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George Farber – Fired Last Shot of Civil War
Posted By Norman Gasbarro on February 8, 2019
George Farber, who was born in Prussia, Germany, about 20 May 1840, was living in Petersburg, Lackawanna, County, Pennsylvania, at the time of the Civil War, when he enrolled there in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry on 17 September 1861. Like his father, he was a carpenter. After traveling to Harrisburg to be mustered into service on 7 October 1861, he declared Dauphin County to be his residence. While there is no evidence that he had any geographical connection to the Lykens Valley area, he joined Company B of the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry which was composed primarily of men from the Lykens Valley area. At age 21, standing about 5 foot 7 inches tall, with red hair, hazel eyes and a fair complexion, he took his place as a private in the company. The card, above, from the Pennsylvania Archives, reports no unusual events during his service, but does state that on 1 January 1864, he re-enlisted at Mossy Creek, Tennessee. His service was completed when he was honorably discharged on 18 July 1865.
George Farber claimed that he fired the last shot of the Civil War, an event described briefly in the Wilkes-Barre Record of 8 September 1900, published a short time after his death:
LAST SHOT IN CIVIL WAR
THAT DISTINCTION CLAIMED FOR A LACKAWANNA COUNTY MAN JUST DECEASED
The Scranton Tribune, notes the death in Petersburg, that county, of George Farber, the man who fired the last shot in the Civil War. The tribune says:
“The incident by which he won the distinction occurred at Edwardsburg, North Carolina, just previous to Johnson’s surrender. Mr. Farber, and George Burkee, who still lives in Scranton, were detached from their company of cavalry and assigned to artillery work. They were operating a large gun in a wooded place some distance from the main body and in this way continued firing after hostilities had been called off, they not knowing of the surrender. Mr. Burkee, and George Schultz Jr., brother-in-law of the deceased Mr. Farber, are the only survivors of the seventeen sturdy young lads who went out from Petersburg with the 9th Cavalry.
“On returning to Scranton, he was captain of a boat on the Pennsylvania Canal for a year, then engaged in mining, and finally established the Fairview Hotel, which he conducted until about ten years ago, when he retired from business.
“The deceased was born in Allebach, Prussia, May 28, 1840. Since 1851 he lived in the Petersburg portion of Scranton. He worked in the mines until the breaking out of the Civil War, when he and his brother Louis Farber, enlisted in Company B, 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry. His father had previously gone out with the 107th Pennsylvania Infantry. The deceased was discharged in July 1865 after four years of service.
The Pension Index Card (above) from Fold3, notes that on 18 June 1891, George Farber applied for a Civil War pension – which he received and collected until his death. The widow Caroline [Goerlitz] Farber then applied and she collected benefits until her death, which occurred in 1916.
The Pittston Gazette of 5 September 1900 included the information that George Farber had served in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives:
Hon. J. George Farber, of Petersburg, Scranton, died last evening after an illness of three months of dropsy. He was born in Prussia in 1840 and had lived in Petersburg since 1851. During the Civil War he served four years in the 9th Pennsylvania Cavalry. It is said that he fired the last shot of the war. For twenty years he was a member of the Lackawanna County Republican Committee. He served in the House of Representatives at Harrisburg during the term 1885-1886.
George Farber is buried at the Dunmore Cemetery, Dunmore, Lackawanna County, Pennsylvania. His grave marker notes his Civil War service and at graveside, there is a G.A.R. star-flag holder.
Previously on this blog, a brief mention was made of George’s service in a post entitled 2012 Additions to Veterans’ List.
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News clippings are from Newspapers.com. The portrait of George Farber in Civil War uniform (top of post) is from Ancestry.com.
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