Dayhoff: Historical markers dedicated for the Henryton Nursing School, Tuberculosis Sanatorium

Dayhoff: Historical markers dedicated for the Henryton
Nursing School, Tuberculosis Sanatorium

By Kevin Dayhoff May 22, 2016

http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/columnists/ph-ce-dayhoff-052216-20160522-column.html

About 50 folks huddled along the shoulder of Henryton Road
at the entrance of the historic Henryton State Hospital complex May 14 to
dedicate two roadside historic markers. The sun shined brightly on the
ceremonies in a rare reprieve in the recent streak of endless days of rainfall.

No, the celebrants were not there to dedicate an ark, but it
nearly took an act of God to get the state of Maryland to tacitly acknowledge
the very existence of the historic segregated facility for the treatment of
African Americans suffering from tuberculosis and the segregated nursing school
that was once located there — far out of sight of urban Baltimore and the seat
of state government in Annapolis.

Noted civil rights leader John Lewis Jr., the 2nd vice
president of the Carroll County NAACP, was the master of ceremonies. Other
community leaders, such as Pam Zappardino, Charles Collyer, Virginia and
Charles Harrison, Jean Lewis, Del. Susan Krebs R-District 5, the Rev. Douglas
Sands and Maryland NAACP president Gerald G. Stansbury were on hand to share in
the ceremonies.

Read more: http://www.carrollcountytimes.com/columnists/ph-ce-dayhoff-052216-20160522-column.html

This writer began looking into the history of the hospital
in the early 1970s when it caught my attention during an assignment to research
the history of hospitals in Carroll County for a project for what was
then-Carroll County General Hospital.

Over the years, researching the history of hospital has
difficult. What little information on the hospital that was found was often
conflicting, inconsistent, and only appeared in anecdotal accounts; often
without a comprehensive context. Many historians contacted in the 1970s were
barely aware of the facility.

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20080402 Westminster Eagle articles by Kevin Dayhoff and Heidi Schroeder on Carroll County Board of Education Jeff Morse’s resignation

Westminster Eagle articles by Kevin Dayhoff and Heidi Schroeder on Carroll County Board of Education Jeff Morse’s resignation:

Jeff Morse incident is a lost opportunity by Kevin E. Dayhoff

April 2, 2008

Over the past few weeks it was revealed that Carroll County Board of Education member Jeff Morse used a racial slur while describing a rock formation during a review of construction at the new Manchester Valley High School.

The incident ultimately led to Mr. Morse resigning from his position with ...

[Read full story]

---

School board eyes options after Morse resignation By Heidi Schroeder Friday, April 04

The chair of the Carroll County Human Relations Commission said this week that while Board of Education member Jeffrey Morse's recent use of a racial slur was "stupid" and "insensitive," she was sorry that the incident ended with his resignation on March 26.

"It was a stupid thing to do, it was an... [Read full story]

---

---

Jeff Morse incident is a lost opportunity by Kevin E. Dayhoff

April 2, 2008

Over the past few weeks it was revealed that Carroll County Board of Education member Jeff Morse used a racial slur while describing a rock formation during a review of construction at the new Manchester Valley High School.

The incident ultimately led to Mr. Morse resigning from his position with the school board last week.

The events have brought up a fair amount of talk about the history of race relations in Carroll County.

One of the topics in subsequent community discussion has been the persistent rumor of Ku Klux Klan activity in Carroll County -- an urban legend which is not supported by history.

Some confusion regarding the KKK in our county may stem from a instance in August 1998 in which a KKK rally was held in Carroll County, Virginia -- not here in Maryland. A Klan member was subsequently prosecuted for burning a cross.

The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, Virginia v. Black, where the decision was overturned. The white defendant's attorney, by the way, was David P. Baugh, an African-American.

This brings to mind Supreme Court Justice Hugo Lafayette Black, whose enduring legacy is his steadfast advocacy for equal rights.

