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Though he was only fourteen years old, Hiram Cronk enlisted in the United States Army when British forces threatened Upstate New York. He participated in the defense of Sackets Harbor on Lake Ontario, serving for three months. Then he went home, became a shoemaker, got married and had children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Cronk died in 1905 at the age of 105. He was the last American veteran of the War of 1812, so his funeral was a major public event in New York City. Watch the funeral procession, featuring veterans from the Civil War and Spanish-American War, move through Brooklyn.
Link -via American Digest | Photo of Cronk's Grave
Gerard Van der Leun, the blogger responsible for American Digest, frequently links to Neatorama. So, at minimum, he's a connoisseur of the finest cat videos and Jabba the Hutt cakes.