The New International Encyclopædia/Funston, Frederick

FUN′STON, Frederick (1865—). An American soldier, born at New Carlisle, Clark County, Ohio. He studied for two years at the Kansas State University (Lawrence, Kan.); was a member of the reportorial staff of the Kansas City Journal; became connected with the United States Department of Agriculture, in 1891; accompanied the Death Valley expedition to southern California as assistant botanist; and in 1893-94 was in Alaska, where he made for the Department a collection of the local flora and obtained material for the field-report included in F. V. Coville's Botany of Yakutat Bay (Washington, 1895). In 1896 he was appointed deputy comptroller of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fé Railway; during the same year offered his services to the Cuban Junta; and later was commissioned captain of artillery, and distinguished himself as such at La Machuca. He was promoted successively to be major and lieutenant-colonel (for bravery at Las Tunas); endeavored, by reason of wounds and illness, to escape to the United States; was captured by the Spanish, and, although condemned to death, was finally set free. At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War he organized the Twentieth Kansas Volunteers, a force very similar to the well-known ‘Rough Riders,’ and became its colonel. From November, 1898, he served in the Philippine Islands, where, for bravery at Calumpit, he was appointed brigadier-general of volunteers in 1899. Owing to illnass, he was relieved in 1899, and returned to the United States. He later returned to the Philippines, and on March 23, 1901, succeeded in capturing Emilio Aguinaldo, the insurgent leader, thus dealing an effective blow at serious native resistance. On March 30 he was commissioned brigadier-general, U. S. A. Consult the article by Scott in the Independent, vol. liii. (New York, 1901).