Justice Black figured prominently in three landmark cases involving civil rights issues: Chambers v. Florida, 1940; Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963; and Betts v. Brady, a 1942 case which involved the right to legal counsel (that case did originate in Carroll County).

Justice Black had been nominated to the Supreme Court in 1937. His confirmation was difficult after allegations surfaced that he was a former Ku Klux Klan member (a fact which Justice Black admitted in a famous speech in October 1937 after he was confirmed).

The work of civil rights in our nation would have suffered a serious setback if Justice Black had been denied a seat on the Supreme Court.

One advantage we have in living in Carroll is that it is still small enough to hold our leadership to high standards.

So it was that after Mr. Morse offended and hurt our friends and neighbors with his remark that the community demanded that he be held accountable.

Mr. Morse made a terrible mistake, for which he apologized and then put action to words. He resigned last Wednesday, but the following evening he attended a Carroll County NAACP meeting with Superintendent Dr. Charles Ecker and school board President Cynthia Foley.

Mr. Morse's remark comes at a time when folks are beginning to realize that while we may not have "KKK running around," we just may have very polite prejudice -- and we need to talk about it.

Yet, many folks are reluctant to talk about race for fear of making a mistake and being branded a racist. After all, "No good deed goes unpunished" is the motto of many community activists in Carroll County.

Nevertheless, the Carroll County NAACP is working hard to facilitate meaningful conversation about racial relations in Carroll County.

Please do not confuse the local NAACP chapter with the national NAACP's Baltimore chapter, which seemingly finds racists hiding in every difficult moment.

When the national and Baltimore chapters wanted to brand Carroll County racist as a result of the Bowling Brook incident, it was the Carroll chapter who stood up for our county.

And so it was true that the Carroll County NAACP chapter did NOT call for Mr. Morse's resignation -- and for good reasons.

Nelson Mandela said it best. To not forgive is the same as us taking poison ... and then waiting for our enemies to die.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that," observed Martin Luther King Jr. "Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. ... (T)oughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction."

By many accounts Mr. Morse is not a racist. He has just received a crash course in sensitivity and, if he had remained on the board, all indications were that Mr. Morse would have taken the lessons learned and put them to work for all of us.

Now, we will never know.

In light of Mr. Morse's resignation it is hard to find a win-win in this difficult series of events. One thing that we have learned is that the Carroll County NAACP is part of the solution.

Hopefully, we can also learn that good folks make mistakes. And if we bestow such dire consequences to good folks, what are we going to do when we are faced with a real racist in our community?

I'm just asking.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at kdayhoff@carr.org.

####

---

---

School board eyes options after Morse resignation

04/02/08 By Heidi Schroeder

The chair of the Carroll County Human Relations Commission said this week that while Board of Education member Jeffrey Morse's recent use of a racial slur was "stupid" and "insensitive," she was sorry that the incident ended with his resignation on March 26.

"It was a stupid thing to do, it was an insensitive thing to do, he should never have said it," said Virginia Harrison, chair of the Human Relations Commission, of the comment, but added, "but I just felt like ... as a community we should have been able to resolve the issue."

Morse submitted his resignation following the school board's March 26 meeting.

The resignation followed an apology to the board last week for making an "inappropriate comment" during a tour of the under-construction Manchester Valley High School. The school board did not reveal what the statement was, but acknowledged that someone on that tour had lodged a complaint, which led to a board review.

In a statement from the school board, officials noted Morse's apology to those on the tour and to citizen groups, including the NAACP and Human Relations Commission, but said that after hearing citizen comments on the issue at the board meeting, Morse determined it was in the best interest of the board to resign.

Carroll County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Charles Ecker said that at the March 26 meeting, six or seven residents requested to speak. After those comments -- of which Ecker said some were in favor of Morse's resignation and some were opposed -- the board met in closed session and accepted Morse's resignation.

