Veterans of the Spanish-American War
(From Madison County)
UNKNOWN HERO OF THE 9TH CAVALRY
Source: Alton Telegraph, August 25, 1898
Here is a story concerning the 9th Cavalry. The last night of one
unknown hero was recited beside the campfire of the 9th. He was only
a regular, who went into the army for his clothes and lodging, just
as the Sergeant did who told the tale, but he knew how to fight, and
better how to die. “I don’t know his name,” said the Sergeant, “but
he had more grit a thousand times than I have. I was in the fight
the first day at San Juan, and we were in a regular hell, not one of
us knowing what was coming next, nor caring much, for we had work to
do. I came accidentally across him lying beside the path that we
took to get into the open from a clump of trees, where he had been
held in reserve. He had been shot through the head and was dying as
fast as the blood came out of his wound. Some fellows with me
stopped to give him a drink, for we knew he was thirsty, and I
raised up his head so he could drink. He could not even raise his
hand when I touched him, but he opened his eyes and said, ‘Who are
you?’ ‘We are the 9th, said one of the fellows, ‘take a drink and
you’ll feel easier.’ ‘No,’ said he, ‘Don’t mind me here, I’m done
for. I’m the 9th too, and I’m dying. Keep your water, you’ll need it
up at the firing line, where you belong. They want you there, but
I’m done.’”
“Yes, I left him,” continued the Sergeant, “because he went wild
then, and we could not make out what he said. I had seen him before,
but he was not in my troop. I couldn’t find the place where we left
him after the fight. I never found out who he was. I told our
Captain, but nobody will ever know what his name was.”
And thus perished an unknown hero of the 9th Cavalry. May this
unknown hero rest in peace.
_______________
Abel, Percy (Army; Company B, 19th Infantry) Died 1941.
Adams, Edward H. (Eighth IL Regiment, Colored) Died 1924.
Adney, Thomas (Navy)
Atkins, Charles (Navy) Died 1926.
Baglin, William George (Navy; 2nd Class Fireman; U.S.S. New York) Died 1966.
Baird, Charles W. (Army, Infantry) Died 1947.
Baker, Lucien (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Barth, Fred Aug. (Navy; U.S.S. Newark)
Beall, Charles L. (Army; Company G, 16th Infantry)
Beckman, Dr. Peter (Army; 16th Infantry Surgeon; promoted to Chief Surgeon; also served in the Philippine War.)
Bennett, Inslee Theodore (Died 1946)
Boals, Lt. Frank Snowden (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard) Died 1934.
Bowden, John C.
Bradley, Harry Edgar (Navy; U.S.S. Yale) Died 1966.
Braun, Joseph (Army; Company E, 16th Infantry. Killed in Action, 1898).
Brice, Frank D. (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Brubach, William (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Brunner, George (Army; Eighth U.S. Cavalry)
Brunner, John (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Buck, Fred (Navy)
Buck, John
Burgess, T. D. (Navy)
Burris, Clyde
Burris, L. (Navy; U.S.S. Cincinnati)
Burris, William (Navy)
Butler, Clay P. (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Butterfield, Roy (Army; 19th Infantry)
Chalk, Hart (Navy)
Chalk, William "Will" P. (Army; 16th Infantry)
Challacombe, Allen (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Champion, W. L. (Navy)
Chapman, Luke B. (Navy; U.S.S. Franklin)
Childs, Frank (Army)
Clement, Frank (Navy)
Clifford, Frank (Army; Troop H, 8th U.S. Cavalry)
Cobeck, Walter F. (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Cobb, Caura
Cobeck, Walter F. (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Colgate, Nathan Thomas Sr. (last surviving Spanish-American War veteran in Edwardsville; died May 1966)
Cook, Walter (Navy; Alton's last surviving member of the
Spanish-American War Veterans)
Coombs, John A. (Eighth IL Regiment, Colored. First casualty from Alton. Died from dysentery at Santiago.)
Cousley, Aleck (Navy)
Cousley, John A. Jr. (Army; 19th Infantry)
Craig, Harry E. (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Crane, W. P. (Navy)
Crawford, John (Eighth IL Regiment, Colored.)
