The State of North CarolinaIn The Spanish American War, February 15th, 1898, to July 4th, 1902
The following information is about the Volunteers and Government Officials of the State of North Carolina during the Spanish American War, the Philippine Insurrection, and China Relief Expedition, February 15th, 1898, to July 4th, 1902. If you have any additional information, photographs, artifacts, etc., that you wish to contribute, feel free to submit the information to the Webmaster.
Timeline of Events
April 23rd, 1898: President William McKinley issues a call for 125,000 volunteers from across the United States to serve for two years unless sooner discharged, with each state and territory being assigned a quota that they were requested to fill. At the start of the War with Spain North Carolina�s military forces were organized under the title of the �North Carolina State Guard� and was reported as having an authorized strength in April of 1898 at around 5,000 officers and men, in reality the number of men organized were only 1,685 officers and men, with another 245,000 liable for military duty. The North Carolina National Guard was organized into one brigade,
which in April of 1898 was organized as follows:
Brigade Headquarters �Raleigh (Brigade Staff � 1 Adjt. Gen., 1 Asst. Adjt. Gen., 1 Surg. Gen., 1 Brig. QM, 1 Brig. Inspt., 1 Brigade Commissary, 2 Aide-de-Camps)
1st Regiment of Infantry � Headquarters at Washington (Co. A � �Edgecombe Guards,� Tarboro; Co. B � �Scotland Neck Riflemen,� Scotland Neck; Co. C � �Governor�s Guard,� Raleigh; Co. D � �Goldsboro Rifles,� Goldsboro; Co. E � �Roanoke Rifles,� Plymouth; Co. F � �Perquimans Guards,� Hertford; Co. G � �Washington Light Infantry,� Washington; Co. H � �Pitt Rifles,� Greenville)
2nd Regiment of Infantry � Headquarters at Wilson (Co. A � �Sampson Light Infantry,� Clinton; Co. B � �Lumber Bridge Light Infantry,� Lumber Bridge; Co. C � �Wilmington Light Infantry,� Wilmington; Co. D � �Edenton Light Infantry,� Edenton; Co. E � �Maxton Guard,� Maxton; Co. F � �Wilson Light Infantry,� Wilson; Co. G � �Hornet�s Nest Riflemen,� Charlotte)
3rd Regiment of Infantry � Headquarters at Kinston (Co. A � �Forsyth Rifles,� Winston; Co. C � �Vance Guards,� Henderson; Co. D � �Durham Light Infantry,� Durham; Co. E � �Granville Grays,� Oxford; Co. F � �Franklin Guard,� Franklinton; Co. G � �Reidsville Rifles,� Reidsville; Co. I � �Reidsville Light Infantry,� Reidsville)
4th Regiment of Infantry � Headquarters at Statesville (Co. A � �Iredell Blues,� Statesville; Co. C � �Richland Rifles,� Waynesville; Co. E � �Queen City Guards,� Charlotte; Co. F � �Asheville Light Infantry,� Asheville; Co. G � �Cabarrus Light Infantry,� Concord; Co. H � �Cleveland Guards,� Shelby)
(Unattached) Independent Light Infantry (Artillery) � Fayetteville
(Unattached) Colored Company � Charlotte
Naval Battalion (Elizabeth City Division; Kinston Division; Newbern Division; Southport Division; Wilmington Division)
April 23rd, 1898: Adjutant General A.D. Cowles telegraphs the various commands of the North Carolina State Guard asking if they will volunteer for service and to respond immediately.
April 27th, 1898: By direction of the Governor the Adjutant General proceeded to organize the North Carolina Volunteers which were called for by the President, North Carolina being called upon to provide three regiments of infantry (two white and one colored). Of the companies of the State Guard who volunteered twenty-eight (28) offered their services but only seventeen (17) were actually organized and fully recruited.
May 3rd to 11th, 1898: The First (1st) North Carolina Infantry Regiment, U.S. Volunteers, is mustered into United States service at Camp Bryan Grimes in Raleigh, North Carolina.
May 9th to 27th, 1898: The Second (2nd) North Carolina Infantry Regiment, U.S. Volunteers, is mustered into United States service at Camp Bryan Grimes in Raleigh, North Carolina.
May 12th to July 19th, 1898: The Third (3rd) North Carolina Infantry Regiment, U.S. Volunteers, is mustered into United States service at Fort Macon, North Carolina.
