The McMurray Brothers– Will and Harry– and the Spanish-American War
[Are you related? Yes, if you are a descendant of the Jasper County Iowa McMurray, Benjamin, or Lambert families. This would include having Dr. Edward A. McMurray, Dr. Herbert McMurray, or Maude “Midge” McMurray Cook as ancestors.]
McMurray Family, Benjamin Family (Click for Family Tree)
In a previous post some time ago, we mentioned that William Elmer McMurray (1874-1957), his brother Harry James McMurray (1876-1962), and their cousin Roland “Rollie” E. Benjamin (1868-1950?) were members of the Iowa National Guard at Newton. They were in Company L, Second Regiment in 1898, even before the April call to war by President William McKinley. Tensions leading to the Spanish-American War had been building for some time, including the January explosion and sinking of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor (“Remember the Maine!”), and Spanish atrocities in the Cuban War for Independence.
Those in the Guard likely knew that they might be called soon for actual fighting in a foreign land. Will was just 23, Harry 21, and Roland was 29. Will and Harry were not yet married; Roland had married four years before but had no children. Were these young men excited at the patriotic thought of serving their country, traveling to a foreign land, proving themselves as men? Did they understand the politics of the situation? Were they afraid, but courageous enough to continue in the Guard anyway? Probably some of all the above.
On 22 April 1898, Congress authorized an increase in our military forces, and the very next day President McKinley declared war on Spain (including in the Spanish colonies such as Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines). It had only been 35 years since the horrors of the Civil War, and those dark times were still fresh in the nation’s collective memory. Newspaper headlines included “Newton Again Witnesses the Scenes of 1861-1862” as their young men marched off to war.
“Dreaded war, with all its train of heartaches, sorrows, suffering and devastation, is again upon us… we are living over again the sad scenes of 1861-2– giving up sons, brothers, husbands and fathers, the very flower of our young manhood, to battle again for the old flag and in defense of our country’s honor.”
The article continued with “Last Tuesday’s scenes will never be forgotten by the people of Newton.” The parents of Will and Harry, Frederick Asbury “F.A.” McMurray (1850-1929) and Hannah Melissa (Benjamin) McMurray (1854-1932) [AKA “The Scary Lady” by some of her descendants- you know who you are] must have been beside themselves with sadness yet full of pride as their two oldest children marched off to war, along with their McMurray and Benjamin cousins.
Orders were prepared quickly and Company L was to be “hastily” transported to Des Moines, Iowa, about 30 miles west. They would rendezvous with other Iowa troops from across the state, drill, and receive their final equipment before heading off to war.
The train was to leave Newton at three p.m. on Tuesday, April 26th. Every business in Newton closed that day at 1 p.m. and the school children were dismissed for the afternoon. The town was decorated with the stars and stripes, patriotic fever infecting the town. In a town of about 3,700, it was estimated that two thousand persons filled the streets to see their boys off.
(To be continued…)
Notes, Sources, and References:
- Read “Military Monday: McMurrays and a Benjamin in the Iowa National Guard of 1898,” Heritage Ramblings, 18 June 2018, for some background on the war and our family.
https://heritageramblings.net/2018/06/18/military-monday-mcmurrays-and-a-benjamin-in-the-iowa-national-guard-of-1898/ - Wikipedia also has a more complete article at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish–American_War
- Newton, Iowa, population statistics for 1900 at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newton,_Iowa
- Will McMurray image was cropped from a family photo. We do not have a photo of Will, Harry, or Roland in uniform- does anyone out there have a photo from this time, or any other time? Please contact us if you do.
Click to enlarge any image. Please contact us if you would like an image in higher resolution.
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