Honoring the Last Civil War Veterans

When thinking about the last Civil War Veterans in Meeker County, there are several ways one may define what it means to be “last.” For example, Alonzo Olmstead was the last Civil War veteran living in Meeker County. He died in 1933 at the age of 93. Albert Delong was the last member of Litchfield’s Grand Army of the Republic (G.A.R.). He resided in McLeod County at the time of his death in 1936. Enoch Eastman was another “last” in Litchfield’s G.A.R. He was the last charter member to relinquish his membership, which came with his death in 1932. He was 97 years old and Litchfield’s oldest resident.

Silas Wright Leavitt, photo curtesy of “The Yankee Volunteer, A Virtual Archive of Civil War Likenesses” collected by Dave Morin

And then there is the man who was honored at Litchfield Cemetery on Saturday, April 25. Silas Wright Leavitt has the distinction of being the last Civil War Veteran to be buried in Meeker County. The Sons of the Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) hosted a dedication ceremony as part of their Last Union Veteran Project. This is a nationwide project to honor the last Civil War veteran buried in each county or parish across the United States.

Leavitt (also spelled Leavett) was born in New Hampshire in 1843. In the fall of 1862, he enlisted in Company A, 15th New Hampshire Infantry. He was in the army for about a year, mostly serving in Louisiana.

After the war, Leavitt married Mary Campbell, and in 1868, they came to Meeker County. They first settled in Greenleaf Township and later moved to Litchfield. Leavitt had a large number of business and personal interests. He had a lumber business, dealt in wheat, started an abstract and loan company, and was among those who started the Litchfield Creamery Association and the Litchfield Brass Band. He also served as president of the school board, was an active participant in Litchfield’s Dramatic Association, and served as the leader of Company H, the local Minnesota National Guard unit. All this while serving as the District Court Clerk, a position he was elected to several times. He was also elected to two terms with the Minnesota Legislature, starting in 1891. Leavitt and his family would eventually move to Minneapolis, where he later worked for an insurance publishing company, retiring at the age of 90.

Silas and Mary were married for over 65 years. They had four children, with two daughters surviving their parents. Mary died in 1932, and Silas, age 95, died on March 11, 1939 in Minneapolis. Both are buried in the family plot in the Litchfield Cemetery where the Last Veteran ceremony took place.

The Leavitt family graves are located in Division 1 of the Litchfield Cemetery, directly east of the Civil War memorial statue. The ceremony was conducted by SUVCW Camp # 56 with the assistance of the Sons of Veterans Reserve Ceremonial Unit, VFW Post 2818, and American Legion Post 104.