« = 1. - / - : 7 ro 4 ; :

var s - 7 - . woe gees sot y 7 :

: - :

‘ : : & : % 7 4, *

a = co. ” ¥ a * . ee 7 . wat . .

ots, ae x Bay : : an) : ty : ban f : a : ; -

: da ‘ : : :

~ pee , = - * : - Ty @ am : i ‘ -

: ce hy Poe ! ‘ = t

Tn vides . : ; ‘ : ;

: cogs ® "5 7 "Os - - - - L

+ Ve : % 7 ue 1 : - ; s+ . - A 7 a 7 7 < 7 " . a

7 ee ie Sas . 7, i ‘ oe -

c : - r $ 1 7 4 3 : ‘ - ¥ - 7 e 1

’ - ’ = J x ' -

et - 7 ah : : . 2

AMERICA'S WAR WITH SPAIN AND ITS AFTERMATH

This exhibit documents through contemporary postal material the history of the American side of the

Spanish-American War and the resulting military administrations in the former Spanish territories.

Coverage is initiated in 1898 with the suspension of mail service between the United States and Spain

following destruction of the battleship U.S.S. Maine in Havana harbor. Next come covers from the

training camps established in preparation for the invasion of the Spanish possessions, followed by

material showing the deployment of U.S. forces into those territories and from the occupying forces.

The campaign in the Philippines lasted longer than in the other territories as the U.S. "inherited" a native

insurrection which did not end until the surrender of Aguinaldo in 1902. The exhibit also includes

material reflecting POW mail and mail from troops quarantined following their return to the States from

the disease-ridden tropics.

Because of the substantial scale of the activity and the distances involved, it became necessary for the

United States authorities to create an entirely new system of military postal stations located throughout

Cuba, Puerto Rico and the Philippines -- initially as branches of the New York, Washington and San

Francisco post offices, respectively. The'Navy's share of this postal history is limited as it did not have

shipboard post offices until 1908; however, the Navy did administer the postal system on Guam. The

marcophily of this period is further enhanced by the need for the military postal system to convert from

a (more mobile and anonymous) wartime footing to a peacetime mode by late 1898-early 1899. The

heart of the exhibit is a comprehensive display of mail sent from the various military postal stations,

which are extremely difficult to acquire from the smaller offices, as these served units as small as a

couple dozen men, often for very short periods of time. With regard to mail from the larger offices, a

conscious effort has been made to emphasize the unusual, including registered mail, supplemental

markings, earliest and latest dates, etc.

gps mn a EN LO RE EE OR O A 8 EO RENCE, Tale TELS OR RONAN TESTO

TBR OT Rae ce :

ad 43 }

RETURN IN| TEN pays TO

Fs EDWARD P_AVERY;, UNITED STAT to ru

=" SHIP CHANDLER, | a B Nor07 Long Whasi___ . SAvinaws Stegn ie.

NEW HAVEN, CONN pigebeea’ f ce eg a

iM / ;

FBS GN Hed ong 3 ‘ , LA

Ain

N E M o y g h e e e

~ *

a r e s

&

ew Ne sp as

ws

b . ahs g - Ne oe : Be tk ek ee ett ee TER eT

et cate ee Smee teat ihe ee as alae

The earliest military postmark used overseas by U.S. forces. The first military P.O. was placed in

service at Daiquiri, Cuba on 23 June 1898. Based on approximate 2 1/2-week transit at that time

and 11 July receiving backstamp at Norwalk, this cover was likely a part of the earliest despatch

of military mail from occupied territory.

UNITED STATES

Although most of Central and South America successfully threw off Spanish rule early in the 19th Century, the Caribbean possessions of Cuba and Puerto Rico continued to be controlled by Spain for another 85 years. The first revolt in Cuba in the 1870s failed, but unrest continued. On 28 February 1895, a more serious insurrection broke out, which eventually gained the sympathy of American public opinion.

Following the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine at Havana, war became inevitable and was declared on 21 April 1898.

Prohibited Mail New York a . x . saeweenns wg an ou -. ee 3 as oe & te eae ony 23 April 1898

Wit A. POND & CO. PUBLISHERS & IMPORTERS OE rat RA:

_ Fuster, 7s 424 FIFTH AVENUE,

NEW YORK.

