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Eighth Army Corps (Spanish–American War)

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Eighth Army Corps
Active1898–1900
CountryUnited States
BranchUnited States Army
TypeCorps
Size10,844
EngagementsSpanish–American War

Philippine–American War

Commanders
Notable
commanders
Wesley Merritt
Elwell Stephen Otis
Arthur MacArthur

The Eighth Army Corps was formed on June 21, 1898, shortly after the outbreak of the Spanish–American War, in order to provide a ground contingent to exploit Commodore George Dewey's success in defeating the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay on May 1, 1898.

San Francisco was the natural point of departure, but troops stationed there had been deployed to Cuba at the outbreak of the war. Colonel Thomas M. Anderson, who commanded the last remaining regiment on the coast, was ordered to San Francisco, made brigadier general of volunteers, and put in charge of the preliminary arrangements pending the selection of the officer to command the expedition that was to become Eighth Corps.[1] Major General Wesley Merrit was later selected to command Eighth Corps, which had only one division, curiously numbered as the Second Division, with General Andersom selected to command it.

Eighth Corps defeated the Spanish forces under the command of Governor-General of the Philippines Fermín Jáudenes in the Battle of Manila on August 14, 1898 and continued to prosecute the Spanish–American War and the Philippine–American War until, at the end of March 1900, the complexities involved in dealing with guerrilla warfare and governing the islands led to the transformation of what had been the Department of the Pacific into the Division of the Philippines with four geographical departments, each of which was in turn divided into military districts. This step brought an end to the Eighth Corps.[2] Units of the former Eighth Corps fought to an eventual victory in the Philippine–American War in July 1902.

Command structure

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Following is the Order of battle for the Eighth Army Corps:[3]

Commanding General, Eighth Army Corps: Major General Wesley Merritt

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Faust 1899, p. 55
  2. ^ "The Army Medical Department 1865–1917: Campaigns of the New Empire". Archived from the original on 2007-06-13. Retrieved 2007-04-06.
  3. ^ Giessel, Jess; McSherry, Patrick (2012). "Order of Battle VIII Army Corps PHILIPPINES". U.S. Order of Battle, 1898. The Spanish American War Centennial Website. Retrieved 2014-06-14.
  4. ^ The United States Army and Navy Journal and Gazette of the Regular and Volunteer Forces. Vol. 35. New York: Army and Navy Journal Incorporated. 4 September 1897. p. 440. Retrieved July 4, 2024.
  5. ^ The Masterkey. Vol. 21. Southwest Museum. 1947. p. 148. Retrieved 3 July 2024.
  6. ^ Cooper, Jerry; Smith, Glenn (2005). Citizens as Soldiers: A History of the North Dakota National Guard. Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press. p. 40. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  7. ^ Jenkins, Micah J. "A Roster of the 1st Idaho Volunteer Infantry". The Spanish-American War Centennial Website. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  8. ^ "First (1st) Wyoming Volunteer Infantry Battalion: United States Volunteers, May 1898, to September 23rd, 1899". The Spanish American War Database. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  9. ^ Robert Hugh Ferrell, ed. (22 July 2012). Reminiscences of Conrad S. Babcock: The Old U.S. Army and the New, 1898-1918. Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press. p. 8. ISBN 9780826272829. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  10. ^ Finzer, W. E. (1902). The Official Records of the Oregon Volunteers in the Spanish War and Philippine Insurrection. Adjutant-General's Office. p. 9. Retrieved 6 July 2024.
  11. ^ Otis, Elwell Stephen (1899). Appendices to Annual Report of Major General E.S. Otis, U.S. Volunteers, Commanding Department of the Pacific and 8th Army Corps, Military Governor in the Philippine Islands. Manila. p. 23. Retrieved 3 July 2024.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)