Crossman, Lieutenant Edward Vaughton (Commander of 2nd Battalion)
Crossman, Thomas (Army; 16th Infantry)
Daube, Henry F. (served in the Spanish-American War and WWI)
Dickey, George (Navy; U.S.S. Newark)
Dickey, Robert D. (Navy; U.S.S. Newark)
Dobson, Corporal Hugh (Army; 1st Missouri Infantry)
Dogsdin, Hugh W.
Donnelly, C. (Navy)
Donnelly, James J. (Navy)
Drummond, Thomas (Army; Roosevelt's Rough Riders; contracted malarial fever, and returned home in August 1898.)
Dudley, H. (Army)
Duley, Arthur C.
Duncan, John (Navy)
Eberlin, Albert
Eckhard, August P. (Army; 19th Infantry)
Eckhardt, Charles (Army)
Ensminger, John
Epperhart, William (Navy)
Evans, Walter (Army, 8th Regiment)
Fair, Charles (Eighth IL Regiment, Colored)
Fletcher, William (Army; Co. B, 10th Infantry)
Foreman, Charles (Navy)
Foreman, James B. (Navy; U.S.S. Newark)
Fryman, J. (Navy)
Garvin, Frank (Army; 5th Infantry)
Geisler, Frank (Navy)
Giberson, W. C. (Navy)
Gifford, Harry Earl (died 1957)
Gildersleeve, Charles (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Gollmer, Albert (Army; 19th Infantry)
Gonimer, Albert (Army)
Gradolph, William E. (Navy; U.S.S. Newark; gun Captain)
Gray, William E. (Navy)
Green, Charles F.
Grenzebach, William (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Gruback, William
Haberer, John (Army; Pvt. 16th Infantry) Died 1899.
Hagerman, Charles (Navy)
Hagerman, William (Navy; U.S.S. Cincinnati)
Haight, Edward Alonzo (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard, gun Captain)
Halsey, Isaac Benjamin (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Hancock, F. (Navy)
Hannold, Edgar
Hansell, William (In several battles in Cuba; contracted malarial fever, which plagued him until his death in 1915)
Harber, John (Army; 16th Infantry)
Hardesty, Denver W.
Hart, John (Army)
Hartmann, Joseph (Navy)
Hayes, Curtis E. (Navy)
Head, Charles L. (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Hebroke, Charles (Army)
Hebroke, William (Army; 19th Infantry)
Hellrung, Bartley (Army; 19th Infantry)
Herb, Charles F. (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Hewitt, Harold H. (Navy; U.S.S. Leyden; U.S.S. Lancaster; after
the war was Commander of the Alton Naval Militia.)
Hill, Frank
Hodge, Archie (Army)
Hodge, Carlton F. (Army; 16th Infantry)
Hoffman, Otto J.
Horneyer, Herman (Army; 19th Infantry)
Hulbert, Bert (Navy; U.S.S. Cincinnati)
Humm, Fritz
Hunter, John P. (Eighth IL Regiment, Colored)
Huskinson, George (Signal Officer under Capt. Benj. M. Shaffner)
Ingham, W. E. (Navy)
Jacoby, A. (Navy)
Jacoby, Henry (Navy)
Jacoby, William (Navy; U.S.S. Cincinnati)
Johnson, Alex or Aleck (Eighth IL Regiment, Colored)
Johnson, Charles (Army; 9th Illinois Infantry)
Johnson, Edward E. (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Jolly, W. R. (Navy)
Knapp, Edward (Navy)
Lane, Ward (Navy; U.S.S. Yale; gun Captain)
Lang, George (Navy)
Leach, George H. (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Lemen, Dr. Harry Rodgers
(Army; 16th Infantry.) (Served in the war between Russia and
Japan as surgeon in the Japanese army; served in the Boxer Rebellion
in China; served as Private in the 16th Infantry during the
Spanish-American War. Promoted to Surgeon on the battlefield; served
during the campaign in the Philippines)
Leuckel, Philip (Army; wounded in Battle of Santiago)
Leyser, Philip G. (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Lind, John (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Lively, John (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Logsden, Hugh W. (Navy)
Long, Henry (Eighth IL Regiment, Colored)
Lowe, Edward A.