—walae—_rae

SSPIANOSSs SOI

A FINE

ASSORTMENT OF PIANOS, OF ALL CELEBRATED MAKERS,

CONSTANTLY ON HAND,

FOR SALE OR RENT. semi a e a

(go ss, \ 5 6 “lbp, | RETURNTO SENDER

» Mes pt Op

oo Y, OF 1, ’£0 Sp ;

RO eagy St doowanicr aE

San Francisco

1 June 1898

~~

tb ve Se \ ey 4 a

ie, ee = =e, a X28 Ss ead

EGE j Se tet . ba plan et | NCL “~ See

On 26 April, the Postmaster General officially banned the despatch of mail to Spain and its colonies. Such mail matter then in the postal system was separated: a special label was affixed or rubber stamp marking applied, and it was retumed to the sender. (The lower cover is an example of foreign mail transiting the U.S. that was so treated.)

UNITED STATES Virginia Cuban Relief Fund April 1898

peeiggr — onstacicacsgesan city $Oy ETT “ree were a

Although most of Central and South America successfully threw off Spanish rule early in the 19th Century, the Caribbean possessions of Cuba and Puerto Rico continued to be controlled by Spain for another 85 years. The first revolt in Cuba in the 1870s failed, but unrest continued. On 28 February 1895, a more serious insurrection broke out, which eventually gained the sympathy of American public opinion.

The above cover, Registered No. 2 from a small town in Virginia, undoubtedly contained a cash donation to the Cuban Relief Fund being gathered by a group at "The Bible House" in New York, where it arrived on 4 April.

UNITED STATES Chicamauga Nat'l. Park, Ga.

Training Camps 24 July 1898 - 4 August 1898 co

- July 1898 fi yl

On fo Havana! “» {iF ay {

- ee ak a des 7 4 a - Cees}

bs * On to Porto Rico! a4 9a\¥ A; I, Ch 1K ‘MAUCA 48 ay: FE: AATL PARK 7@ 3

. 7 RETURN TO ee Be eat tie eae f

600.0)... .%./ Regt. As a > +. Camp cd hers eh, ae fa SA

In 1898, the active U.S. Army consisted of only 28,000 men, scattered throughout military posts from coast to coast. Following the declaration of war on 21 April 1898, President McKinley issued a call for 125,000 volunteers in order to build up forces for the invasion of Cuba and Puerto Rico. Training camps were set up in various locations, many of which had no postal facilities. Thus, arrangements had to be made to open new offices. Often, provisional postmarks with movable letters, similar to those used in the Railway Mail Service, were placed into use -- as above at Camp Thomas in Georgia.

UNITED STATES Dunn Loring, Va. Training Camps 3 August 1898

Falls Church, Va 27 May 1898

MAYETSSS, 7 FALLS - } ef

?

OUR BOYS)

| LUfo10 2

Further RMS-type provisional postmarks.

UNITED STATES Training Camps

7 A S S

f not delivered return to

Oo Regt.,

FERNANDINA, FLORIDA.

Vols.

~e

Tas oN ye 3

QO Ro sky on ad S = * fe X ag Ey 903) bi MALLA. hoe.

- SS Sy c,

Sgr ‘ 4, <3 Pye %

i

Provisional postmarks used at Camp Thomas, Georgia and Camps Femandina and Cuba Libre, Florida

Lytle, Ga. 22 June 1898

Fernandina, Fla.

11 August 1898

Panama Park, Fla.

15 October 1898

UNITED STATES Mil. Sta. Middletown, Pa.

Training Camps 26 September 1898

Mil. Sta. Anniston, Ala.

9 October 1898

Mil. Sta. Lexington, Ky. 14 October 1898

ARMY AND NAVY CHRISTIAN COMMISSION

OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE

YOUNG MEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATIONS, 3 West 29TH Street, N. Y. City,

If not called for in Five Days, return to

Provisional military station postmarks used at Middletown and Camps Shipp, Alabama and Hamilton, Kentucky.

