Evening star., 1943-01-11
Maj. Andrew Rowan,
Carrier Of Mesa le
10 Garcia, Dies
Hero Of Spanish War
Broved Jungle PeriIs to
Reach Cubon Rebel Chief
By the Associated Press.

6y the Associated PreSt.
SAN FRANCISCO, Jan. 1l.-Maj.
Andrew S. Rowan, noted carrier Of
the Message to Garcia" in the
Spanish-American War, died yester-
day at the Army's Letterman Hos
pital, the Army announced today.
He had been in Ill health for about
two years.
The Message to Garcia. was Inn
mortaized in an essay Of that name
written by Ebert Hubbard In COM
memoration of Maj. Rowan's
achievement In carrying information
from the War Department through
dangerous jungles to the Cuban
rebel leader Gen. Calixte Garcia, on
May /, 1883. The message notified
Garcia that hostilities were I'M
nlinent.
Maj Rowan, = graduate Of West
Point, was q lieutenant when he
carried the message. He was
promptly made lieutenant colonel
and congratulated by President Nc
Kinley when he returned from Gen.
Garcia with valuable intelligence
vital to the prosecution of the war.
Twenty-four years later. he was
awarded the Distinguished Service
Cross.
His Secret Mission.
Maj. Rowan was selected to carry
the message to Garcia because of his
trustworthiness, his reputation for
bravery, his knowledge Of the island
and his ability to speak Spanish.
He was secretly sent to Kingston,
Jamaica. On April %, 1898, which
happened to be his birthday. he
received q coded message instruct
ing him to "join Garcia as soon
as possible
His specific orders were to as
certain the strength Of the insur-
gents and to arrange for their CO.
operation with the American forces
In the event Of war. Embarking
from St. AIMS Bay, Jamaica, In an
open sailboat, accompanied by
Cuban guide, he landed at night
near Santiago on April "a. Here
he disguised himself as a hunter
He eluded the outposts of the
Spanish patrol before dawn and
started out through the trackless
jungle. For seven days and nights
he crawled through the thickets and
swamps, enduring unbelievable
hardships. His route took him over
the treacherous Sierra Maestro
Mountains. Finally, on May l, he
reached Garcia with his message.
Gets Precious Information.
Gen. Garcia, surprised and over
joyed, not only supplied him with
the precious military information
but selected three Of his most trust
ed officers to make the dangerous
trip back across the country and to
Washington. With only a few hours
of rest, Maj. Rowan and his party
laboriously made their way to Man
att, on the north shore of the island.
At one point they were forced to
swim a river in the darkness.
Here, leaving one of the number
behind because OF lack Of room, the
party slipped past the guns of the
Spanish fort in a tiny boat, pro-
PEELED by gunny-sack sails. The
little craft was near laundering
many times and finally was rescued
by a sponging schooner. Eventually
they reached Key West and Mai,
Rowan sped to Washington.
Served With Miles.
During the war he was on the
staff OF Gen. Nelson A. Miles, COM
in chief of the American
Army, with whom he served in Cuba
and Puerto Rico. He commanded
the troops aboard the transport, City
OF Macon, which was the first to
enter Guanica Harbor, Puerto Rico,
with United States forces on board.
Upon the signing of the protocol,
he was ordered to Cuba to make a
complete survey Of the islands post
war conditions, with . view to its
occupation by American troops. He
was mustered out of the volunteer
service on March IS, 1899.
His next service was in the Philip
pines during the uprising, as q mem
ber Of the 10th infantry regiment.
There he received the silver star
citation for gallantry in action at
Sudlon Mountain on the island of
Cebu.
Mr.. Rowan was born at Gap Mills,
Va, April %, 1857. He was grad
uated from the military academy at
West Point in 1881. He served at
various posts before going to WASH
ington at the outbreak of the Span
tSh conflict.