James Endicott

He was a career Army officer who fought in 3 wars, was stationed in many posts and distinguished himself as a Lieutenant Colonel in WWI.  But prior to that he served in both the Spanish-American war and the Philippine-American War.  

 

According to various U.S. Census records, Francis was born in Elkin, Indiana.  His parents, John and Josephine were also born in Indiana.  He had a younger sister, Rolla Endicott.  When he entered the Army, Francis was described  as 69 ½ inches tall, with brown eyes and dark brown hair.  His enlistment documents state that prior to his military service he was a farmer.

 

Francis actually began his military career as an enlisted man, enlisting at age 5’ 9 ½” in time for the Spanish-American war in 1898.  He enlisted as a Private at Fort Sheridan, Illinois, in Company H of the 4th Infantry Regiment.  Fort Sheridan was a temporary transit center for troops heading to battle zones.  

 

He was discharged on December 26, 1898, the end of his first enlistment, but then he promptly reenlisted.  Interestingly, upon reenlistment, his height was listed as 5’ 10 1/3rd  not 5’ 9 ½  – Francis had grown while in the Army.  Soon he had risen to Corporal and by 1900 his home was listed as Imess, the Philippine Islands.  And by February 2, 1901, Francis had been promoted to 2nd Lieutenant. 

 

Although we do not have records specifically relating to Francis’s service during the period of the Spanish American War and the Philippine-American War that occurred just after it, we do know where Company H of the 4th Infantry served during those periods and thus presumably where Francis served. 

 

In 1898, the Fourth went east from Fort Sheridan and embarked from Tampa, Florida, to Cuba aboard the steamer “Concho.”  Landing at Daiquiri, the regiment participated in the battle of El Caney and the occupation of Santiago. Fever had decimated the command by the time the campaign ended.

 

The Fourth then returned to New York in August 1898.  But after receiving more recruits from Fort Sheridan, the regiment sailed in January 1899 for Manila via the Suez Canal in order to oppose the Philippine insurrection, which lasted from June 2, 1899 to July 4, 1902, and other insurgencies that lasted all the way to 1913.

 

This conflict arose from the struggle of the Philippines to gain their independence.  The Philippines had been a Spanish colony but was ceded to the United States when Spain lost the Spanish-American war.  The Philippines, not accepting annexation by the United States, revolted under the leadership of Emilio Aguinaldo.  The war saw many atrocities committed by both Americans and Filipinos. 

 

During the Philippine Insurrection, units of the Fourth Infantry participated in the fights of La Loma church, Wariquima, Dismarinias, Imus, Puento Julien, and elsewhere in the Philippines, finally capturing Lt. General Trias, second in command to Aquinaldo.   Three members of the Fourth won Congressional Medals of Honor for their heroism in these fights.  In 1902, the regiment returned to San Francisco, having circled the globe.

 

But the next reference we have for Francis is with the Fifth Infantry, not the Fourth, so he must have been transferred.  We find  him present for duty as a 2nd Lieutenant with Company B, Fifth Infantry, known as the “Bobcats,” at Camp Abraham Lincoln, in Luzon, Philippine Islands in July, 1902.  

 

Starting in 1903, we have several reports of him still as a 2nd Lieutenant but now commanding Co. B at Fort Dade at Dolores on Samar, the Philippines.  In June, 1903, however, he was transferred to a new post, Cuartel Meisic, in Manila and in September, he was transferred again to the Plattsburg Barracks in Plattsburg, New York.  

 

We have another reference to 1903 when he was a First Lieutenant with the 5th Infantry Regiment and reported for duty as Inspector-Instructor of the Infantry forces, Oregon National Guard.  After that we know he was stationed at Plattsburg Barracks, Plattsburg, New York from 1904-6.  And finally we have reference to his being stationed at Fort Lawton, Washington in 1914.

 

During WWI, as a Major and Lieutenant Colonel, he was Commander of the 346th Machine Gun Battalion, 91st “Wild West” Division, First Army.  The 91st consisted primarily of draftees from 8 western states.  Francis’s was one of three machine gun battalions in the Division and in addition to being the commander of his battalion, he was also Division Machine Gun Officer.

 

A green fir tree was the insignia of the 91st Division, being typical of the Far West, the home of the Division.  It was organized at Camp Lewis, Washington State, in 1917.