Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1917-02-20
Capture Of AguinaIdo

/ Capture Of AguinaIdo
The picturesque and dashing capture
of Aguinaldo, the Philippine leader. was
the achievement which brought Funston
to the attention of the American peo-
pie, but he performed many other SER
vices for his country which were prob-
ably more difficult. His administration
or affairs in Vera Cruz. where he car
ried out the Presidents order with a
firm hand, simply holding the city when
every influence about him was conferred
upon forcing the American army into
actual lighting with the Mexicans, prob-
ably was the most notable service in
his career The American troops had
been in possession of Vera Cruz ONLY
few days when one of the Mexican
generals sent in a message saying in
most polite terms that he was unable
to restrain his troops longer, and that
! they We're about to advance and drive
the Americans into the sea
! If you can't hold your troops back.
1 can" was the laconic message Funston
sent back.
| funston native of Ohio and reared
on Kansas farm, had a remarkable ca
reer before he became a soldier. Few
people know that his first work was as
a scientist with a bent toward botany.
AS an agent of the department of agri-
culture IN 1881 he took part in the Death
Valley expedition. Then he explored
Alaska and the British Northwest cross.
ed Alaska to the Arctic ocean and trav.
pfp0 from NrI[
journey of about $500 miles. He canine
in the klondike during the winter of 1S9s
and then fioated alone down the Yukon
In a canoe, a journey of hundreds OF
miles through uninhabited wildernesses
Soon after that he resigned from the de,
partment Of agriculture and Travelled ir
Mexico.
When the last Cuban insurrectior
broke out Funston applied to the revo-
lutionary junta in New York for service
with the rebel army. but the Cubans sus-
pected him of being a spy and an agent
of the United States running down viola
tons Of neutrality laws. Finally he con-
WINGED them of his good intentions and
for many weeks in rooms in an out-of.
the-way street in the lower East Side OF
New York Funston instructed recruits ir
the handling of machine guns of which
the Cubans were ignorant. Soon after
ward he was taken into the Cuban arm,
with commission. When he won his
rank of brigadier as a reward for his cap
ture of Agunaldo his active service in
the regular United States army began
He speedily reached the top of the list
of brigadiers, but when there were va
| cancies in the list Of major generals he
was passed over no less than six times
by Presidents Roosevelt and Taft. Al
times Funston almost despaired of fur.
Their promotion, but he stuck to the army
When Vera Cruz was occupied, Mai
Gen. Wood, chief of staff, immediately
selected Funston as the logical man for
the field command. Every army officer
expected there would be fighting of the
hard guerilla kind learned in the Phil
ippines and everyone agreed that when
| Funston landed in Vera Cruz he
would start something"
Never Forgot Orders
But when Funston unloaded his
troops and relieved the navy of pos
session of the city he learned that
President Wilson's orders were that
there was to be no aggressive move
ment; that the army was to watch and
wait. The pressure on the little COM
mander can only be realized by those
who were with him at Vera Cruz in
those crucial hours. Thousands of
Americans thronged the city with the
most extreme stories of conditions in
the interior and urged that the army
move on; enthusiasm for finishing the
job was high among the younger Of
ficers. The outposts were insulted, even
fired upon one soldier was killed and
burned; the camps were raided by
marauders. Every provocation to spur
fighting man to action was given. but