LA Oldest Confederate Veteran, Winn Parish, LA Archives Contributed by Greggory E. Davies ********************************************** Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ********************************************** Greggory E. Davies 120 Ted Price Lane Winnfield, LA 71483 LOUISIANA'S LAST CONFEDERATE Louisiana's last Confederate veteran, William Townsend, age 106, died in 1953 at Olla, LaSalle Parish, Louisiana. Townsend's death left only four Confederate veterans living in the United States. Fondly addressed as "General" by his many friends and relatives, Townsend lived in Winnfield for a while with his daughter, Mrs. Minnie Lancaster. Active pall-bearers for the old soldier were members of Payne-Johnson Post 3800, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Winnfield. Townsend was only two months shy of his 107th birthday when he died. He was born April 12, 1846 at Meridian, Mississippi. He enlisted in Company B, 27th Louisiana Infantry on September 8, 1861. He was wounded and captured at Vicksburg on July 4, 1863. Townsend outlived three wives and was married to a fourth at the time of his death. Winn Parish is the burial ground to at least 300 Confederate and Union veterans of the War For Southern Independence. (The above story was copied from one of the Winn Parish newspapers many years ago, probably the Winn Parish Enterprise-News American. Winn Parish is the burial ground of least 300 Civil War soldiers, Union and Confederate. Submitted by Greggory Ellis Davies, Winnfield, LA)