Lemuel Cook

Who was Lemuel Cook?

Lemuel Cook was one of the last verifiable surviving veterans of the American Revolutionary War. He was born in Litchfield County, Connecticut to Henry Cook and his wife Hannah Benham. Enlisting in the Continental Army at the age of sixteen, Cook fought at Brandywine and in the Virginia campaign, and was present at Charles Cornwallis' surrender. He received an honorable discharge signed by George Washington on June 12, 1784. Following the war, Cook became a farmer and married Hannah Curtis. They had seven sons and three daughters.

Lemuel Cook died at the age of 106 and was buried with full military and Masonic honors. He was one of seven Revolutionary War veterans who, having survived into the age of photography, were featured in the 1864 book The Last Men of the Revolution. He was the last survivor of 2nd Continental Light Dragoons. Cook lived long enough to see the end of the American Civil War.