UNITED STATES Jacksonville, Fla. Training Camps 7 June 1898

- July 1898

Summerville, S.C. 3 January 1899

ARMY & NAVY CHRISTIAN COMMI : OF THE . i

veer INTERNATIONAL COMMITTER, : YOUNG MEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIA :

. . 3 WEsT 29TH STREET, N. Y. CrTy. “ee If not called for in Five Days,

CAMP TARION, HEADQUARTERS 2D BRIGADE, “

1st Division 2a Army Corps, U.S, ¥. . 2m The a \

Ze. Ot QA~REGIMENT, COMPANY

SUMMERVILLE, S. CG.

Normal cds and machine postmarks used on camp mail.

UNITED STATES Tampa, Fla. Inbound to Camps July 1898

Fernandina, Fla.

August 1898

Gi: pes a nS To ars ‘ ” 5

* A SOLULERS LEITEL ‘ : LEONARD, Co, D. 3rd. O \J

é ; i

ttUt2ztoes :

ff | ‘= “or wih Fog OLDIERS Lith < cut LEONARD, Y D. 31d, Te

Bau eee eee eee. wi tt

eee seae: KOK IK

OK Ok Ik IKK II

stoletchalalalel : Lehto Ciabia tts aS

Inbound covers to members of 3rd Regiment, Ohio Volunteers at Tampa and Femandina.

CUBA

Following the sinking of the U.S.S. Maine in Havana harbor, the United States declared war on Spain on 21 April 1898. The destruction of the Spanish fleet in the Battle of Santiago on 3 July by the Americans under Admiral Sampson and Commodore Schley sealed the fate of the defenders, which resulted in an armistice being signed on 12 August.

Oriente Province Military Station No. 1 June - July 1898

TTT epee yes payne ee ge. aeRus i ee MA meh OTR So ecey, Sg TE

AM ee py rp Wa a at

4

ost orice, OP ee iWo.1, CUBA.

2211: arr OO... @ a @.9. 2,2. O.@.@.4 KKKKKKK oO OG OO. e.4 KAaKKKKK

= LE.

‘ 4 16 Connon tc °

e eee

The initial U.S. post office in territory occupied outside of North America opened on 23 June 1898 at Daiquiri, on the south coast of Cuba, the day following the landing of our troops. The first postmark was a temporary device indicating neither location nor date. As the troops advanced toward Santiago, the military postal station moved westward to Siboney on 6 July and to the outskirts of Santiago on 21 July. The above covers are backstamped for receipt in the U.S. on 14 and 17 July, respectively, indicating origination in Cuba in late June or early July.

CUBA Military Station No. 1 Oriente Province 9 August 1898 one 12 August 1898

= Pe deve Soka ore, Bay SBA ee PS ples see etlbeee oe lene esta mp ail To clearly indicate the fact that the Cuban military stations were regarded as branches of New York, a steel duplex inscribed “Military Station No. 1/NYPO" with "Cuba" in both the cds and the killer was used briefly during August. Because it did not indicate the location of usage, it was quickly withdrawn and replaced by a cancel which included "Santiago" in the cds. As a result, only a few examples of the above marking have been recorded, with dates ranging from 8 to 13 August.

U.S. troops participating in the war with Spain enjoyed two postal concessions. First, mail to and from the occupied territories was carried at domestic rates. Letters could be sent unfranked, with the postage due, but not the deficiency penalty, being charged to the addressee.

CUBA Santiago de Cuba Forwarded Mail 25 July 1898

4 August 1898

A a

Upper cover sent to lieutenant at Sacket Harbor, NY. Forwarded to Tampa (as staging point for troops bound for Cuba) and on to Santiago. Lower cover to surgeon serving in the 33rd Michigan Volunteers "With Gen. Shafter In the Field." Hostilities ended quickly and casualti es were light, so his services were no longer required. Asa result, the letter was forwarded to Ann Arbor, where the doctor presumably resided.

CUBA Oriente Province

Military Station No. 1 1 September 1898

October 1898

wits So A double ring oval reading "Military Sta. No. 1 N.Y." with "Cuba" in the middle was used on ordinary letters and as a killer on Registered mail. No date or location was indicated, but usage is reported from July into October 1898. The upper cover bears 13 cents postage (5 cent rate for civilian sender to U.S. plus 8 cents registration). Lower cover shows 5 cent U.P.U. rate to France.

