1. Jun 2, 2026

   City Council

   meeting page

   Passed · Adopted

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WHEREAS, Joseph P. Caldwell, born 1847 in Allegheny City (presently the North Side), joined the Union Army at the age of only 15 to fight in the American Civil War, serving in Captain Joseph Knap's Independent Pennsylvania Light Artillery Battery and Hardin's Division, 22nd Corps; and

WHEREAS, in July of 1864, while part of the garrison defending Washington, DC, Private Caldwell participated in the Battle of Fort Stephens, defending against the final push north of the Confederate army. This battle, occurring only ten miles outside the Capital, was directly observed by President Lincoln as witnessed in person by Pvt. Caldwell; and

WHEREAS, in 1865, Pvt. Caldwell returned to civilian life, where he worked as a Contractor, owned a farm, and with his wife Clara raised a family of seven in Butler County. In 1928, the Caldwell family moved to the Brookline section of Pittsburgh; and

WHEREAS, the Caldwells spent the next seventeen years in Brookline, attending the Brookline Boulevard Presbyterian Church. The final year of Joseph Caldwell's life was spent living with his son on Pinecastle Avenue in Overbrook; and

WHEREAS, in his civilian life, Caldwell joined the Grand Army of the Republic, a veteran's organization open only to those who served in the Union army during the Civil War. This historic organization at its height had 410,000 members; and

WHEREAS, as a proud veteran and member of the GAR, Joseph Caldwell did not miss a Memorial Day Parade for eighty years, attending the South Hills Memorial Association parade every year until ill health prevented his attendance; and

WHEREAS, when Pvt. Caldwell passed on in August of 1946, he was the last Union veteran of the Civil War surviving in Allegheny County, going to his eternal rest in Summit Cemetery, Butler County; and

WHEREAS, the Davis Star Camp of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War, as a Camp of the recognized successor to the Grand Army of the Republic dedicated to maintaining the memory of these soldiers, has purchased a plaque commemorating his service and status of last Civil War veteran to pass in Allegheny County; and

WHEREAS, the Davis Star Camp of the Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War held a plaque dedication and placement ceremony at Summit Cemetery, Butler County at Joseph Caldwell's gravesite to honor his life and service; and

WHEREAS, Members of the Brookline and Overbrook neighborhoods gathered at the dedication to honor this brave member of their community

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