The State of West VirginiaIn 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 West Virginiaduring 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 West Virginia�s military forces were organized under the title of the �West Virginia National Guard� and was reported as having an authorized strength in April 1898 at around 8,359 officers and men, in reality the number of men organized were only 1,093 officers and men, with another 125,000 liable for military duty. The National Guard was organized into one brigade, commanded by a Brigadier General appointed by the Governor. In April 1898 were organized as follows:
Brigade Headquarters: At Parkersburg
1st Regiment of Infantry (HQ � At Fairmont; 1st Battalion at Piedmont; 2nd Battalion at Charleston; 3rd Battalion at Medley)
2nd Regiment of Infantry (HQ � At Huntington; 1st Battalion at Burton; 2nd Battalion at Charleston; 3rd Battalion at Parkersburg)
The staff of the National Guard consisted of the Adjutant General, with the rank of Brigadier General, the Quartermaster General, Paymaster General, Commissary General, Chief of Ordnance, Inspector General, Judge Advocate General and a Chief Surgeon who commanded the Medical Department. To this was attached 1st Lieutenant Douglas Settle, 10th U.S. Infantry Regiment, who at the Start of the War with Spain would serve as the Chief Mustering Officer of the West Virginia Volunteers before being relieved in May 1898. Of the condition of the Guard in 1898, Lieutenant Settle noted that the "...companies are so scattered that between periods of active service they have no means of seeing others drill, and fall into slouchy ways..." and Captain Hewitt stated that "...The enlisted men are of exceptionally good physical development, and careful training will make them excellent soldiers."
April 25th, 1898: The Secretary of War telegraphs the Governor of West Virginia calling for the mobilization of one regiment of infantry for active service.
April 27th, 1898: The first volunteers arrive and establish Camp Lee at Charleston, West Virginia, as the mobilization point of the West Virginia Volunteers.
May 7th to 14th, 1898: The First (1st) West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment is mustered into United States service at Camp Lee, West Virginia, with forty-six (46) officers and nine-hundred and forty-six (946) enlisted men, under the command of Colonel Baldwin D. Spilman
June 18th, 1898: The Secretary of War telegraphs the Governor of West Virginia calling for the mobilization of an additional regiment of infantry for active service.
June 25th to July 30th, 1898: The Second (2nd) West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment is mustered into United States service at Camp Atkinson, West Virginia, with forty-two (42) officers and one thousand two hundred and eighty-one (1,281) enlisted men under the command of Colonel D.T.E. Castell.
June 24th, 1898: The first camp arrives at Camp Atkinson near Charleston, West Virginia.
February 4th, 1899: The First (1st) West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment is mustered out of United States service at Camp Conrad in Columbus, Georgia.
April 10th, 1899: The Second (2nd) West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment is mustered out of United States service at Camp Wetherill in Greenville, South Carolina.
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 West Virginia from February 15th, 1898, to July 4th, 1902.
CAMP ATKINSON, CHARLESTON, KANAWHA COUNTYThe camp was named in honor of West Virginia Governor George W. Atkinson, and was located on the north bank of Great Kanawha River, half a mile below the mouth of the Elk River, near current day Patrick Street Plaza. The was established in June of 1898 as the assembly camp for the 2nd West Virginia Volunteers, the first companies of the regiment arrived and began establishing the Camp on June 27th, 1898, and remained in operation until August 19th, 1898, when the regiment departed from the post for active service.
CAMP LEE, CHARLESTON, KANAWHA COUNTYThis camp was organized in May of 1898 by the eighteen companies of the West Virginia National Guard, which were brought together to form the 1st West Virginia Volunteer Infantry Regiment. The Camp was located in current day Kanawha City, and was on the south side of the Great Kanawha River, a mile above where the steel bridge crossed the River.
An unknown West Virginia Volunteer in camp, ca. 1898. (Collection of West Virginia & Regional History Center)
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 West Virginia 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 West Virginia.
Resources
Books & Published Material
- Page 798, "The Annual Cyclopedia and Register of Important Events of the Year 1898." D. Appleton & Company, New York, 1899.
- "Biennial Report of the Adjutant General of West Virginia, 1899-1900." The Tribune Company, State Printer, Charleston, West Virginia, 1900.
- Page 622, "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.
- "List of Military Posts, etc., Established in the United States from its earliest settlement to the present time." Adjutant General's Office, War Department; Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C.; 1902.
- "Officers of Volunteer Regiments Organized Under the Act of March 2, 1899." Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1899.
- Pages 306 to 311, "The Organized Militia of the United States." Government Printing Press, Washington, D.C., 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.
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