The Spanish-American War occurred for 10 weeks in 1898. The number of men from Henderson County who participated in the war is not known for certain. There was no draft. The war was of short duration.
Some men from Henderson County who had enlisted in the U.S. military prior to the war fought. This total is an ongoing research project. At this time, documented research has proven two with a possible third.
Prioleau Gilreath and Zebulon Shipman are the only two men, documented at this time, who actually fought in battles in the Spanish-American War.
Each state raised volunteer infantries. Some state volunteer infantries fought in the war, some remained within the United States. At least 26 men from Henderson County joined the North Carolina volunteer infantries. Research has found two men from Henderson County who joined South Carolina volunteer infantries. All state volunteer infantry units were discharged by 1899.
Two men from Henderson County died while serving with a volunteer infantry unit. Neither man died in battle or from wounds. One probably died of typhoid fever and the other also of a disease. Both died in the United States.
At least 13 men from Henderson County were members of the U.S. military during the Philippine-American War. At least three men from Henderson County died in this war. One man was killed in action, one drowned when a raft overturned in a river crossing and one died of malaria.
In April 1930, some veterans of the Spanish-American War and the Philippine-American War formed the Camp William Shipp, Veterans of the Spanish-American War, in Henderson County. It was not named for the only man from Henderson County who was killed in action in the wars. It was named for William E. Shipp, who died in battle at Santiago, Cuba. It is possible that he was born in Hendersonville in 1862, but as an infant the family moved to Raleigh. Later his family lived in Charlotte. There is no documentation that William E. Shipp ever resided in Henderson County. He was the son of William M. Shipp, who moved to Henderson County about 1860 and was elected to the Confederate General Assembly in 1862 and never returned to Henderson County. The sister of William E. Shipp was Kate Shipp who had moved to Henderson County in the early 1900s and was the owner of the Fassifern School for Girls in Hendersonville. There were 10 charter members of this veterans’ organization, but more than half of those 10 men were not born in Henderson County and did not reside in Henderson County at the time of enlistment. Therefore, all members of this organization are not counted as men from Henderson County who served in the two wars.

The Spanish–American War occurred in 1898 between Spain and the United States. This war then led to American involvement in the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-American War, often called the Philippine Insurrection or Filipino Insurrection.
Revolts against Spanish rule had occurred for some years in Cuba. In the late 1890s, American public opinion was agitated by anti-Spanish propaganda led by some journalists who used “yellow journalism” to criticize Spanish administration of Cuba. After the “mysterious sinking” of the American battleship Maine in Havana harbor, political pressures and pressure from certain industrialists pushed the United States into a war. The explosion of the Maine was proven later to be an accident when the boiler exploded.
Compromise was sought by Spain, but rejected by the United States which sent an ultimatum to Spain demanding it surrender control of Cuba. First Spain, then the United States formally declared war.
The war lasted 10 weeks with Spanish forces surrendering in Cuba and the Philippines. The 1898 Treaty of Paris allowed America temporary control over Cuba, and within a short period Cuban independence. The U.S. also obtained perpetual lease of Guantanamo Bay. The United States gained colonial power and authority over Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippine Islands and other island possessions.

The Philippine-American War or Philippine Insurrection was an armed conflict between the United States and Filipinos fighting for their independence. The struggle for Philippine independence had started before the Spanish-American War.
Fighting erupted between U.S. military forces and Filipinos on Feb. 4, 1899, and quickly escalated. On June 2, 1899, the First Philippine Republic officially declared war against the United States.The war officially ended July 4, 1902.
However, some Filipinos continued to battle American forces. Battles and guerrilla attacks continued until 1913. There were a few guerrilla attacks after 1913.
The Filipino people suffered the greatest casualties, estimates range from 34,000 to 1 million. The war resulted in the disestablishment of the Catholic Church as the state religion and religious freedom for the people, and the introduction of English as the official language instead of Spanish. In 1916, the U.S. promised some self-government, but this did not happen. A limited form of self-government came in 1935. In 1946, after World War II, the United States gave the Filipino people their independence.

Men in Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War

Deaths in Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War

Walter H. Bryson – Buffalo Soldier

Military Units Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War