Harrison said she was sad that the situation reached that conclusion.

"I was very sorry that he resigned, because I felt that it was something that could have been resolved," Harrison said.

She was among those to whom Morse apologized following the comment, and Harrison said that his willingness to meet with community leaders and discuss his comment was "courageous."

Morse had been selected by Gov. Martin O'Malley from a field of 22 applications to join the board in May 2007 following Thomas Hiltz's resignation.

In the event of a vacancy -- such as Hiltz's -- the governor is responsible for appointing a new representative to the vacant post.

However, given the proximity of the November election -- when voters will elect candidates for Morse's former seat and the seat currently held by board president Cynthia Foley -- Ecker said he plans to propose to Gov. Martin O'Malley that the board operate with four members until the election occurs.

####

20080402 Westminster Eagle articles by Kevin Dayhoff and Heidi Schroeder on Carroll County Board of Education Jeff Morse’s resignation

20080402 Westminster Eagle articles by Kevin Dayhoff and Heidi Schroeder on Carroll County Board of Education Jeff Morse’s resignation

Westminster Eagle articles by Kevin Dayhoff and Heidi Schroeder on Carroll County Board of Education Jeff Morse’s resignation:

Jeff Morse incident is a lost opportunity by Kevin E. Dayhoff

April 2, 2008

Over the past few weeks it was revealed that Carroll County Board of Education member Jeff Morse used a racial slur while describing a rock formation during a review of construction at the new Manchester Valley High School.

The incident ultimately led to Mr. Morse resigning from his position with ...

[Read full story]

---

School board eyes options after Morse resignation By Heidi Schroeder Friday, April 04

The chair of the Carroll County Human Relations Commission said this week that while Board of Education member Jeffrey Morse's recent use of a racial slur was "stupid" and "insensitive," she was sorry that the incident ended with his resignation on March 26.

"It was a stupid thing to do, it was an... [Read full story]

---

---

Jeff Morse incident is a lost opportunity by Kevin E. Dayhoff

April 2, 2008

Over the past few weeks it was revealed that Carroll County Board of Education member Jeff Morse used a racial slur while describing a rock formation during a review of construction at the new Manchester Valley High School.

The incident ultimately led to Mr. Morse resigning from his position with the school board last week.

The events have brought up a fair amount of talk about the history of race relations in Carroll County.

One of the topics in subsequent community discussion has been the persistent rumor of Ku Klux Klan activity in Carroll County -- an urban legend which is not supported by history.

Some confusion regarding the KKK in our county may stem from a instance in August 1998 in which a KKK rally was held in Carroll County, Virginia -- not here in Maryland. A Klan member was subsequently prosecuted for burning a cross.

The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, Virginia v. Black, where the decision was overturned. The white defendant's attorney, by the way, was David P. Baugh, an African-American.

This brings to mind Supreme Court Justice Hugo Lafayette Black, whose enduring legacy is his steadfast advocacy for equal rights.

Justice Black figured prominently in three landmark cases involving civil rights issues: Chambers v. Florida, 1940; Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963; and Betts v. Brady, a 1942 case which involved the right to legal counsel (that case did originate in Carroll County).

Justice Black had been nominated to the Supreme Court in 1937. His confirmation was difficult after allegations surfaced that he was a former Ku Klux Klan member (a fact which Justice Black admitted in a famous speech in October 1937 after he was confirmed).

The work of civil rights in our nation would have suffered a serious setback if Justice Black had been denied a seat on the Supreme Court.

One advantage we have in living in Carroll is that it is still small enough to hold our leadership to high standards.

So it was that after Mr. Morse offended and hurt our friends and neighbors with his remark that the community demanded that he be held accountable.

Mr. Morse made a terrible mistake, for which he apologized and then put action to words. He resigned last Wednesday, but the following evening he attended a Carroll County NAACP meeting with Superintendent Dr. Charles Ecker and school board President Cynthia Foley.

