Veterans of the Spanish War by C. C. Hand of Bay Minette
I appreciate your request for some information regarding Spanish-American War Veterans from Baldwin County, Alabama, since it seems so few realize or appreciate the services rendered or the hardships borne by the Volunteer boys of 1898.
This was a 100% Volunteer army who by their spontaneous response to their country's call broke the morale of the Spanish Army and brought the war to a victorious close almost before it was started, and for the first time in its history made the United States of America a recognized world power. this by an army unsuitably clothed, inadequately armed, and improperly fed, who had needless suffering and death from dysentery, typhoid, yellow fever and malaria, who ate embalmed beef in the various camps and were poisoned by it for life: these are the boys who by their sufferings taught the War Department how to save the boys of 1918 from like disaster.
From these men more than one-half of the filed officers of the World War received their training; every Army commander, every corps commander, every division commander and nearly every brigade commander was Spanish War veteran - to nothing of General Pershing himself. Yet we seldom see or hear anything said of done in recognition of their services in 1898.
The Spanish-American War began April 21st, 1898, and officially ended April 11th, 1899. The last Alabama Volunteer Regiment was mustered into service at Mobile May 1st, 1898, and discharged October 31st, 1898, at Birmingham. So far as the writer knows, all of Baldwin County men were in the Second Battalion, Company "i", which was from Oxford, Alabama, with the following officers: Captain, A. Harrison; 1st Lieutenant, T. B. Cooper; 2nd Lieutenant, Clifton B. Sitton; 1st Sergeant, J. M. Armstrong ("Nervy"), who afterward served as Sheriff of Baldwin County.
The writer recalls only ten men from Baldwin County in the First Alabama regiment - as follows: R. D. McConnell; T. A. Carr; F. M. Thomas; Willard Hamilton; John Jones; J. L. Skipper; Walter Gentry; Wm [William] H. Horton; our buglar from Daphne, Alabama; J. L. Feminear and C. C. Hand. Regimental officers: E. L. Higdon, Colonel Commanding; D. D. McLeod, Major, Second Battalion; Chaplain, Captain o. P. Fitzsimmons.
- Comings, Lydia Jane Newcomb. A Brief History of Baldwin County. Fairhope, AL: Baldwin County Genealogical Society, 1928. 65-66
Transcribed by Dawn Conway, October 22, 2008