Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1922-09-28

guished Service medal the other day
nom Uncle Sam. Ii seems rather
stranre thar the government should
let "a years pass without any formal
recognition of the unusual services Of
this officer, Mai. Andrew S. Rowan.
retired, who now lives in San iran
cisco. John w. Weeks, secretary of
war. is responsible FOR the medal go
ing 20 Major Rowan.
On record in the War department Is
the story of what Rowan did as he re
lated it. ION April s, 1898, was on
duty in the office of military informa-
tion, adiutant generals office, War de-
pertinent. Washington, ID. c.. SAYS
Rowan. Maj. Arthur l.. Wagner. ad-
jutant general, was in charge At
noon of that day Major Wagner In
formed me that at a conference be-
tween President Mckinley and Secre-
tary of War Alger it had been decided
to send an officer to eastern Cuba, In
case of war, to ascertain the military
conditions existing in that region
which was likely TO become the thea
ter of war, and that had been select
ed for the job.
Il reached Kingston, Jamaica, Brit
ish West Indies, on the steamship Adj
rondack. on April % received the
cipher. John Garcia as soon as pos
sible' At 10 a, M. dressed as an Eng
lish hunter. l left kingston, crossed
the island and reached Saint AIMS
Bay about a. NJ Here l boarded a
small sailboat and by daylight had
passed beyond the neutral waters OF
Jamaica. Nightfall of April % our
small craft, manned by three Cuban
sailors. one orderly and myself, up
preached the territorial waters of
Cuba. habitually guarded at that pc
riod by the enemy patrol. We kept
well off until dark. and then made the
best Of our way to the nearest point
of the shore.
How He Reached Garcia.
1.-THE next morning / proceeded
through the forest afoot until mounts
could be procured. AT one camp
found a number of deserters from the
Spanish garrison at Manzanillp, and
from them got some statements Of
doubtful value concerning conditions
il. Manzanillo. After noon, May !,
having crossed the Sierra Maestro
range. | reached Bayamo, the msur-
gent Headquarters, where | was iden-
titled through my escort as delegado
Americana, commissioned by the Amer
team War department as a man ef con-
fidence-a term which suffers in trans
lation, but which in this instance
served only to solder our mutual pur-
pose Of acting promptly Ia az emer-
gency,
II was the first to impart the news
that the United States had declared
war against Spain.
II followed this by delivering my
message orally TO General Garcia, say
ing that l was there solely on milf
tary mission to learn as much as pos
sible OF the military situation in east
ern Cuba, how many troops the Span.
ish had, how they were armed and fed,
their morale. the topography of the
country, roads and sanitation. After a
five-hour conference General Garcia
announced that he had decided TO send
me back to the United States from
the north Cuban coast, accompanied
by three or his ablest and most trust
ed officers. They. the general said,
could put at the disposal of the Amer
lean War department as much In
formation as he himself possessed.
Return Trip Was Perilous.
"The promplness with which | ac-
cepted the generals challenge TO start
ut once seemed to impart an mir Of
confidence" continues Rowan. "At
p. M, accompanied by General Col
lao, Colonel Hernandez and Doctor
Vieta, an expert in tropical diseases,
I left the Cuban headquarters"
The trip, he says. roughly followed
astride the seventy-seventh meridian.
On the west side Of Manati inlet, in
swamp, the guides drew out a small
ships boat, too small for all Of them,
and the party had to be reduced to
six, who must sit upright for several
days and nights. They made their
way out Of the harbor that night I'M
der the guns Of the Spanish fortress
and into the limits of the Spanish pa
troll. BY daylight they were out OF
sight Of the island on their way to
Nassau, where, with the help OF the
American consul, they were able to
board schooner for Key West.
The Distinguished Service Medal
citation follows
"For extraordinary heroism in con-
nection with the operations in Cuba,
IN May, 1893. At the outbreak Of the
spanish-American campaign Lieuten-
ant Rowan, under disguise, entered
the enemy's lines In Oriente, crossed
the island Of Cuba and not only sue
ceeded in delivering message to Gem
eral Garcia, but secured secret in
formation relative TO existing military
conditions In that region Of such great
value that II had an important bearing
on the struggle and the complete sue
cess OF the United States army"