Mr. Morse's remark comes at a time when folks are beginning to realize that while we may not have "KKK running around," we just may have very polite prejudice -- and we need to talk about it.

Yet, many folks are reluctant to talk about race for fear of making a mistake and being branded a racist. After all, "No good deed goes unpunished" is the motto of many community activists in Carroll County.

Nevertheless, the Carroll County NAACP is working hard to facilitate meaningful conversation about racial relations in Carroll County.

Please do not confuse the local NAACP chapter with the national NAACP's Baltimore chapter, which seemingly finds racists hiding in every difficult moment.

When the national and Baltimore chapters wanted to brand Carroll County racist as a result of the Bowling Brook incident, it was the Carroll chapter who stood up for our county.

And so it was true that the Carroll County NAACP chapter did NOT call for Mr. Morse's resignation -- and for good reasons.

Nelson Mandela said it best. To not forgive is the same as us taking poison ... and then waiting for our enemies to die.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that," observed Martin Luther King Jr. "Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. ... (T)oughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction."

By many accounts Mr. Morse is not a racist. He has just received a crash course in sensitivity and, if he had remained on the board, all indications were that Mr. Morse would have taken the lessons learned and put them to work for all of us.

Now, we will never know.

In light of Mr. Morse's resignation it is hard to find a win-win in this difficult series of events. One thing that we have learned is that the Carroll County NAACP is part of the solution.

Hopefully, we can also learn that good folks make mistakes. And if we bestow such dire consequences to good folks, what are we going to do when we are faced with a real racist in our community?

I'm just asking.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at kdayhoff@carr.org.

####

---

---

School board eyes options after Morse resignation

04/02/08 By Heidi Schroeder

The chair of the Carroll County Human Relations Commission said this week that while Board of Education member Jeffrey Morse's recent use of a racial slur was "stupid" and "insensitive," she was sorry that the incident ended with his resignation on March 26.

"It was a stupid thing to do, it was an insensitive thing to do, he should never have said it," said Virginia Harrison, chair of the Human Relations Commission, of the comment, but added, "but I just felt like ... as a community we should have been able to resolve the issue."

Morse submitted his resignation following the school board's March 26 meeting.

The resignation followed an apology to the board last week for making an "inappropriate comment" during a tour of the under-construction Manchester Valley High School. The school board did not reveal what the statement was, but acknowledged that someone on that tour had lodged a complaint, which led to a board review.

In a statement from the school board, officials noted Morse's apology to those on the tour and to citizen groups, including the NAACP and Human Relations Commission, but said that after hearing citizen comments on the issue at the board meeting, Morse determined it was in the best interest of the board to resign.

Carroll County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Charles Ecker said that at the March 26 meeting, six or seven residents requested to speak. After those comments -- of which Ecker said some were in favor of Morse's resignation and some were opposed -- the board met in closed session and accepted Morse's resignation.

Harrison said she was sad that the situation reached that conclusion.

"I was very sorry that he resigned, because I felt that it was something that could have been resolved," Harrison said.

She was among those to whom Morse apologized following the comment, and Harrison said that his willingness to meet with community leaders and discuss his comment was "courageous."

Morse had been selected by Gov. Martin O'Malley from a field of 22 applications to join the board in May 2007 following Thomas Hiltz's resignation.

In the event of a vacancy -- such as Hiltz's -- the governor is responsible for appointing a new representative to the vacant post.

However, given the proximity of the November election -- when voters will elect candidates for Morse's former seat and the seat currently held by board president Cynthia Foley -- Ecker said he plans to propose to Gov. Martin O'Malley that the board operate with four members until the election occurs.