November 8th, 1898: General Order No. 8, North Carolina Adjutant Generals Office, is issued ordering the reorganization of the North Carolina State Guard. The Guard is reorganized into three regiments (1st, 2nd, & 3rd) of ten companies each (divided into three battalions), with the exception of the 3rd Regiment which was organized with nine companies. The re-organization of the State Guard to be effected on December 1st, 1898, by the various commands.
November 3rd to 25th, 1898: The Second (2nd) North Carolina Infantry Regiment, U.S. Volunteers, is mustered out of United States service, by companies at there respective home stations throughout North Carolina.
November 10th to 15th, 1898: Elements of the State Guard (3 Companies of Infantry, and 2 Divisions of the Naval Militia) under Lieutenant Colonel Walker Taylor are called out to Wilmington, North Carolina, in response to the rioting of Negroes in the city following a shooting at the place.
January 31st to February 8th, 1899: The Third (3rd) North Carolina Infantry Regiment, U.S. Volunteers, is mustered out of United States service at Macon, Georgia.
April 22nd, 1899: The First (1st) North Carolina Infantry Regiment, U.S. Volunteers, is mustered out of United States service at Savannah, Georgia.
Camps and Military Installations
During peace time and war the United States Military and State National Guard maintains forts, posts, depots, and other installations throughout the various states, and in times of war Camps are organized as rendezvous for the various volunteers joining. The following is a listing of those posts that were located and active in the State of North Carolina from February 15th, 1898, to July 4th, 1902.
FORT CASWELL, SOUTHPORTThe post of Fort Caswell was established in 1833 on the eastern tip of Oak Island, and was named in honor of Governor Richard Caswell of North Carolina. The post was originally authorized in 1825 by the Congress, and work was first begun in 1826, lasting until 1836 when it was completed. The Fort was occupied by Confederate forces during the American Civil War, and following that conflict was neglected until 1896 when work begun on repairing and bringing the Fort up to standards, these improvements continued until 1916 when the post was completed. The Fort served as a training camp in the First World War, and as a base and submarine lookout post in the Second World War. The post was officially closed in 1946 and sold and is currently the private property of the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina.
FORT JOHNSTON, SOUTHPORTThe post of Fort Johnston was first established in 1745 near the mouth of the Cape Fear Rive in response to King George�s War between Great Britain and Spain, and was named in honor of Governor Gabriel Johnston of North Carolina. Construction on the Fort was completed in April of 1749, and was garrisoned by North Carolina Militia and was also used as a quarantine station for newly arrived ships. The Fort was destroyed by North Carolina Militia in 1775, however in 1778 the Fort was again rebuilt, however in 1781 was destroyed by the British Army. The site of the fort was abandoned until 1794 when a new Fort was begun being erected at the site by the U.S. Government; during the War of 1812 the post was occupied by North Carolina Militia in the event of a British attack in the area, which never materialized. After the War of 1812 the post was maintained for the most part by an Ordnance Sergeant assigned to the care of the Fort, with garrisons being assigned to the post off and on. During the American Civil War, 1861-1865, the post was occupied by the North Carolina State Troops and later Confederate Troops, and for a short time in 1862 renamed the post �Fort Branch� after Confederate Brigadier General Lawrence O. Branch who had been killed in action at Antietam (Sharpsburg), Maryland, and then changed the name again in 1863 to �Fort Pender� after Major General William D. Pender who had died of wounds suffered at Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. With the fall of Fort Fisher in 1865 the Confederates abandoned the post and it was occupied by the Union forces. Following the Civil War the post was garrisoned until 1880 when the troops stationed their were moved to Washington, D.C., however in 1881 the post was reoccupied for the use of the Signal Corps and Engineer Corps. The Fort continued in service in various ways until 2004 when it was officially closed by the Military.
FORT MACON, BEAUFORTFor a detailed history of Fort Macon in the War with Spain Click Here
STATE ARSENAL, RALEIGHThe North Carolina State Arsenal was located on the grounds of the North Carolina Statehouse in Raleigh, North Carolina. In 1898 this arsenal was described in the Adjutant Generals Report as �too small, insecure, and affords very little protection to the supplies. In addition to this, it is not located in the proper place. The Capital Square would be greatly improved by removing this �eye-sore.�
CAMP BRYAN GRIMES, RALEIGHThis Camp was established on April 23rd, 1898, and was named in honor of Confederate Major General Bryan Grimes. The Camp served as the mustering grounds for the 1st North Carolina Infantry Regiment, United States Volunteers, in May of 1898. The Camp was located on 160 acres of land on the western outskirts of Raleigh between Hillsborough Street and the railroad tracks at what is today Pullen Park.
