Pennsylvania’s 10th Volunteer Infantry of the Spanish-American War

In this early period of preparation the Eighth Army Corps was formed on June 21, 1898 to provide a ground contingent to exploit Commodore George Dewey’s success in defeating the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay on May 1, 1898. The Eighth Corps consisted of one division, numbered as the Second Division, which consisted of the 1st and 2nd Brigade. Even before the formation of the Eighth Army Corps, Pennsylvania Gov. Daniel Hastings ordered the National Guard of Pennsylvania to muster at Mt. Gretna in Lebanon County for state service. While previous call-ups of National Guard units were for service within the state of origin, guardsman where not required to leave the state. 

At this point members of the Pennsylvania National Guard (NGP) were asked to “volunteer” to serve as part of a voluntary expeditionary force.  Some 97 percent of NGP members volunteered for service to meet a quota of 10,800 men. NGP units made adjustments to their naming to denote their volunteer status. 

One such Pennsylvania unit to see overseas combat was the 10th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment that would become part of the Eighth Army Corps in its 2nd Brigade.The 10th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry Regiment was raised in Beaver, Washington, Greene, Fayette and Westmoreland counties in the western part of Pennsylvania. The Volunteer Regiment would come under the command of Colonel Alexander L. Hawkins, who had the same rank as the Colonel of Company H of Washington, PA. By May 17, 1898, a telegram from the Adjutant-General of the Army directed the movement of the 10th Regiment into camp at Chickamauga Park, Ga. While preparations were in progress for carrying out this order, a second telegram from the Adjutant-General changed the destination of the regiment to the Philippines Islands as part of the Eighth Army Corps under the command of General Wesley Merritt.  

Now the 10th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry would be on the way to San Francisco, where it was frequently given ovations of welcome. Arriving at San Francisco on May 25, 1898, the troops went into camp in the Richmond District at Camp Merritt. Here they were fully equipped and drilled for several weeks. On June 14, 1898 they prepared to board the steamship Zealandia.  On the very next day they passed out of the Golden Gate on their voyage to Manila. The 10th Pennsylvania Volunteers sighted land in the Hawaiian Islands on June 24. By June 26 the Zealandia was on its way to Manila. On July 4, 1898 the unit arrived on Wake Island. Finally, after passing Guam Island July 10, the regiments arrived to the sound of Admiral Dewey’s guns in Manila Bay on July 17. 

What is for sure is that the 10th regiment journey to Manila and beyond was the most unique and lengthy war service experience of any Pennsylvania regiment. The 10th Pennsylvania was also unique in that it was the only National Guard unit east of the Mississippi to be sent to the Philippines during the Spanish American War. 

After landing, the 10th Pennsylvania Volunteers initially saw work of mostly fatigue duty, digging entrenchments. But as soon as July 31, 1898 the unit faced an assault on their positions by enemy infantry. The men of the 10th Pennsylvania stood firm, and the after action report recalled that “all stood like veterans, never yielding an inch from their positions.” Hostilities with the Spanish soon ceased, and the 10th assumed garrison and occupation duties around Manila. 

Unfortunately for them, the 10th was soon put back into action fighting an insurgency against American occupation. One such major engagement for the 10th Pennsylvania Volunteers was the Battle of Caloocan. As part of the larger Battle of Manila, the 10th faced fierce Filipino resistance in intense night fighting. After exchanging heavy fire in the dark, rainy conditions, the 10th PA unit received the nickname the “Fighting Tenth”, highlighting their crucial role in the initial stages of the conflict again Filipino insurgents. In the following months the regiment participated in counterinsurgency operations from Cavite, to Malolos, to Corregidor. 

The unit got orders to return home on June 25, 1899 traveling a circuitous route through Japan and Hawaii before arriving back in California in July. The 10th Pennsylvania ultimately suffered 15 killed and five dead from disease with another 70 wounded in action. The regiment suffered one final casualty on the trip home as Colonel Alexander Hawkins died of an illness.

The 10th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry were mustered out of the United States Service  Aug. 22, 1899 while in San Francisco on their return to Pittsburgh. A week after leaving San Francisco, the regiment returned to Pittsburgh with various military bodies escorting them through the streets. After a parade which extended to Schenley Park, the unit became disorganized  with the various companies going to their respective home towns of western Pennsylvania where special celebrations awaited them. 

It was important to the men of the 10th Regiment, especially with the loss of Colonel Alexander L. Hawkins, to celebrate their first reunion of the 10th regiment in Monongahela, Pa on July 4, 1900. The men would continue their reunions for many years with medals to commemorate the events. 