CUBA Military Station No. 1 Oriente Province

16 September 1898 29 November 1898

S T A T TS

oi

A av ui

N A N A W U E E

Tot

;

Oe Ae :

ee cmt Fare Sere 7 POSTAGE BUEb CENTS Prete, iy A

i ae a / =

x ey Station Mo. t-Cuba, “Le uo

y e

~

*

o yr

te ag

ne

te e.

¢

,

. FU T ,

pe e

SECOND NOTICE. | Gilliay tha) : oN ea OF ¢

Bt Seeo¥ ie ARNT ra ee = ” Several auxiliary markings were used at MPS No. 1, including those on the covers above, i.e."Not in Cuba,” “Second Notice" and "Postage Due....Cents." In addition, both covers are backstamped for receipt with steel cds reading "Military Sta. 1 Santiago de Cuba/Rec’d." Upper cover shows double weight domestic rate on an inbound letter to a soldier. Bottom cover, not being to a military address, should have been paid at the 5 cent civilian rate. As it was not, a double deficiency (3 cents x 2), was assessed as postage due.

CUBA Military Sta. No. 1 Santiago Oriente Province 8 March 1899

3 April 1899

Once Spanish resistance ended, it was possible to assign the various military post offices to fixed locations. Thus,

a steel duplex with cds reading "Military Sta. 1/ Santiago de Cuba" was introduced. The recorded dates of usage

are 21 August 1898 to 13 April 1899. Although not endorsed as “sailor's mail™ the postal clerk accepted the

upper cover as navy mail at the 2 cent rate.

CUBA Military Station No. 1 Santiago Oriente Province

21 November 1898 4 February 1899

REGISTERED Do

Military Station veo LLL z Lied . _ ._ Santiago de Cubs, Za } ES. cag m ‘.

|

‘east Offi t Ottice Department,

~ POST OFFICE AT SANTIAGO DE CUBA

-QMILITARY STATION No, 1), ; OF FIQSAL BUSINESS? -

Fel sete ). <n

asl) Millay Staton tn, =e i Be oe ee ale puaniices | SY LOD,

vm ee re ee ‘

25 255 “ey Fs an : . HSS oso aaiege | ae PAS sole 2 Be gas + gS sya. tery ON as pete CES Togas “ Mapp sing, = Se B® Fass fF eet S Beaten 300 Sy PE ea, hs eS

The first Registration markings from Santiago consisted of four lines, including the date -- both unrecorded in Gordon. The earliest version had large letters, with a later type using smaller letters. In both cases, the stamps were cancelled with a double oval marking reading "Mil. Sta. No. 1/Santiago" and "Cuba" in the middle.

CUBA Military Sta. No. 3, Guantanamo Oriente Province 23 November 1898

8 April 1899

“*\ nanaaca Neat? f° « (/ Oontlvay {7 od 7 Yoh ‘ ‘ a —= fares ane

Guufernerw®” ! j ‘ ; a er . : neneeraiicmnamca :

“ey

I

ot e =

Du r

Al y

\ . Theat sevens Bomiceids ws a ewe. ete Re aR Be tae

A total of 39 numbered military postal stations for Cuba are listed in the literature. In theory, at least, they would have been supplied with marking devices similar to those used in Santiago. However, some of the smaller offices handled so little mail and others were opened so late in the occupation period that no examples have been recorded in certain cases and only a few in others.

Two types of steel cds were used at Guantanamo. The first shows the indication "No. 3" at the top of the circle; it is recorded used from 23 November 1898 (above) to 28 July 1899. The second type has "No. 3" in the middle and is recorded from 7 January to 14 June 1899.