CAMP DAN RUSSELL, RALEIGHCamp Dan Russell was located on the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh, North Carolina. The camp was named in honor of Governor Daniel L. Russell of North Carolina, and served as the assembly and mustering camp of the 2nd North Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment in May of 1898.
CAMP AT FORT MACONThis Camp was located outside of at Fort Macon. It served as the assembly and training camp of the 3rd North Carolina Volunteer Infantry Regiment, and was occupied by both Volunteers and Regulars from May of 1898 to September of 1898.
Veterans Organizations
Following the end of the conflicts the Veterans began forming themselves into various regimental and national organizations for the purpose of keeping in contact with old and new friends, as well as to perpetuate the memory of their fallen comrades, several organizations sprung up in the years immediately following the war, however aside from the Regimental Associations most of these eventually came together to form the "United Spanish War Veterans." The following is information regarding the Department of North Carolina of the United Spanish War Veterans and the Auxiliary of the United Spanish War Veterans.
Veterans Memorials
The following pages contain information on the burial locations of the Veterans of 1898 to 1902, as well as the monuments and memorials that were erected to the memory of the Veterans, Battles, and other events that took place during those years, within the State of North Carolina.
Resources
Books & Published Material
- "The Annual Cyclopedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1898." D. Appleton & Company, New York, 1899.
- �Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of North Carolina for the Year 1898." Guy V. Barnes, Printer to Governor�s Council, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1899.
- �Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of North Carolina for the Year 1899." Edwards & Broughton & E.M. Uzzell, State Printers, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1900.
- �Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of North Carolina for the Year 1900." Edwards & Broughton & E.M. Uzzell, State Printers, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1901.
- �Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of North Carolina for the Year 1901." Edwards & Broughton & E.M. Uzzell, State Printers, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1902.
- �Annual Report of the Adjutant General of the State of North Carolina for the Year 1902." Edwards & Broughton, State Printers, Raleigh, North Carolina, 1903.
- �Camps of the United Spanish War Veterans. Local Lairs of the Military Order of the Serpent, 1904-1992." George Kane.
- "Correspondence relating to the War with Spain, and conditions growing out of the same, including the Insurrection in the Philippine Islands, and the China Relief Expedition, between the Adjutant-General of the Army and Military Commanders in the United States, Cuba, Porto Rico, China, and the Philippine Islands, from April 15, 1898, to July 30, 1902." Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1902.
- Volume I, "Historical Register and Dictionary of the United States Army, from its organization, September 29, 1789, to March 2, 1903." Francis B. Heitman, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1903.
- �North Carolinas Role in the Spanish American War." Joseph F. Steelman, 1975.
- "Officers of Volunteer Regiments Organized Under the Act of March 2, 1899." Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1899.
- "The Organized Militia of the United States." Government Printing Press, Washington, D.C., 1900.
- Volume I, �Report on the Origin and Spread of Typhoid Fever in U.S. Military Camps during the Spanish War of 1898.� Walter Reed, Victor C. Vaughan, Edward O. Shakespeare; Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1904.
- �Roster of North Carolina Volunteers in the Spanish-American War, 1898-1899.� Adjutant General, Raleigh, NC: Broughton and E.M. Uzzell State Printers, 1900.
- "Statistical Exhibit of Strength of Volunteer Forces Called Into Service During the War With Spain; with Losses From All Causes." Adjutant Generals Office, Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C., 1899.
Documents, Papers & Non-Published Materials
- General Index to Compiled Service Records of Volunteer Soldiers who served During the War with Spain. Microfilm publication M871, 126 rolls. ARC ID: 654543; Records of the Adjutant General's Office, 1780s-1917, Record Group 94; The National Archives at Washington, D.C.
- Pension applications for service in the US Army between 1861 and 1900, grouped according to the units in which the veterans served. (NARA T289) National Archives & Records Administration, Washington, D.C.
Websites & Online Resources
- North Carolina History Project; The Spanish American War.
- Spanish-American War Camps, 1898-1899 Period.
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