Home >> New International Encyclopedia, Volume 8 >> Domestic Geese to Galaxy >> Frederick Funston

Frederick Funston

united, kansas and death

FUN'STON, FREDERICK (1865—). An Ameri can soldier, born at New Carlisle, Clark County, Ohio. He studied for two years at the Kansas State University (Lawrence, Kan.) ; was a mem ber of the reportorial staff of the Kansas City Journal; became connected with the United States Department of Agriculture, in 1891; accompanied the Death Valley expedition to southern Califor nia as assistant botanist; and in 1893-94 was in Alaska, where he made for the Department a col lection of the local flora and obtained material for the field-report included in F. V. Coville's Botany of Yakutat Bay (Washington, 1895). In 1896 he was appointed deputy comptroller of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa F6 Railway; during the same year offered his services to the Cuban Junta; and later was commissioned 'captain of artillery, and distinguished himself as such at La Machuca. He was promoted successively to be major and lieutenant-colonel (for bravery at Las Tunas) ; endeavored, by reason of wounds and illness, to escape to the United States; was cap tured by the Spanish, and, although condemned to death, was finally set free. At the outbreak

of the Spanish-American War he organized the Twentieth Kansas Volunteers, a force very sim ilar to the well-known 'Rough Riders,' and be came its colonel. From November, 1898, he served in the Philippine Islands, where, for bravery at •alumpit, he was appointed brigadier-general of volunteers in 1899. Owing to illness, he was relieved in 1899, and returned to the United States. He later returned to the Philippines, and on March 23, 1901, succeeded in capturing Emilio Aguinaldo, the insurgent leader, thus dealing an effective blow at serious native re sistance. On March 30 he was commissioned brigadier-general, U. S. A. Consult the article by Scott in the Independent, vol. liii. (New York, 1901). •