'He shook the hand of Lincoln': Last soldier in Lake County to serve in the Civil War to be honored

Silas Nichols died in 1945 but a special service Saturday will culminate a long mission to find and honor him as the last Union Civil War veteran in Lake County.

A granite and bronze marker will be dedicated at Nichols grave at Hickory Union Cemetery, 19300 W. Edwards Road, Antioch. Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War is hosting the ceremony at 1:30 p.m. featuring speakers and an artillery salute.

"It's a magnificent act of closure," said Stuart Stefany, an art teacher at Woodland Middle School in Gurnee and Camp 1 commander of the fraternal organization. "The public is highly encouraged to come."

Nichols was from Ohio and moved to Lake County in 1889 and became involved in veterans' activities after his retirement. His military service was short and largely uneventful - except for meeting President Abraham Lincoln.

"He shook the hand of Lincoln," is inscribed on Nichols' and his wife, Elizabeth's, shared tombstone. The couple was married 71 years. According to reports, Nichols saw Lincoln three times, once at the White House.

In a 1943 newspaper article, Nichols recounted he and several soldiers went to the White House and asked to see the president. A guard, according to the account, told Lincoln: "It's only some old soldiers."

Nichols, in the article, said he heard Lincoln reply, "Never call them that," and personally welcomed them.

"Really, Nichols is known for meeting Abraham Lincoln and shaking his hand," said Diana Dretske, curator and historian for the Bess Bower Dunn Museum of Lake County. "That's pretty cool."

Dretske, who will be speaking at the dedication, profiled Nichols in a Dunn Museum history blog.

Saturday's ceremony is the culmination of the Sons of Union Veterans' Last Soldier project in Lake County. The purpose of the national project is to locate and mark the grave of the last Union Civil War veteran in a particular county to die. Camp 1 dedicated a plaque to Cook County's last soldier about 16 years ago, Stefany said.

"It's our connection with history," Stefany said.

Nearly 2,000 Lake County men enlisted voluntarily into 75 different regiments, according to Dretske.

Stefany said it took nearly 20 years of research, false starts and dead ends to identify Nichols.

In May 1864, Nichols enlisted for 100 days of service in the 145th Ohio Infantry, Company 1, a National Guard unit deployed to guard Washington D.C., Dretske reported.

While there, the unit constantly was under arms and present for a two-day skirmish when Confederate Gen. Jubal Early attacked Washington, she said.

Nichols moved to Lake Villa in 1889 and to Waukegan in 1892. He was a detective for the Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railroad, retiring in 1920.

Nichols was elected Waukegan Grand Army of the Republic Post 374 commander in 1927 and advocated for veterans' health benefits. He also was a member of the Lake County Soldiers & Sailors Association and attended its annual reunions.

Dretske wrote that each Memorial Day from 1925 to 1942, Nichols recited the Gettysburg Address at the Waukegan courthouse square. The reading also is part of Saturday's program.

"His service may not have been eventful, but he obviously had a very strong sense of community and patriotism," Stefany said.