
The Spanish-American War was a brief armed conflict between the United States and Spain over issues regarding the liberation of Cuba. The U. S. President, William McKinley, called for volunteers in April of 1898 and the war, for all intents and purposes was concluded by August of the same year. The Treaty of Paris, signed on 10 December of 1898 formally concluded the conflict.
As a result of the war, the U. S. found itself with Spain's remaining overseas territories including the Philippines, Puerto Rico, and Guam. This is also the conflict in which future President Theodore Roosevelt rose to prominence as he commanded the 1st Calvary Regiment, called the "Rough Riders."
In the spring of 1898 a group of Lauderdale County volunteers formed the unit that would be designated Company I of the 1st Mississippi Infantry Regiment, United States Volunteers. The unit was mustered into the service of the United States on 17 May 1898, at Jackson, Mississippi for a term of two years service. Although it was moved first to Georgia then, later to Tennessee for training purposes in preparation for the ensuing conflict, the regiment remained within the territorial boundaries of the Unites States throughout the brief conflict.
The unit was finally stationed at Columbia, Tennessee, where it was mustered out of the service on 20 December 1898, little more than ten days after the signing of the Treaty of Paris that ended the war.
The following table contains the roster of the volunteers as they reported for mustering in at Jackson.
CPT Charles W. Schamber, Commanding.
Name | Rank | Hometown | Comments |
---|---|---|---|
Allen, Bennett R. | Private | Meridian | Promoted Captain |
Anderson, Henry | Private | Meridian | Resigned. |
Bell, James A. | Private | Meridian | Promoted First Lieutenant |
Brett, Homer | Sergeant | Meridian | Promoted Second Lieutenant |
Briggs, Robert | Private | Meridian | |
Broach, Elan E. | Private | Meridian | |
Brown, Paul | Sergeant | Meridian | |
Cannon, Rupert | Private | Meridian | |
Chatfield, B. N. | Private | Meridian | |
Clark, E. | Private | Meridian | |
Comfort, James S. | Private | Meridian | |
Cornwell, John B. | Private | Oklahoma City, OK Terr. | |
Curling, Arthur D. | Private | Meridian | |
Dabney, Frank | Private | Meridian | |
Doherty, Joseph C. | rivate | Meridian | |
Dugan, William | Private | Meridian | |
Durham, Dewitt C. | Private | Enterprise | |
Easterling, James H. | Private | Meridian | |
Enslem, William E. | Private | Meridian | |
Featherstun, W. M. | Private | Meridian. | Promoted Band Sergeant, Transferred Regimental Band |
Flanagan, Frank J. | Private | Meridian | Transferred Regimental Band |
Flowers, Thomas C. | Private | Crawley, LA | Transferred Regimental Band |
Gathright, William A. | Private | Meridian | |
Greely, John S. | Private | Meridian | |
Griffin, Berry W. | Artificer | Meridian | |
Griffin, Mortimer A. | Private | Meridian | |
Hackett, John A. | Private | Meridian | |
Hall, Earl W. | Private | Meridian | |
Hamilton, Oscar E. | Private | Meridian | |
Hanna, Mabry A. | Private | Meridian | Discharged Aug 9, 1898. |
Harvey, Alexis T. | Sergeant | Meridian | |
Heiss, G. M. | Sergeant | Meridian | |
Heiss, John L. | Private | Enterprise | |
Hoskins, Henry C. | Private | Bay St. Louis | |
Huddleston, E. F. | Sergeant | Meridian | |
Jacobson, Gabe | Second Lieutenant | Meridian | |
James, William R. | Private | Meridian | |
Jenkins, Homer [Henry] D. | Private | Whitney, TX | |
Jones, Henry H. | Private | Meridian | |
Jones, James E. | Private | Meridian | |
Keeton, Luther | Private | Belmont, AL | |
Kenney, Thomas M. | Private | Meridian | |
Kling, George B. | Private | Chicago, IL | |
Lawson, James T. | Corporal | Meridian | |
Leake, John S. | Private | Meridian | |
Lee, Fitzhugh | Private | Meridian | |
Love, James L. | Private | Meridian | |
Love, James M. | Musician | White Plains, AL | |
Lowenberg, Henry | Private | Meridian | |
Martin, Edwin M. | First Lieutenant | Meridian | |
Martin, Percy L. | Corporal | Meridian | |
McCants, J. R. | Private | Shubuta | Transferred Company K, Discharged Aug 12, 1898. |
McCants, Samuel I. | First Sergeant | Meridian | |
McNair, John C. | Private | Died on August 22nd, 1898. | |
McPhilling, James A. | Private | Meridian | |
Merett, William E. | Private | Washington, D.C. | |
Merritt, Frank E. | Private | Meridian | |
Meyer, Ollie J. | Private | Riverdale, AL | |
Miley, Robert C. | Private | Meridian | |
Montgomery, Walter R. | Private | Meridian | Transferred Regimental Band |
Moody, Hall J. | Private | Bay City, MI | Discharged Dec 5, 1898. |
Moore, Matthew H. | Private | Meridian | Discharged Sept 8, 1898. |
Moss, John C. | Private | Dixon, MS | |
Moss, Luther G. | Private | Meridian | |
Mytton, Richard G. V. | Musician | Ellisville, MS | |
Osburn, A. W. | Corporal | Ellisville, MS | |
Overby, Millard F. | Private | Meridian | |
Perkins, Isaiah | Private | Meridian | |
Pippin, William T. | Private | Meridian | Discharged July 2, 1898. |
Price, Thomas T. | Private | Meridian | |
Rabbitt, Frank P. | Private | Chicago, IL | |
Ray, John E. | Private | Meridian | |
Ready, Maurice D. | Private | Meridian | |
Reynolds, James M. | Private | Meridian. | Company K,transfer in. |
Saunders, Hosea R. | Private | Sucamoochee | |
Schamber, Charles W. | Captain | Toomsuba | |
Self, Thomas H. | Corporal | Pacuta | |
Shields, Edwin | Private | Ambay, IL | |
Shumate, John L. | Private | Died Sept 11, 1898. | |
Slaughter, James C. | Private | Meridian | |
Smith, William F. | Private | Meridian | |
Sturges, Wilton T. | Quartermaster Sergeant | Meridian | |
Sullivan, Edward D. | Private | Meridian | |
Walker, Anthony J. | Private | Meridian | |
Walker, Dryden L. | Private | Meridian | |
Ward, James A. | Corporal | Memphis | |
Weil, Eugene I. | Private | Hattiesburg | Transferred Company M |
West, Osceola C. | Private | Meridian | |
White, Edgar M. | Private | Meridian | |
White, William A. | Corporal | Winona | |
Williams, David R. | Private | Meridian | Transferred Regimental Band |
Williams, James E. | Private | Meridian | |
Williams, Parks | Private | Meridian | |
Williams, Zan | Private | Meridian. | |
Wilson, James C. | First Sergeant | Meridian | |
Wilson, Sol M. | Private | Meridian | |
Wolf, Jake | Wagoner | Meridian |
Also note that at some point, CPT Charles W. Schamber of Meridian, Mississippi resigned his commission. 1LT Edwin M. Martin, also of Meridian, was promoted to Captain and commanded the company thereafter. No date is available for the change of command.
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