####

NBH

20080402 Westminster Eagle articles by Kevin Dayhoff and Heidi Schroeder on Carroll County Board of Education Jeff Morse’s resignation

20080402 Westminster Eagle articles by Kevin Dayhoff and Heidi Schroeder on Carroll County Board of Education Jeff Morse’s resignation

Westminster Eagle articles by Kevin Dayhoff and Heidi Schroeder on Carroll County Board of Education Jeff Morse’s resignation:

Jeff Morse incident is a lost opportunity by Kevin E. Dayhoff

April 2, 2008

Over the past few weeks it was revealed that Carroll County Board of Education member Jeff Morse used a racial slur while describing a rock formation during a review of construction at the new Manchester Valley High School.

The incident ultimately led to Mr. Morse resigning from his position with ...

[Read full story]

---

School board eyes options after Morse resignation By Heidi Schroeder Friday, April 04

The chair of the Carroll County Human Relations Commission said this week that while Board of Education member Jeffrey Morse's recent use of a racial slur was "stupid" and "insensitive," she was sorry that the incident ended with his resignation on March 26.

"It was a stupid thing to do, it was an... [Read full story]

---

---

Jeff Morse incident is a lost opportunity by Kevin E. Dayhoff

April 2, 2008

Over the past few weeks it was revealed that Carroll County Board of Education member Jeff Morse used a racial slur while describing a rock formation during a review of construction at the new Manchester Valley High School.

The incident ultimately led to Mr. Morse resigning from his position with the school board last week.

The events have brought up a fair amount of talk about the history of race relations in Carroll County.

One of the topics in subsequent community discussion has been the persistent rumor of Ku Klux Klan activity in Carroll County -- an urban legend which is not supported by history.

Some confusion regarding the KKK in our county may stem from a instance in August 1998 in which a KKK rally was held in Carroll County, Virginia -- not here in Maryland. A Klan member was subsequently prosecuted for burning a cross.

The case went all the way to the Supreme Court, Virginia v. Black, where the decision was overturned. The white defendant's attorney, by the way, was David P. Baugh, an African-American.

This brings to mind Supreme Court Justice Hugo Lafayette Black, whose enduring legacy is his steadfast advocacy for equal rights.

Justice Black figured prominently in three landmark cases involving civil rights issues: Chambers v. Florida, 1940; Gideon v. Wainwright, 1963; and Betts v. Brady, a 1942 case which involved the right to legal counsel (that case did originate in Carroll County).

Justice Black had been nominated to the Supreme Court in 1937. His confirmation was difficult after allegations surfaced that he was a former Ku Klux Klan member (a fact which Justice Black admitted in a famous speech in October 1937 after he was confirmed).

The work of civil rights in our nation would have suffered a serious setback if Justice Black had been denied a seat on the Supreme Court.

One advantage we have in living in Carroll is that it is still small enough to hold our leadership to high standards.

So it was that after Mr. Morse offended and hurt our friends and neighbors with his remark that the community demanded that he be held accountable.

Mr. Morse made a terrible mistake, for which he apologized and then put action to words. He resigned last Wednesday, but the following evening he attended a Carroll County NAACP meeting with Superintendent Dr. Charles Ecker and school board President Cynthia Foley.

Mr. Morse's remark comes at a time when folks are beginning to realize that while we may not have "KKK running around," we just may have very polite prejudice -- and we need to talk about it.

Yet, many folks are reluctant to talk about race for fear of making a mistake and being branded a racist. After all, "No good deed goes unpunished" is the motto of many community activists in Carroll County.

Nevertheless, the Carroll County NAACP is working hard to facilitate meaningful conversation about racial relations in Carroll County.

Please do not confuse the local NAACP chapter with the national NAACP's Baltimore chapter, which seemingly finds racists hiding in every difficult moment.

When the national and Baltimore chapters wanted to brand Carroll County racist as a result of the Bowling Brook incident, it was the Carroll chapter who stood up for our county.

And so it was true that the Carroll County NAACP chapter did NOT call for Mr. Morse's resignation -- and for good reasons.

