Valor Friday

| June 27, 2025 | 4 Comments

Private Fitz Lee

Amid the Confederate base name controversy is Fort Lee, Virginia. The Army post dates to the First World War, and was originally named for former US Army officer turned Confederate general Robert E. Lee. It was renamed in 2023 to Fort Gregg-Adams. Trump has returned the facility to its original name, but this time instead the namesake is US Army Private Fitz Lee, Spanish-American War Medal of Honor recipient.

Born in 1866 in Virginia, Lee enlisted into the US Army in December 1889 from Pittsburgh. A black man, he was assigned to one of the legendary all-black Buffalo Soldier regiments, the 10th Cavalry Regiment. The 10th Cavalry at the that time 10th Cavalry was embroiled in the Indian Wars in the west and southwest of the US. It was in those wars that the black soldiers earned their nom de guerre from the Indians, who respected them for their fighting prowess. It was also during this time that a young Jack Pershing would serve as an officer with the 10th Cavalry (most of the Buffalo Soldiers were led by white officers), who would get the nickname “Black Jack” for his service leading colored troops.

With the explosion of USS Maine in Havana Harbor, Cuba in 1898, the US had the excuse they were looking for to go to war with Spain. The 10th Cavalry would be a part of the war in Cuba.

Lee and his fellows in M Troop, 10th Cavalry were embarked on SS Florida, a US Army Transport Service ship. Lee and about 50 other cav troopers were to make an amphibious landing at Tayabacoa, Cuba on 30 June 1898. They were to go behind enemy lines to resupply Cuban partisans that were fighting to throw off Spanish rule.

When the first elements hit the shore they were immediately ambushed by waiting Spanish troops. Forced to retreat, at least 16 wounded men were left behind. Several attempts were made to rescue them, but were unsuccessful.

Lee, Cpl. George H. Wanton, Pvt. Dennis Bell, Sgt. William H. Thompkins and Lt. George P. Ahern volunteered to make a final attempt. Wading ashore, they surprised the enemy, and were able to effect the rescue of the dead and wounded American troopers.

Lee didn’t survive the encounter unscathed. He was seriously wounded in the engagement. He was bed ridden for three months with abdominal pain, swollen limbs, and limited vision. A year after the Battle of Tayabacoa, Lee, Wanton, Bell, and Thompkins were awarded the Medal of Honor. They were the last black men to receive the honor for more than 50 years (though subsequent award reviews have since honored black soldiers during that gap).

I’m not sure why Lieutenant Ahern, a white man, didn’t receive the Medal of Honor along with the men he led. He had a 32 year career in the Army, retiring as a lieutenant colonel. He saw combat service in the Indian Wars, the Spanish-American War, the Boxer Rebellion, and the Philippine Insurrection. He led the Philippine Office of Patents, Copyrights and Trademarks and later the Bureau of Forestry of the Philippines. During World War I, he was assistant to the Chief of Military Intelligence and then Secretary of the War College.

After receiving his Medal of Honor, Lee died just a few months later at the age of 33. He is buried at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.

William Thompkins also died young, at age 43 in 1916. Dennis Bell would eventually become a corporal before leaving the service in 1903. He was subsequently a government employee and lived to the age of 86, dying in 1953. George Wanton remained in the Army until 1925 (which along with a stint in the Navy from 1884-1888 meant he spent 40 years in uniform), retiring as a master sergeant. He was selected in 1921 to be one of the pallbearers for the Unknown Soldier’s entombment. He died at 72 in 1940.

 

Category: Army, Historical, Medal of Honor, Valor, We Remember

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RGR 4-78

Thank you, Mason, these are my Friday favorite reads.

Odie

Thanks Mason. You always present excellent stories to read. I don’t always comment, but do read your work. The amount of research you must do boggles the mind.

KoB

Another great read, Mason. More evidence that not all Black Troops were members of the “Fo, Fo, Fo Double Clutching Muther Truckers” and had no problem carrying the fight to the enemy. Like others here, I was privileged to serve with a number of 3 War, Black Combat Troops (WWII, Korea, VN) that served very Honorably and tried their best to instill their Warrior Ethos on the younger ones. It didn’t always work.

Thanks!

RCAF-CHAIRBORNE

Private Fitz Lee is more than deserving of the honor. I also like the idea of naming a base after a valorious Private than another General