CUBA Military Sta. No. 3 Guantanamo Oriente Province

17 January 1899 eee ome ; TR i amet Ae Seren samaRRe a ees 6 June 1899

| REGISTERED 1 } . YAN BE, 1899

BPATION No -3, . | GUANTa

: cums MO; XY ORE,P.O

“AOR Ga eee. ad nem Rb etch scat hee tint ae, Nee ht Ste nee I RB me ee ant tebe Sol Covers above show usage of the Guantanamo boxed Registration marking with the indication of "Military Station No. 3" during the military administration and a "Guantanamo, Santiago de Cuba" marking after all existing Military post offices in Cuba were required to assume civilian status under order of 10 February 1899. However,

CUBA Military Sta. No. 4 Baracoa Oriente Province 9 April 1899

Military Sta. No.5 San Luis 1 August 1899

EE RE ee SE oe a Sem A DR OA me eee FRY RE SE NO cttw Sr

ee ee es ern cart en ene ee te a OT Ne

Covers from the smaller villages are scarce, with only a few copies recorded of some of the markings. Postmarks of Baracoa (near the eastern tip of the island) and San Luis (25 miles north of Santiago) are in this category, with examples of the latter recorded only on 4 April and 1 August 1899.

CUBA Military Sta. No. 6 Manzanillo Oriente Province 22 December 1898

23 March 1899

en ed ‘Hom 07700 Gf LUL , i cle te Magar 4G j

C: Ceicaigl Aiguidadsras ‘olel ag biielle- ae : |

: . 4g hive? Ee - cee a] , BAGS: |

I

I belay Ge} Ae Maridv Palin el ak eateries we. pues. sGit eh

t

Manzanillo used both types of steel cds, the early version with the "No.6" at the top and the later version with it in the middle. Previously recorded examples of these posumarks were from December 1898 to 2 March 1899.

CUBA MPS No. 6 Manzanillo Oriente Province

8 March 1899 11 May 1899

o o d

& d o e s

~” wa

3

a o

&

Sees 2 o

o e

F y

4 .

e e )

S S a 8

g Bx.

28 S S 2 8 8 8

i A

?' i

: d : | ;

p e

. ‘vanNd

=

‘OTTINVZNVIA

oe ( a

A I L , v i e

A

‘AQUAAVTIIA “a

™ ages

S a g r r h e w

neg A)

O° F E D

Z|

om B E Y a

‘OOES FSN

F L V A I Y d

YOF A L T V N I d

Ay

a d

I N C

‘

" W e y ?

‘ O T U N Y Z N

yi: | 2%

YD - e o y : N O L L V E S T

| { a y

S e

TD yal

6691 3

ONY ee On

yA

A N S

BY |

a) a

" ¢ h : :

‘ .

o m c e m e r

et \

w e t

he ee

He a t e

e e

~ ‘SSHNISNG

TVIOISAO

“ L N E A W L Y V d a d U V M

E E e e

Tet pet

EN rc

F

Military Sta. No. 7 Gibara CUBA Oriente Province 24 January 1899

GIBARA’ JAN 24 Gibara CUBA 25 August 1899

TEE oe

faa tte

Only a few copies are recorded of these markings. Gordon reported no examples of covers showing the cds of Gibara, a small village on the northeast coast.

25 February 1899 15 March 1899

Military Sta. No. 8 Holguin

Holguin 11 January 1901

{ Se

S L A e .

ee

"AN ‘ M O A

MON 6 2 P O S )

©

‘qo0r49 AYLOATT

LET

‘*o9 A T d d n g

9 J O O U T S U Y

L T A

90d9Td

Oriente Province

CUBA

“ S S 3 S N I S N E

W W I 9 I s 4 O

NITDTON “ T S O

ape i

iid

L E O L A I E

GON G e

POLE TD

‘ L N S W L Y V d a d

U V M

from January to March 1899. The Registration marking is on a large piece from a military cover.

