SPANISH-AMERICAN WAR WAS
AN EARLY FIGHT FOR HUMAN RIGHTS
Thursday, April 27, 1978
THE WAR WITH SPAIN
- 1898
Today's story
has a two-fold purpose: (1) to pay tribute to those men who took part
in the Spanish-American War (2) to remind readers what that war was
all about.
Most readers know
more about World War I and II than about the Spanish- American War...perhaps
because it was of short duration; and it was not a costly war like later
ones.
Historically,
in the last part of the 19th century, Spain controlled the Philippines,
also Guam, Cuba and Puerto Rico. Spain began conquest of Cuba in 1511.
As Cuba grew the Spanish overlords practiced greed in their treatment
of the people and as a result there was periodic revolt.
HUMAN RIGHTS
The same practice
of mistreatment of the people was prevalent in the Philippines. During
Grover Cleveland's presidency (1893-1897), the objected strenously to
Spain and was told not to interfere. The American people were angerred
with the situation. The belief in "human rights" prevelant today in
the United States, existed then too.
During William
McKinley's presidency (1897-1901 the mistreatment of the people in Spanish
posessions continued.
February 15, 1898,
the U.S. Battleship Maine, was blown up in the Havana, Cuba, harbor.
McKinley tried to avoid war...he delivered a message on neutral intervention
in April, 1898. Congress declared that Spain should be punished, and
voted for the liberation and independence of Cuba. War was declared
April 21 against Spain.
SPANISH FLEET
DESTROYED
On May 1, 1898,
Commodore Dewey, with an American fleet, sailed into Manila Bay, the
Philippines and destroyed the Spanish fleet anchored there. The city
surrendered, and when peace was finally made the island was kept by
the U.S. and Spain was paid $20,000,000.
June 22, 1898,
American troops landed on Cuban soil, and battles were fought near Santiago.
At about the same time, a Spanish fleet that was anchored in the harbor
of Santiago attempted to escape the blockade of the American fleet.
A running fight took place. Under the command of Commodore W.T. Sampson,
the American fleet completely destroyed the Spanish fleet, either sinking
or setting fire to all their ships. In a short while Cuba, also Puerto
Rico was in the hands of the United States. The war with Spain lasted
only 100 days.
The highlight
of Dewey's victory at Manila was that Spain lost 11 ships and 381 men,
or 19 percent of their total force. Their casualties on shore were 175
men.
U.S. SHIPS UNSCATHED
On the otherhand
not a man was lost of the American fleet, nor was any ship disabled...thus
making the battle of Manila one of the most remarkable of naval victories.
At Cuba, one of
the best known victories for the Americans became known as the famous
"charge up San Juan Hill", under the leadership of Theodore Roosevelt
and his "rough riders". In that encounter the U.S. in three days of
fighting lost 22 officers and 208 men killed, 81 officers and 1,203
wounded and 79 missing. The Spanish losses were more than 1,500 officers
and men killed and wounded.
CUBAN SETTLEMENT
The finality to
the Cuban story is that in 1901 the U.S. offered them control of their
government if they would agree to five points:
1. Make no treaties
with foreign powers which would hurt the U.S.
2. The U.S. would
have right to preserve order if their government failed.
3. They were not
to go deeply into debt.
4. Provide the
U.S. shore storage for coal for warships.
5. Ports to be
kept clean to eradicate yellow fever.
In 1902, Cuba
agreed to the U.S. proposal, formed a constitution, elected officials
and became self-governing.
USWV FORMED 1904
The same national
spriti that prevailed among veterans of all of the wars in which the
U.S. participated came to life after the Spanish-American War with the
formation of the United Spanish War Veterans in 1904.
The Department
of Ohio USWV was formed April 18, 1904. It has provided five national
Commanders-in Chief: Charles R. Miller, 1906; Charles F. Cramer, 1914;
Albert D. Alcorn, 1923; Edward S. Mathias, 1930; Charles R. Barefoot,
1948; George B. Schiller, senior Vice commander, who would have became
head of the organization in 1976 was unable to attend the annual meeting
and died Sept. 27, 1977. Currently, the USWV commander-in-cheif is Charles
A. Bunnel, Norfolk, Conn., and the adjutant commander is Mrs. Beulah
Cope, Washington, D.C.
Currently only
32 state departments remain operational, with 127 camps. As of the last
national convention in 1977 only 202 regular members and 23 members
at large comprise the once large USWV organization.