Nelson Mandela said it best. To not forgive is the same as us taking poison ... and then waiting for our enemies to die.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that," observed Martin Luther King Jr. "Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. ... (T)oughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction."

By many accounts Mr. Morse is not a racist. He has just received a crash course in sensitivity and, if he had remained on the board, all indications were that Mr. Morse would have taken the lessons learned and put them to work for all of us.

Now, we will never know.

In light of Mr. Morse's resignation it is hard to find a win-win in this difficult series of events. One thing that we have learned is that the Carroll County NAACP is part of the solution.

Hopefully, we can also learn that good folks make mistakes. And if we bestow such dire consequences to good folks, what are we going to do when we are faced with a real racist in our community?

I'm just asking.

Kevin Dayhoff writes from Westminster. E-mail him at kdayhoff@carr.org.

####

---

---

School board eyes options after Morse resignation

04/02/08 By Heidi Schroeder

The chair of the Carroll County Human Relations Commission said this week that while Board of Education member Jeffrey Morse's recent use of a racial slur was "stupid" and "insensitive," she was sorry that the incident ended with his resignation on March 26.

"It was a stupid thing to do, it was an insensitive thing to do, he should never have said it," said Virginia Harrison, chair of the Human Relations Commission, of the comment, but added, "but I just felt like ... as a community we should have been able to resolve the issue."

Morse submitted his resignation following the school board's March 26 meeting.

The resignation followed an apology to the board last week for making an "inappropriate comment" during a tour of the under-construction Manchester Valley High School. The school board did not reveal what the statement was, but acknowledged that someone on that tour had lodged a complaint, which led to a board review.

In a statement from the school board, officials noted Morse's apology to those on the tour and to citizen groups, including the NAACP and Human Relations Commission, but said that after hearing citizen comments on the issue at the board meeting, Morse determined it was in the best interest of the board to resign.

Carroll County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Charles Ecker said that at the March 26 meeting, six or seven residents requested to speak. After those comments -- of which Ecker said some were in favor of Morse's resignation and some were opposed -- the board met in closed session and accepted Morse's resignation.

Harrison said she was sad that the situation reached that conclusion.

"I was very sorry that he resigned, because I felt that it was something that could have been resolved," Harrison said.

She was among those to whom Morse apologized following the comment, and Harrison said that his willingness to meet with community leaders and discuss his comment was "courageous."

Morse had been selected by Gov. Martin O'Malley from a field of 22 applications to join the board in May 2007 following Thomas Hiltz's resignation.

In the event of a vacancy -- such as Hiltz's -- the governor is responsible for appointing a new representative to the vacant post.

However, given the proximity of the November election -- when voters will elect candidates for Morse's former seat and the seat currently held by board president Cynthia Foley -- Ecker said he plans to propose to Gov. Martin O'Malley that the board operate with four members until the election occurs.

####

NBH

20061110 Happy Birthday USMC

Happy Birthday USMC

See also:

20061110 Today of the birthday of the United States Marine Corps

November 10^th, 2006 by Kevin Dayhoff (909 words)

November 10^th is the birthday for the United States Marine Corp.

Yes the Marine Corps was born in a bar. It was on November 10, 1775, that the Continental Congress commissioned Samuel Nicholas to raise several Battalions of Marines. Nicholas established a recruiting station at “Tun Tavern” in Philadelphia.

Carroll County has a role in Marine Corps history. It was on June 11, 1898, according to local historian Jay Graybeal, that United States Marine Sgt. Charles Hampton. Smith from Smallwood was killed during the capture of Guantánamo Bay in the Spanish-American War.

In a 1996 published account, Mr. Graybeal wrote that Sgt. Smith was born near Smallwood, Carroll County on January 15, 1867. He had left the county and joined the Marine Corps in 1893 after a brief stint with a Baltimore insurance firm.