The Holguin cds is noted used only

CUBA Mil. Sta. Cuba La Habana Province

13 November 1898

Mil. Sta. Havana Cuba 21 December 1898

} No tJ ff “

WSU ATI 2 de" Biche i Deethin F | GoB sou Gate ican wonaty “Bfre-rbd ly . Seu

Chee) . 2 rR a

A provisional postmark, modeled on RPO markings used in the U.S. at the time, is believed to have been brought to Havana by an army survey group in November 1898; its use on the upper cover is earlier than previously recorded. It was superseded by a similar cancel in which "Havana" was included in the cds. Examples of this marking are recorded only from 21 December 1898 (above) to 26 January 1899.

ae ern:

CUBA Military Sta. No. 10 Havana La Habana Province 21 December 1898

1 February 1899

| ae UR ay A ee emerge” AAS .G. bene tte tS te tat te seed eet thee Ce te es cee er A ee ee i an et Re

cee

A third RPO-type cancel was used December 1898 and January 1899, with the number "10" in the killer. (Use of U.S. special delivery stamp from a military station is extraordinary.) A new steel duplex cancel was then introduced; it is recorded as being used from 27 January to 2 May 1899. Three examples of covers with the oval marking were reported by Gordon, but none can be dated due to the absence of transit or receiving markings.

CUBA Havana

La Habana Province 8 April 1899

3 July 1899

ecm —_—_——_ .

ANA CURA,

wii — ALtOP ress seceeneeesedays, return to |

. : i SO, AY

4 . 3 ee s a 2 Coes

t z ® .- 4 if by ares . Fee 4 RIL aS BUS fey ~ 4h! = “.. Of ee di lla te 2 3 een E,

aa = = ‘ : .

lo z

a 7 | Early Registered mail from Havana does not provide any military station designation.

_types of "Havana, Cuba/date/Registered No." markings and two different killers.

~ mis ns

Above covers show two

CUBA Military Sta. No. 11 Puerto Principe Camaguay Province 9 March 1899

Military Sta. No. 12 Neuyitas nen Hem ee wr . . 1 March 1899

“t i : sem eee eS

i hes m111ew Are

Moneta, ' 2

a -_ _ At AY gS

ast & No. 11 ‘y 2 he PUERTO PRINCIPE

ass MAR 4 357 1 \ 4y8s gs % YY. PL ees. t

: eee

oe S h e a r e r |

eo re et ie ,

Ry e

4 ween. mee s cease

Steel duplex markings from Puerto Principe (subsequently named Camaguay) are recorded in February and March 1899. From Neuyitas, markings are known from February to April 1899. Note the spelling error in the postmark of Station No.12, as the name of the town should be "Neuvitas."

CUBA Military Sta. No. 13 Cienfuegos Las Villas Province

25 March 1899 Pinar del Rio Province

Military Sta. No. 15 Pinar del Rio 23 February 1899

RSAL Posta, UN on “a= ve Versen, on

UNITED STATES GAME RICA

(Etats-Unis d'Améri WRITE ONLY THE ADDRESS ONT

The steel cds marking from Cienfuegos is recorded from February to April 1899. From Pinar del Rio, a rubber cds is known used during February and March 1899.

CUBA Military Sta. No. 16 Guanajay Pinar del Rio Province 14 March 1899 Las Villas Province

Military Sta. No. 18 Trinidad 30 June 1899

ie a wget en cet epee eg ee mama me”

: . : ee “te a vie at - hie envelope can lawfully be > veres:

| Bost @ftice Bepayiment. ; * 7 "Officer of he United States on O :

Ay RENE YO of the Government. The ugg of 1p POST OFFICE AT NEW-YORK)N. oz ps. ofthe Geurment. 7 og -OFFICIAL BUSINESS... .. is % punishable by a fine of a

(Go LA)

/ . f

° ye

< f 9 f S< 3 NaN

+” s ZNoa ow 2 nt é «Os 2 2 & “

. M, a

te Rissa ed Cwiincy poc ena ate ee Sree we Py

Rubber cds markings are recorded to have been used at Guanajay from February to April 1899 and at Trinidad from March to June 1899.

CUBA MPS No. 21 Cardenas Matanzas Province

11 Apnil 1899 Oriente Province

MPS No. 24 Palma Soriano 20 March 1900

we Seety ee 2 ae

[> HAVANA.*.

i No. S268 28S

MAP Bo Fago, Palina Sor and; Santiago.

> PR m as ~ z : a wer eet XK . _ = . at we Fw ee > , oo Se ee N vedere. Ma LL. wee oN DS me Tee ee Led The rubber cds marking of Cardenas (often blurred) is recorded in March and April 1899. No examples of a military station cds has been recorded from Palma Soriano, but there are two examples of the oval killer reading "Mil Sta./Palma Soriano" with "No. 24 Cuba" in the center.