OATH REAFIRMED
Each year on April
21, the day war was declared against Spain, living members of the USWV
are required to take the oath they took when they entered the service
of their country in 1898: "I do solemenly swear that I will bear true
allegiance to the United States of America; that I will defend them
against all their enemies whomsoever; that I will obey the orders of
the President and the officers and non-commissioned offiers appointed
over me according to the rules and articles of war".
Fostorian Harry
Stoneberger, active in the USWV for many years, was named honorary marshall
of the Department of Ohio in 1970 and has been reappointed each succeeding
year. He was elected adjutant-quartermaster of Fostoira's General Poland
Camp 44 in 1955, to serve during the lifetime of the camp. He will administered
the oath of allegiance to David M. Blaine, who was a member of Company
A 5th OVI, and now a resident at Good Shepherd. Blaine is one of only
nine survivors in Ohio...each year a few more pass on.
There were many
men from the Fostoria area that participated in the war with Spain.
Readers may find in the following list the names of ancestors who took
part in the short lived war.
F.P. Culp, H.F.
Noble, A.E. Robinson, J.B. McMeen, R.L. Smith, F.S. Vosburg, C. Hollopeter,
R.O. Nichols. L.A. Briner, O. Bachar, T.M. Lea, C.P. Both, V.W. Stewart,
C.A. Woolf, J.A. Bowe, W.C. Ball, C.W. Ramsbottom, A.J. Fletcher, N.E.
Hazen, C. Smith, W.H. Lancaster, H.T. Blosser, A.W. Tallman, W. Yochum,
O.B. Weber, G.E. Adams, Lafer J. Alley, E.M. Alley, J.L. Alley, L.G.
Bly, W.J. Blair, J.A. Burkel, C. Corl, W.E. Cook, J.F. Connelly, A.
Cupps, T.W. Davis, F. Dutcher, C.G. Doe, T.E. Duffy, R.C. Ernest, E.E.
Engstrom, C.W. Foster, A. Fraver, F.N. Fullerton, J.K. Gollmer, R.D.
Heacox, O.F. Hammond, J.A. Huth, L. Jones, T.L. Jones, C. Lorah, A.
McClead, R.G. Miller, C.N. Newcomb, J.T. Norton, O.L. Overmeyer, W.L.
Riedel, E.L. Riedel, A. Smith, G. Steingraber, B. Singer, L.L. Short,
D.D. Schlatter, M.M. Shoemaker, O.D. Wickerd, O.C. Wilson, L.T. Yates,
R.M. Lance, E.G. Everett, F.J. Troutman, F.E. Green, J.F. Culbertson,
W.D. Andes, A.M. Culp, M.M. Singer, Lewis Wolf, W.H. Sinclair, G.W.
Cunningham, E.A. Bricker, E.J. Lancaster, O.F. Boyd, W.W. Dale, R.J.
Kistner, A. Slusser, Claire Shaffer, E.E. Waggoner, Leonard Vogel, R.H.
Chilcote, W.R. McFarland, A.H. Blinn, E. Hartline, Dr. W.H. Pelton,
Guy Frankfather, B. Singer, Jacques Gerlinger.
BLOOMDALE
Edward S. Bryant,
Wallce B. Douglas, Guy H. Snyder, Frank Simon, Archie M Fasig, Joh P.
Beam, James W. Smith, Willis E. Simon, Lauder V. Robbins, Harry E. Shelt,
Walter S. Fasig, William H. richard, John J. Enos, Guy H. Dicken, David
L. Miller, Scott E. Rosendale, John M. Stecker, Thomas E. Diehl, Boyd
E. Campbell, Thomas Loman, Abram Cline, Irwin Brandeberry, James E.
Brown, James T. Bushong, Milo M. Brown, Wilbert Caldwell, Earl Frankfather,
Guy Frankfather, Delos Fry, Wayne Fry, Ross Fry, Stanley B. Gale, John
W. Hamlin, Franklin A. Hamlin, Milton Karn, Henry N. Krieger, Charles
E. Karrick, Allan Loman, Jesse L. Miller, Redmond B. Monroe, James B.
Mapes, Charley F. Miller, Rolla G. Ruab, Thomas B. Rosendale, Charles
B. Skinner, Milton H. Snyder, Dwight E. Simon, Samuel M. Cramer.
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