Dr. Milton D. Norris, who maintained a medical practice in Eldersburg for so many years, also served as “Acting Assistant Surgeon, U.S. Volunteers, during the Spanish-American War. Another “Acting Assistant Surgeon,” John Blair Gibbs was killed on June 11, the same night that Sgt. Smith was killed. Marine Privates William Dumphy and James McColgan, along with Sgt. Smith were the some of the first U. S. casualties of the war.

Another Carroll Countian, Harry Huber, “dubbed “Westminster’s Sailor Boy,” by the Democratic Advocate, according to Jay Graybeal, participated in the Spanish-American War. On May 14, 1898, the paper published two letters detailing his participation in naval engagements at the beginning of the war.

The Marines refer to a portion of the military actions to capture Guantánamo Bay as the “Battle for Cuzco Well,” and the battle is commemorated every year to this day at the sprawling American Guantánamo Bay military base in Cuba

On the base at McCalla Hill, there is a monument dedicated to the Marines that died, including Carroll Countian Sgt. Smith. The accompanying picture was taken from the June 16, 2006 Guantánamo Bay Gazette which covered this year’s observances. Mr. Graybeal has reported that the “monument consists of a captured bronze cannon and a bronze plaque bearing the names of the five Marines and the Navy surgeon killed in action.”

It was in April 1898 that the tension between the United States and Spain over the fate of Cuba erupted into the Spanish-American War. A revolution had broken out on the island of Cuba in 1895 and President William McKinley was under great pressure to defend the 50 million dollars' worth of American investment in Cuba, primarily in the sugar, tobacco, and iron industries. A very young Winston Churchill traveled to Cuba in 1895 to observe the fighting.

Originally President McKinley (R) was against the war. He was supported by the Speaker of the House, Thomas Reed (R.) But in March of 1898, Democrats, religious and business groups joined forces with a changing mood in Congress and demanded action on humanitarian grounds, which at the time, was a unique departure for countries to go to war.

In an April 19, 1998 article in the Carroll County Times, Jay Graybeal wrote that in Carroll County, “local reformer” Mary B. Shellman, Georgia Buckingham and Denton Gehr promoted the cause of “Free Cuba” in 1898 “in a play at the Westminster Odd Fellows Hall.”

The very first ground military action occurred on June 10, 1898 as Marines were sent in to establish a base at Guantánamo Bay. It was on the second day of military operations that Carroll Countian Sgt. Charles H. Smith was killed. Total combat casualties for the United States were 379 troops lost however, over 5,000 American military personnel dies from disease.

The Spanish-American War is often referred to as the first “media war.” Newspapers owned by Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst had agitated for war for quite sometime in an effort referred to by history as “yellow journalism.”

Additionally, it was in 1898 that the very first use of film as propaganda was used. A ninety second film was produced in 1898. Entitled, “Tearing Down the Spanish Flag;” it was a rudimentary propagandist film developed for the purpose of inspiring patriotism and hatred for the Spanish.

The Spanish-American War is also significant as it marked the arrival of the United States as world power. Spain, which had been in economic chaos before the war, never recovered and after three centuries of world influence, the war ended its role as a super-power. The 1898 war helped avert a civil war in Spain at the time, only to see the country deteriorate into a disastrous civil war in the 1930s.

For the Americans, most of the combatants were sons of northern and Confederate soldiers of the American Civil War. The 1898 war helped with a difficult reconciliation process that had only begun to take place in the early 1890s.

Not often reported is the fact that 33 African-American seaman died in the destruction of the USS Maine on February 15, 1898. In the subsequent military actions, African-Americans gained a great deal of respect among military elite, for their conduct and valor during the war.

Since 1775, Marines have been involved in every armed conflict in American history. There are many Marines in Carroll County and of course we understand that, as was the case in the Spanish-American War, the Marine Corps was established to always faithfully be available to show the way and pull the Army and Navy’s behind out of the fire.

Happy Birthday Marines. For Corps and Country, Semper Fidelis.

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