The Boys from Hackensack -- 1898

This story comes to us from the US Army Heritage & Education Center in Carlisle, PA. The Center holds thousands of photographs, letters, art, weapons, books, manuals, diaries,  recordings, uniforms, and other priceless items, and is dedicated to telling the army story – “One Soldier at a Time.” These soldiers are from NJ. For further inFormation, visit www.usahec.org or call 717-245-3972.



LeAnn Fawyer -- The Volunteers of ’98


Two Hackensack men, Addison B. Burroughs and his brother Walton, answered the call to serve their country during the Spanish-American War. When the U.S. declared war on Spain in April 1898, President William McKinley issued an appeal for 125,000 volunteers to supplement the small U.S. Army. These volunteer Soldiers were to be mobilized primarily from the National Guard and state militias for service during the war.

Addison and Walton Burroughs, along with other Hackensack men, mustered into federal service with Company G, 2nd Regiment, New Jersey Volunteer Infantry on May 2, 1898. The men of Company G elected the Burroughs brothers to serve as sergeants, with Walton eventually serving as 1st sergeant for the company, and Addison serving as battalion sergeant major for the 2nd Battalion of the regiment.

In later years, Walton Burroughs wrote a unit history describing the mustering of Company G and its training at Sea Girt, New Jersey, and Jacksonville, Florida. In his hand-written manuscript, Burroughs included more than dry historical facts. He shared stories that revealed the personalities of his fellow Soldiers, described their hardships and pranks, and told of their difficulties with stubborn Army mules. He also spoke of their desire to serve their country and the quick ending of the war that found Company G still in Florida.

Burroughs told how a black dog “just followed” Private Frank R. Bennett to camp one night. Dubbed “Hine” (Hiney), she served as mascot for Company G, traveling with the company from Sea Girt to Jacksonville in July 1898. The Soldiers gave Hine a male name before realizing she was a female. Although she shared duty with many other animals including a pig and a rooster, only Hine could boast of her own custom knapsack complete with blanket, mess kit, and tin cup. Hine was noted for standing at attention while in formation with her commander, Private Bennett.

In 1969, Addison Burroughs completed a questionnaire about his military service and donated materials to the U.S. Army including the unpublished unit history written by his brother. His materials are maintained at the U.S. Army Heritage and Education Center at Carlisle Barracks, Pa., as part of the Spanish-American War Veterans Survey Collection. The collection includes approximately 800 completed veteran surveys supplemented with donations of a variety of materials including photographs and artifacts. Together, the survey collection documents the service of our citizen Soldiers during the Spanish-American War, the Philippine Insurrection, and the China Relief Expedition, and helps preserve their memories for future generations.

The success of the Spanish-American War Veteran Survey program inspired additional surveys of our U.S. Army veterans, an effort that continues today with soldiers from all conflicts.