Lynch, John
Lynde, John (Navy)
Lyons, Charles (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Lyons, William M. (Navy)
Maxfield, Cyrus (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Maxfield, J. B. (Navy)
McFarlane, John C.
McVey, George E. (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Metcalfe, A. D. (Army)
Miles, Henry (Eighth IL Regiment, Colored)
Miller, Wilson (Eighth IL Regiment, Colored)
Monroe, John (Navy)
Montgomery, William A. (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Morris, William A. (Navy; U.S.S. Cincinnati)
Nash, Lieutenant Edward E. (Army; 9th IL Infantry)
Neal, Wyllis J. (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Nunn, James (Army)
Owens, Ed Emmerson (Navy; 3rd Division, 2nd Battalion)
Paddock, Jeremiah (Navy)
Pain, Olem (Eighth IL Regiment, Colored)
Parker, George (Navy; U.S.S. Yale; gun Captain)
Pear, Tony (Eighth IL Regiment, Colored)
Peters, Charles (Navy; U.S.S. New York)
Peters, William (Navy; U.S.S. Oregon)
Peterson, F. W.
Pfeiffer, A. (Navy)
Preuitt, William Arthur (Army)
Reed, John M. (Army)
Rice, Edgar (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Rice, Corporal Percy (Army; 16th Infantry - was in the battles of El Caney and San Juan Hill)
Robertson, James (Army; 19th Infantry)
Robidou, Lawrence (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Rowan, Harry J. (Navy)
Ryrie, Herbert (Army; Eighth Cavalry)
Sappington, Will "Sap" F. (Navy; U.S.S. Leyden) Died 1925.
Schmidt, W. C. (Navy)
Scovell, William (Navy)
Scramm, John C.
Shaffer, Joseph (Army)
Smith, C. J. (Navy)
Smith, Charles E. (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Smith, E. H. (Navy)
Smith, Gus (Eighth IL Regiment, Colored)
Smith, Harris (Navy; U.S.S. Yale; gun Captain)
Smith, Lt. William Harvey (Army, 10th Cavalry) Killed in action,
1898, in Battle of Santiago.
Sparks, Hosea S. (Navy)
Sparks, Lieutenant W. L. (Navy; U.S.S. Sterling)
Squires, Frank (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Stamper, Joseph (Navy)
Stanford, Lieutenant H. Reed (Army)
Still, Frank (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Streeper, Wilbur F. (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Sutter, John
Swain, Charles (Navy; U.S.S. Harvard)
Teachout, George I.
Tonsager, Conrad (Navy)
Topping, Charles
Topping, Perry (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Tremmel, Jacob (Army; 19th Infantry)
Turk, William "Willie" (Army)
Ulrich, George C. (Navy)
Utt, Lewis (Navy; U.S.S. Aberenda)
VanTreese, Harry (Cavalry, Roosevelt Rough Rider)
Volz, Gus A. (Navy, U.S.S. Harvard)
Walters, Charles S. (Navy; repair ship U.S.S. Vulcan)
Walters, Joseph (Army; 19th Infantry)
Waltrous, Charles (Army)
Waltrous, Frank B. (Army; 16th Infantry)
Wandling, H. T.
White, Fred (Army; heavy artillery)
Whitmer, Fred C. (Sergeant; 1st Illinois Cavalry)
Whitmer, brother of Fred
Wiegand, Leo J. (Navy)
Wiescarger, C. (Army)
Williams, David R. (Navy)
Williams, Harry D. (Navy; U.S.S. Yale)
Williams, S. D. (Navy)
Wilson, William (Eighth IL Regiment, Colored. Died of disease in 1903 which he contracted during the war.)
Witherow, John Fredrick Sr.
Wolffbrandt, Charles (Navy)
Yokum, Charles (Navy)
Young, David D. (Navy; U.S.S. Cincinnati)