The 3rd Annual reunion of the 10th Regiment of the Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry took place in Uniontown, Pa. in July 1902. The commemorative badge consisted of a tri-color ribbon and a badge showing an image of the Capuchin Convent. The historical significance of the convent was that it was the site where in 1898, Spanish Governor-General Fermin Jaudenes prepared surrender terms, ending Spain’s involvement in the Spanish-American War. An interesting note was that the entrenchment line was formed at the Capuchin Convent and ran to the Spanish Fort of Malate, where the regiment fought under heavy Spanish fire and artillery bombardment in a raining downpour described as “a typhoon”. Even though the enemy had superior numbers, the 10th Regiment was a major component of the troops in the Battle of Malate. To commemorate the 10th’s participation, members were awarded a “Malate Medal”, which is a distinctive four-arm blue and gold cross with the Image of Colonel Hawkins in the center. The gold reverse clearly shows the Capuchin Convent and the date of the Battle of Malate July 31, 1898.  

For the 10th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry’s 4th Reunion, members met as part of the Society of the Army of the Philippines at a national gathering in St. Paul, Minn., in 1903. This men’s veterans group was formed in 1899 at the anniversary of the taking of Manila. Membership was open to regular and volunteer Army personnel who served in the Philippines between 1898 and 1902. 

The men of the 10th Pennsylvania Infantry continued their strong ties to each other by attending their 5th Annual reunion at the Army of the Philippines convention then held in St. Louis, from Aug. 10-13, 1904. This historic gathering was timed to coincide with the 1904 World’s Fair (The Louisiana Purchase Exposition), which featured a massive and controversial 40-acre “Philippine Village” exhibit. Note that the badge shows a strong connection with the 8th Corps emblem in the center of a four-arm double-pointed cross. Adding some confusion for the collector is the fact that a group called the Eighth Corps Society was formed about the same time and founded in September 1898.

The men of the 10th Pennsylvania Volunteers continued to stay connected with many attending the 6th Annual Convention as part of the Society of the Army of the Philippines in Chicago on October 9-11, 1905. Seen are examples of similar delegate and souvenir badges. It seems that the 7th reunion in 1905 would return to the local Western Pennsylvania area being held in Donora, Pennsylvania on July 31, 1906. The 10th Regiment is clearly seen at the top of the badge. Donora had a strong historical association with the 10th Pennsylvania and the Civil War. Veterans of the regiment were holding these regular reunions to reconnect, share stories and conduct business. An interesting second badge marked “the Seventh Annual Reunion Des Moines, Il”  dates back to August 14-15, 1906. The brooch is marked A of P for the Army of the Philippines. During this 1906 reunion, a Mrs. Conkling requested the authorization of a National Auxiliary on behalf of the women accompanying the veterans. The National Executive Committee then granted a charter to the Ladies Auxiliary of the Army of the Philippines. 

The 10th PA Regiment held its 8th annual reunion in Mt. Pleasant, Pa.  on July 31, 1907. The delegate badge honored their deceased leader Colonel Hawkins, who led them during their service in the Philippines. The reunion was held at the Thurston House in Mt. Pleasant. The Society of the Army of the Philippines held its 9th annual reunion in Galesburg, Ill. These reunions were major events for veterans to remember comrades lost in the Philippines. Later, the Army of the Philippines would merge with other groups to become the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).  It was entirely appropriate that the 10th Annual Reunion took place in Pittsburgh in August, 1909 for members of the 8th Corps and especially to the members of the 10th PA Volunteer regiment since most of the troops came from the western Pennsylvania area. A special commemorative bronze reunion medal was issued for the event, featuring a top bar with an enameled 8th Corps badge. It was during this specific reunion that the organization officially changed its name from the National Society of the Army of the Philippines to the Army of the Philippines. 

The 10th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry held its 11th Annual reunion in New Brighton, Pa., in 1910. New Brighton was a key location for this regiment, as it was home to Company B, one of the original units of the 10th. One more reunion would be held for members of the Eighth Corps in Detroit, Mich., as the Army of the Philippines celebrated its 12th annual reunion, Aug. 10-13, 1911. The year 1911 was notable in Philippine history as Pvt. Jose Nisperos became the first Filipino/Asian recipient of the Medal of Honor and the U.S. Army introduced new collar disc insignia.   

A particularly interesting artifact of the 12th Reunion was a postcard sent by a member of the 10th PA to his wife while attending the 12th reunion. It shows Spanish War veterans in front of  the headquarters of the Army of the Philippines while in Detroit. The address side of the postcard indicates it was mailed to a Mrs. C.S. Anderson in Venetia, Pa.

The reason this writer mentions the postcard is that I had the opportunity to attend a major estate sale at the Anderson home in Venetia in November of 2009. It was obvious that this family had been deeply involved with someone who had a strong connection to the 10th Pennsylvania Volunteer Infantry. Many of the highlighted reunion items contained in this story came from this house sale.  It appears that someone in the family had been a Lieutenant Colonel in the 10th PA, as evidenced by a complete set of Pennsylvania Infantry collar insignia. Also acquired were medals of the Eighth Corps Society founded in Manila in September of 1898 (not to be confused with the Society of the Army of the Philippines). This society did not last long and was defunct sometime prior to 1913. One of the enamel pieces shown was struck by B. Pasquale & Sons, San Francisco associated with the Society’s organization. 

The last member of the 10th Pennsylvania Volunteer who served in the Philippines was named Samuel H. Wolf. He died in 1951 at the age of 85 in Newton Falls, Ohio. 

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