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 [decorative delimiter] Class of 1881

Vol. III
p353
2920

(Born Va.)

Andrew S. Rowan

(Ap'd W. Va.)

42

Born Gap Mills, VA (now WV).

Military History. — Cadet at the Military Academy, July 1, 1877, to June 11, 1881, when he was graduated and promoted in the Army to

Second Lieut., 15th Infantry, June 11, 1881.

Served: on frontier duty at Ft. Bliss, Tex., Sep. 26, 1881, to Oct. 31, 1881, — Ft. Lewis, Col., to Nov. 21, 1881, — Pagosa Springs, Col., to Dec. 8, 1882, — Ft. Randall, Dak., to June, 1884, — Ft. Pembina, Dak., to Oct. 2, 1884, — Ft. Randall, Dak., to Nov. 28, 1885, — and Ft. Pembina, Dak., to Nov., 1889; and on duty in the Office of the Adjutant-General of the Army, Nov. 18, 1889, to –––––.

Vol. IV
p349
[Supplement, Vol. IV: 1890‑1900]

Military History. —

(First Lieut. of Infantry, 9th Infantry, Nov. 28, 1890)

Served: On duty in Adjutant-General's Office, Washington, D. C., Division of Military Information, to April 1, 1891;

(Transferred to 19th Infantry, July 20, 1891)

on duty in Central America in charge of barometric hypsometry, and assistant astronomer of party number one (Macomb's) of the intercontinental survey (April, 1891 to May, 1892); travelling (returning) overland through Mexico, en route to United States, May and June, 1892; joined regiment at Detroit, Mich., Sept., 1892; with regiment to June, 1893; on duty in office of Adjutant-General of the Army in charge of Map Section, Military Information Division, June, 1893 to April, 1898; special duty inspecting Mississippi floods, April, 1897; appointed Military Attaché to the Republic of Chile; detached April 7, 1898, and placed on waiting orders at Kingston, Jamaica, W. I., till April 21, 1898,  p350 when he received cable orders to join the Cuban Insurgent General, Garcia;

(Captain of Infantry, 19th Infantry, April 26, 1898)

crossed the Caribbean Sea in an open boat and reached the southern coast of Cuba, April 24, 1898, being the first United States Army Officer to land in the island after the declaration of hostilities with Spain.​a — Returned to United States by the north coast, via Manati and Nassau, N. P., Bahama Islands, reaching Key West, May 13, 1898. — On special duty on the staff of the Major-General commanding the Army, May 20, 1898

(Lieut.‑Colonel, 6th U. S. Volunteer Infantry, May 31, 1898)

to Jan. 2, 1899. — Off Santiago, July 11, in charge of transport City of Macon, and Hubert's provisional battalion, Guantanamo, Cuba, to Guanica, P. R.; landed at Guanica, July 25; remained in Puerto Rico till Aug. 31. — Reconnaissance duty in Cuba, Sept. 4 to Oct. 16, covering about 2,000 miles in company with Lieutenant Indicates a West Point graduate and gives his Class.C. F. Parker, 2d Artillery, during the period when Americans, Cubans, and Spaniards were exercising jurisdiction in the island. — Relieved from duty at army headquarters, Jan. 2, 1899, and ordered to make special journeys in Cuba during Jan. and Feb., 1899. — Ordered to join 6th U. S. Volunteer Infantry, for muster-out, Feb. 25, 1899. — Ordered to muster-out duty, Savannah, Ga., March 14, 1899.

(Honorably mustered out of Volunteer Service, March 15, 1899)

— Relieved from muster-out duty, May 18, 1899, and ordered to join regiment at Camp Meade, Pa., and accompany it to the Philippine Islands, May 18, 1899.

Civil History. — Author of a descriptive work, The Island of Cuba.

Vol. V
p327
[Supplement, Vol. V: 1900‑1910]

(Andrew Summers Rowan)

Military History. — Unknown to date of retirement, no information having been received.

