New York State Adjutant General's Office Abstracts of Spanish-American War, Philippine-American War, and China Relief…

Organized into four subseries: 1. U.S. Army Officers; 2. U.S. Navy; 3. U.S. Enlisted Army; 4. U.S. Marine Corps.

Alphabetical by last name within each subseries.

The Bureau of War Records procured these abstracts of military and naval service from the federal government pursuant to Chapter 75 of the Laws of 1919, which directed the Adjutant General, through the Bureau, to compile, collect, and preserve the "records and relics . . . relating to the wars in which the state participated." (See also Chapter 247 of the Laws of 1887, which established the Bureau as the "Bureau of Records of the War of the Rebellion.")

The Spanish-American War was waged between Spain and the United States in the spring and summer of 1898. The major consequences of the defeat of Spain were the loss of Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Philippine Islands, and the Mariana Islands. American victory made the United States a colonial power with political interests in Far Eastern affairs. The United States also annexed the Republic of Hawaii as a territory before the peace treaty was signed.

The Philippine-American War ("Philippine Insurrection") was fought from 1899-1902. The conflict began when revolutionary forces under Emilio Aguinaldo declared the sovereignty of the Philippines just months after Spain ceded the islands to the United States. In 1900, the U.S. established a colonial government to attract Filipinos who did not back the Aguinaldo regime, introducing limited self-government, as well as social and economic reforms. Eventually, this policy helped to undermine Filipino backing of Aguinaldo, and aided the U.S. in defeating his revolutionary forces.

The "Boxer Rebellion" was a militant, anti-foreign, anti-Christian movement by the Society of Righteous and Harmonious Fists (known as the "Boxers") from 1899-1901 in China. The United States, along with seven other nations (the "Eight-Nation Alliance"), sent troops to China to quell the violence, and safeguard their commercial interests in the Far East. Ultimately, a peace agreement was signed between the Eight-Nation Alliance and the Chinese Qing court, which ordered the execution of high-ranking officials responsible for violence and demanded that war reparations be paid by the Chinese. In the U.S. military, the campaign against the "Boxer Rebellion" was known as the China Relief Expedition.

This series consists of cards containing military and naval service abstracts and basic personal data for New Yorkers who served in the U.S. Regular Army, Navy, and Marines during the Spanish-American War (1898); Philippine-American War, or "Philippine Insurrection" (1899-1902); and China Relief Expedition against the "Boxer Rebellion" (1900-1901). While the records document service in all three campaigns, service cards covering the Spanish-American War and Philippine-American War appear most frequently.

B0801Series B0801, Abstracts of muster rolls for National Guard and Naval Militia units mustered into federal service during the Spanish-American War, contains related records.

Teddy Roosevelt's induction/service card was removed from the series for exhibit purposes and subsequently stored separately.

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.