CUBA Military Sta. No. 26 Buena Vista La Habana Province 4 April 1899

6 June 1899

R

FRITS Mie be , Va = REGISTERED %cLé, VE bead, (6 ae : JUN 6 1899 _§< JRO! I

‘Military Station Ne, Ww Sues eta, LL, 4

Buena Vista, Cuba.e | Examples above show rubber cds, postage due, and 4-line Registration markings of Buena Vista. The "Postag

e

Due" type is unrecorded in Baker. As the upper cover is not endorsed "soldier's letter," it was assessed a double

deficiency for the 3 centavos underpayment.

. Military Sta. No. 27 Matanzas Matanzas Province 13 May 1899

5 May 1899

awWERSAL POSTay U

DAY Smnostale tater 70 UNITED STATES AME

WRITE ONLYTHE ADDRESS ON THIS ~ ¥

POSTAGE GUE. CRN TS SI ris ay o Aianbtae tl. : "ate oe 24, GTS YQ ad. 0 ', eaAATI, Gap

fee

ir tig

- TO

N r e e

_.. REGISTERED .MAY” 6 1899 ~Milltary Station Nov 27g

“ Matanz->. Cuba 0 Examples above show rubber cds, postage due, and 5-line Registration markings of Matanzas. The former is recorded used from 28 January to 2 August 1899, while the “Postage Due" and "Registered" types are unrecorded in Gordon. Note the use of the captured Spanish oval registration marking on the lower cover.

CUBA Military Sta. No. 28 Santa Clara Las Villas Province 27 March 1899 Camaguay Province

_ Military Sta. No. 32 Jucaro grees Seciecmiemapemecie = + stamens faewemimers me ~, 28 March 1899 we

i

Pi

ee canes i a cae eee date neha Se ig ee TN es Steam siicaete tsb Lind

seetaGe DUE. ---—-

ee

Aen Stati on, No. 32, Juca

tt, a a

hg, F; A, (a

: FP ce - eC 24 tee . - 6 ae 6 * . = : .

~ Be 7 oa , Le -

oem a ay ao Pee ee ee : *. ; ‘en - 7 : glace nated oa soe He AT een cake Sat maallS cee etd TT.

Examples of the higher number military Stations, which were open only Bef, are scarce. °* Postmarks of Santa Clara are recorded from 17 February to 20 April 1899 and from Jucaro from 28 March (above) to 9 June 1899. The bottom cover also bears an unusual postage due marking, reflecting an underpayment of 1 centavo. (Because of an error in printing this denomination, these stamps were sold for 2 centavos each, rather than 2 1/2.)

CUBA Military Sta. No. 33 Sagua la Grande Las Villas Province

3 April 1899 12 June 1899

. WI Star feed LL

PEL Db beta Ve. The rubber cds of Sagua la Grande is known used from March to July 1899. Clearly, there was a tendency for the rubber in the postmarks to deteriorate after extended use in the tropical climate.

CUBA Santa Cruz del Sur Camaguey Province 15 January 1899

Provisional Municipal Postage

VOIGT & RODRIGUEZ, Santa Cruz del Sur.

ISLA DE CUBA. Fn ee me rete

American and Cuban revolutionary forces captured Puerto Principe on 24 November 1898. When it was learned that no American stamps were immediately available, the Cuban Liberation Army proposed to General Carpenter, the U.S. military governor, that supplies of Spanish stamps be overprinted. On 19 December, the order was given for the local production of five denominations. Five printings were made during December 1898 and January 1899. These “Puerto Principe Provisionals" were in use for approximately one month as they were withdrawn from circulation upon the arrival of a supply of U.S. postage stamps on 20 January 1899.

In the primary source literature, Jones & Roy state that between 21,400 and 28,000 stamps were produced in total. They were used in only four towns: Puerto Principe, Minas del Principe, Nuevitas and Santa Cruz del Sur, Covers showing use of this issue are particularly elusive, with only two recorded from this latter post office.

