The Western Star, Sept 17, 1898.
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OUR SOLDIER BOYS
Comanche county's representatives at the front - Will Myers, Geo. Peek and Frank Willard - have been heard from again.
They, in common with thousands of others, fell a prey to the fever which has been so prevalent among the soldiers.
Geo. Peek, it seems, escaped with but a very slight attack.
Frank Willard was in the hospital for four or five days only.
Will Myers' condition has been more critical. He has been in the hospital for about two weeks, but is now able to be out again. We make the following extract from a letter Will recently wrote to his brothers here. The letter is dated at Chickamauga, Sept. 10:
"It has been some time since I have written, but have been laid up with fever ever since the 1st of last month and have been unable to write. Am doing very well now. Just began to be up a little and walk around. It will be a week or ten days before I can join the regiment at Lexington. It moved there over two weeks ago. It is a nice place up there but the hospital is becoming filled with patients. Everybody that left here was filled full of fever. If they had stayed here they would have all or nearly all become sick. We have the best of care, there being lots of trained nurses, both ladies and men. Anything we want to eat we get for the asking. Just as good care as we could have any place.
Yours,
W. B. MYERS, CO. K. 21ST KANS. VOL."
Thanks to Shirley Brier for transcribing this article and providing it for use on this website!
Note: The Kansas Adjutant General's Report, 1898-1899 doesn't list a Geo. Peek; it does list George W. Peck of the 21st Regiment, Company K; William B. Myers is listed as a member of the same regiment and company; the report doesn't list a Frank Willard but does list a John F. Willard of the 21st Regiment, Company K.
About the war:
The World of 1898: The Spanish American War
The Spanish American War in Motion Pictures
The Spanish American War Centennial Website
Remember the Maine
The Spanish American War
The U.S. Army Yellow Fever Commission (Spanish-American War)
Kansas State Historical Society: Spanish American War records
21st Kansas Volunteers
HTML Guy: Jerry Ferrin. This page was last updated 09 Sept 2003.