(Major, 15th Infantry, Oct. 11, 1905)

Major, U. S. A., Retired Dec. 1, 1909, at his own request, over 30 Years' Service.

Vol. VI
p324
[Supplement, Vol. VI: 1910‑1920]

(Andrew Summers Rowan, Born April 23, 1857.)

Military History. —

Captain, 19th infantry, April 26, 1898

Lieut.‑Colonel, 6th U. S. Volunteer Infantry, May 31, 1898

Honorably Mustered Out of Volunteer Service, March 15, 1899

En route with regiment from Camp Meade, Pa., to Philippines, July 24 to Aug. 20, 1899; in the field in Luzon from Aug. 27, 1899; in attack on Insurgents' Posts, Bocaue, P. I., Sept. 22, 1899; commanding expedition in Compensa Mountains in October, 1899; in action at Sudlon Mountains, Jan. 8, 1900; in command of Battalion of Infantry engaged with Insurgents from North Cebu, May, 1900; wounded in action at Mayana Pass, May 4, 1900; conducted expedition in Island of Bohol, July, 1900; in number of minor engagements with Insurgents between September and December, 1900; participated in engagements in Kulugogan Mountains, Sept. 3, 1900; commanded station at Tubegon, August, 1901, to May, 1902; en route to U. S., May 28 to June 21, 1902; at Angel Island, Cal., commanding Company, to July 22, 1902; sick and on sick leave, July 23 to Sept. 9, 1902; at Manhattan, Kans., Professor of Military Science and Tactics at Kansas Agricultural College, Sept. 12, 1902, to Sept. 16, 1903; at Camps of Instruction at West Point, Ky., and at Fort Riley, Kans., Sept. 26 to Nov. 5, 1903; at Vancouver Bks., Wash., commanding Company from Nov. 21, 1903; on duty at Hdqrs.  p325 Department of the Columbia, June 3 to Aug. 1, 1904; at Camp of Instruction, Atascadero, Cal., Aug. 3 to Sept. 5, 1904; on leave of absence, Sept. 6 to Oct. 5, 1904; on duty at Hdqrs. Department of the Columbia, Oct. 6, 1904, to Jan. 6, 1905; at Vancouver Bks., Wash., with regiment, Jan. 7 to March 31, 1905; commanding 1st Battalion from March 28, 1905; en route to Philippines, April 1 to May 5, 1905; at Camp Vicars, P. I., commanding Battalion, May 12 to July 11, 1905; at Malabang to

(Major, 15th Infantry, Oct. 11, 1905)

Nov. 6, 1905; at Camp Keithly, P. I., commanding Battalion, from Dec. 4, 1905; (commanding regiment, Jan. 19 to Feb. 12, 1906); participated in Malaig River Expedition, March 2, 1906; en route to U. S. and on leave in China and Japan, June 4 to Oct. 15, 1907; at Fort Douglas, Utah, Nov. 5 to Dec. 18, 1907; at Camp of Instruction, Camp Emmet Crawford, Wyo., July 15 to Sept. 2, 1908; on leave of absence, Oct. 28 to Dec. 1, 1909.

Major, U. S. A., Retired, Dec. 1, 1909,
at His Own Request, After Over 30 Years' Service.

Since retirement, resided in San Francisco and in Mill Valley, Marin County, Cal.

Died, Jan. 10, 1943, in San Francisco County, Cal.: Aged 85.

Buried, Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, VA.


Thayer's Note:

a He did find General Garcia, communicated to him the message of the President of the United States, and reconnoitred much of Cuba behind the lines in a classic special operation which made him the hero of one of the most printed pamphlets in the world, Elbert Hubbard's A Message To Garcia, and eventually won him the Distinguished Service Cross. In 1922, the Army prevailed on him in his retirement to tell his story himself, which he did: both documents are reproduced in full at Arlington National Cemetery Website.


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