Allegiance United States Name Jones Morgan Unit 9th Cavalry Regiment | Years of service 1896–1900 Service/branch United States Army | |
Died August 29, 1993, Richmond, Virginia, United States | ||
Robert & Jones Morgan
Jones Morgan (23 October 1882 – 29 August 1993) was an American supercentenarian who claimed he was the last surviving veteran of the Spanish–American War.
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Service
Morgan, being an African-American, joined the 9th Cavalry Regiment as a Buffalo Soldier in 1896. Being underage upon his enlistment would later contribute to the argument surrounding the legitimacy of Morgan's claims. Morgan served in a primarily maintenance role, tending the horses of the Rough Riders and cooking meals for his fellow soldiers.
Later years
In the much later years of his life, especially after the death of Nathan E. Cook, who had long been hailed as not only the last surviving veteran of the Spanish–American War but of any American engagement, debate raged over the trustworthiness of Jones Morgan's claim to have served. Morgan did not receive any military benefits due to a lack of official papers providing evidence of his time in the army. Morgan attributed this to a fire in 1912 which destroyed the papers. Several experts, including military archivist Mike Knapp and Commander Carlton Philpot, USN, say no concrete evidence can be brought forth of Morgan's time in the army, but that they did not doubt him. Army record-keeping in the 1890s to begin with was inadequate, especially for black soldiers, who were treated like second-class citizens.
On October 5, 1992, the representative from Virginia's 3rd congressional district, Thomas J. Bliley, Jr., proposed on the floor of the United States House of Representatives a bill which would "grant Mr. Morgan the benefits he deserves," via an honorable discharge. In the three years before his death, Morgan became a popular local figure in Virginia. Morgan met former president George H. W. Bush and then-Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Colin Powell, and led the Veterans of Foreign Wars parade.
Upon his passing, Jones Morgan was interred at the Forest Lawn Cemetery in Richmond, Virginia with a commemorative plaque atop his tombstone denoting Morgan as a Buffalo Soldier.