--- title: "The last 6 Revolutionary War veterans survived long enough to be photographed" description: "In 1864, the last six surviving Revolutionary War veterans all sat down for a photograph and shared some stories." date: "2022-10-17" modified: "2026-06-11" authors: - name: "Blake Stilwell" job_title: "Editor-In-Chief, Air Force Veteran" link: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/authors/blake/" url: "https://www.wearethemighty.com/mighty-trending/revolutionary-war-photographs/" categories: - "History" - "Revolutionary War" - "War History" tags: - "America250" - "Military History" - "Revolutionary War" - "Veterans" --- # The last 6 Revolutionary War veterans survived long enough to be photographed ![spirit of 1776 revolutionary war]() *"The Spirit of '76" by Archibald Williard.* The Revolutionary War ended long before photography was a refined process, but the gap between the two historic events was still enough to allow some of America's true patriots—literally American patriot troops—to sit for a photo. **Also Read: [DNA science and public databases offer a new way to identify soldiers’ remains]()** America became and independent nation in 1783 when the U.S. and Britain signed the Treaty of Paris that ended the Revolutionary War. The history of photography began much later, and the earliest surviving photo [dates back to 1826](). a 43-year difference. Still, there were veterans of the war who both survived the war and lived long enough after to sit for a photo. Since the average life span of a man at that time was around 40 years, it's safe to say these Revolutionary War veterans are lucky to have lived that long, but they had to wait even longer. The Reverend Elias Brewster Hillard tracked down the six men and with the help of photographers Nelson and Roswell Moore photographed the last six surviving Revolutionary War veterans... 83 years after the Treaty of Paris. Hillard traveled to the homes of these remaining centenarians, conducting interviews and preserving their stories [in his 1864 book](), "The Last Men of the Revolution." ### 1. Samuel Downing ![revolutionary war veteran photograph downing]() *Samuel Downing, from "The Last Men of the Revolution." (Library of Congress)* Samuel Downing was born on Nov. 30, 1761 and died on Feb. 18 1867, aged 105, but was 102 when Hillard interviewed him. He enlisted in New Hampshire and served under Gen. Benedict Arnold at the Battle of Saratoga, saying Arnold was a fighting general, one who treated his soldiers well, and as brave a man as ever lived. He lamented the fact that generals in the Civil War weren't as gentlemanly as they were in his time. ### 2. Rev. Daniel Waldo ![revolutionary war veteran photograph daniel waldo loc]() *Rev. Daniel Waldo, from "The Last Men of the Revolution." (Library of Congress)* Daniel Waldo was a clergyman who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became Chaplain of the House of Representatives. He was a Connecticut colonist drafted at age 16 in 1778 and captured by the English in 1779. Confined in a New York prison, he was later released in exchange for captured British soldiers. He also lived to be more than 100 years old. ### 3. Lemuel Cook ![revolutionary war veteran photograph cook]() *Lemuel Cook, from "The Last Men of the Revolution." (Library of Congress)* Lemuel Cook was born on Sept. 10, 1759. At 105, Cook would be the oldest surviving Revolutionary War veteran photographed. He joined the Continental Army only by convincing the recruiter he would serve for the duration of the war. He was also the last veteran of the war. He was in the Army at Brandywine and at Yorktown, under the command of Washington, the Marquis de Lafayette, and le Compte de Rochambeau. He remembered Washington ordered his men not to laugh at the British after the surrender, because the shame of surrender was bad enough. ### 4. Alexander Milliner ![revolutionary war veteran photograph millener]() *Alexander Millener, from "The Last Men of the Revolution." (Library of Congress)* Alexander Milliner claimed to have served in George Washington's Life Guard. He was a Quebec native who not only served as drummer boy at the Battles of White Plains, Brandywine, Monmouth, and Yorktown, he was also on the crew of the USS Constitution back when the ship was the latest technology in naval warfare. He remembered that General Washington once patted him on the head and referred to Milliner as "his boy." ### 5. William Hutchings ![ photograph hutchings loc]() *William Hutchings, from "The Last Men of the Revolution." (Library of Congress)* A native of what is now called Maine, who enlisted at age 15, Hutchings served in coastal defense batteries along the Maine coast. He was taken prisoner at the Siege of Castine, the only action he saw in the entire war. The British released him because of his young age. He died in 1866, at the home he lived in for almost 100 years. ### 6. Adam Link ![revolutionary war veteran Adam Link]() *Adam Link, from "The Last Men of the Revolution." (Library of Congress)* Adam Link joined the Army in 1777 and served for five years on the frontier in Virginia. He was from Hagerstown, Maryland and enlisted in the Pennsylvania militia on three separate occasions. At 16, he was part of a unit whose job was to defend the Western Frontier–back when that frontier was still in Pennsylvania. The hard drinking, hard working farmer lived to the ripe old age of 104, dying shortly after his photo with Hillard. ### Don’t Miss the Best of We Are The Mighty **• [The last surviving veterans of every American war through World War I]()** **• [The last Union combat veteran of the Civil War lived to see the Cold War]()** **• [This Delta Force rescue was the first attack of Operation Just Cause]()** ## Author Blake Stilwell is We Are The Mighty's Editor-in-Chief, covering military news, entertainment, and history, along with veteran education, employment and entrepreneurship. He is a former U.S. Air Force combat cameraman with degrees in Graphic Design, Television and Film, International Relations, Public Relations, Business Management and Middle Eastern Affairs. After leaving the military, he began working in film and television production in New York and Los Angeles, work that included ABC News, NBC Olympics, and HBO Sports. He then spent two years in Washington with White House Communications, before joining the Near East Foundation. At NEF he served as an International Development Fellow, then Communications Officer, and finally, Media Officer for the Middle East and Africa. Based in the Palestinian Territory, he coordinated strategic communications between eight country offices, international media, and government and NGO partners. He began a career focused on writing and editing in 2015 with We Are The Mighty. He left in 2019 for Military.com, but returned as Editor-in-Chief in 2025. Blake’s work has been seen on CBS News, Fox News, CBC, The Chicago Tribune, Task & Purpose, Military Times, Recoil, Skillset, American History, and was shockingly even used in a Supreme Court argument. He is an avid traveler and small business owner in Ohio, where he spends most of his energy fixing up a very old house. ### Author social links [Facebook]() [Twitter]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()