. But it's because of people like Private Duckworth we have the country we have today. They believed in the cause. They were brave people who lived in the community and are now buried in the community and are the reason why the community, indeed the nation, is the way it is today."

According to a newspaper account of his death, Duckworth served first as a drummer boy and later transferred to Company I, 18th Pennsylvania Cavalry, fighting with that unit through the Battle of the Wilderness, one of the bloodiest battles of the war fought in a wooded area near Locust Grove, Va., from May 5–7, 1864.

He survived the war, returned to his Newtown home after two years in the Union Army and married Mary K. Pownall and together they raised seven children.

He was employed for many years in the lumber yard and saw mill of the A. W. and W. M. Watson Co. Duckworth was a coach maker by trade.

He was active in the Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R) until his death on April 10, 1949. Charles H. Duckworth was the last surviving veteran in Pennsylvania and in Bucks County to serve in the Civil War.

“This is a chance to honor the people who fought and gave their lives to preserve the Union and to end slavery," said Louis. "People who attend will learn something about Private Duckworth and something about American history.”

Family, friends, and the public are invited to attend the dedication, which will include the placement of a new grave marker after a brief memorial service.

“Help us honor and remember a man who served to preserve this great country,” said Louis.

“People say the Civil War is the most important thing that happened in this country since the Revolution. We want to keep that memory alive and not forget what happened,” he said.

The Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is the successor to the Grand Army of the Republic. Members are descendants of Union veterans or the brother or sister of Union veterans - a nephew or a niece. Its mission is to keep alive the Union veterans of the Civil War.

Every year on New Year’s Eve, the Hatboro Chapter travels to the Laurel Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia to honor General George Mead, the hero of the Battle of Gettysburg, with a champagne toast. The chapter also honors three generals buried at the Norristown Cemetery.