Buena Vista CUBA March 1899 Inbound Mail

Pinar del Rios

28 June 1900

* ip Nap mm ienomgns 8 ce te cane,

After 5 days, return to

SANDY RIVER RAILROAD COMPANY,

GARDINER, ME.

CUBA Havana U.S. Naval Base June 1899

Two line rubber stamp "U.S. Naval Station/Havana, Cuba" not previously recorded. Franked with 2 cent "Cuba" overprinted stamp, which was accepted when the letter entered the mail stream in New York.

Seni Cienfuegos

Naval Mai 26 May 1898

28 February 1899

ASA I Ssh lyr

Be. fee leet ula ©

(P22 ay ® 6 Fyyege

D cut (24D om RE aie tse -

pr ee

goo | Loe : *o5 hc BE iiss (lhe Save

et hon

1 q 4 cA

Upper cover mailed by sailor from US. S. Brooklyn at Cienfuegos to girl friend in Hoboken, arriving on 29 May. Contents state "We arrived here Sunday and were going to do the Dewey trick but they would not fire at us.’ Lower cover sent Commander Maynard of the U.S.S. Nashville to his wife in Newport, where it arrived 6 March.

CUBA Guantanamo Bay Naval Mail 20 July 1898

August 1898

Neneh ee a : »

WEE Sosse: SE Weg rage aes ‘ = z Cee eB pL ‘ ~- aie ee game cancaneeegess =o. | Upper cover mailed by sailor from protected cruiser U.S.S. Columbia at Camp McCulloch, Guantanamo.

Contents state that "We are coaling up here and expect to leave for Porto Rico tomorrow,” and that "All hands are out of stamps now and we must send our letters C.0.D.” However, postage due was apparently not assessed when letter entered the mails at Key West. Lower cover from U.S.S. Resolute to Naval Hospital at Norfolk, where it was redirected on arrival 6 August.

CUBA

Military Station Hospital Ship

™ No. 10 Havana \. 4 March 1899

Cover from a major and surgeon showin “Missouri,” not previously recorded.

g usage of single-line rubber handstamp "U.S. Army Hospital Ship

Key West, Fla. CUBA Marine Mail

18 July 1898

He \egust Hlariac Battalion,

PostaLCarp-ONe CENT, Ma

4 I Post card from Maj. Henry Clay Cochrane, second in command of the First Marine Battalion in Cuba, to his wife

in Newport. Written at Guantanamo on 14 July 1898, noting that "Santiago surrendered today." It was delivered

by ship to the post office at Key West and placed in the mails four days later. The above is the only recorded

piece of Marine mail from Guantanamo during the Spanish-American War.

< a ay

‘et Spy, xn t J

Annapolis MD CUBA

8 August 1898 Prisoner of War Mail

Spanish naval officers captured during the Battle of Santiago Harbor were transported to the Naval Academy at Annapolis, where they were imprisoned pending eventual repatriation. Mail from the prisoners was censored by U.S. authorities before being dispatched, as signfied by the marking "U.S.N.A./Censored" and Signature of the examining officer. Such covers are quite elusive.

CUBA Montauk NY Quarantine Mail 12 September 1898

18 September 1898

; A.

Army snd Havy Christian Commission OF THE

INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE,

Houng Mlen’s Christian Assoriations, 3 West Twenty-ninTH STREET,

. New York City.

a to vi ae

— Campliteiff:

At h

U s a

ILLIAM B. MILLAR, | : SECRETARY OF THE COMMISSION,

VY CHRISTIAN comMIssiog 45>

MY AND NA aes wigs ow OF THE oR eh ey

INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE -."

UNG MEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATI

288"3 West 20TH STREET, N.Y. Crry, / If not called for in Five Days,

+ return

If not delivered return to , 5

Co. : Regt...

FERNANDINA, FLORIDA. te eT eet See LEE Because of an outbreak of yellow fever among the troops involved in the Santiago campaign and the lack of adequate facilities to care for them on Cuba, an isolated area was set aside at Montauk Point cn the eastem end of Long Island. It was designated as Camp Nikoff and served as a quarantine area in order to avoid spreading the disease to civilians in the U.S. To serve the postal needs of these troops, a special post office operated at Montauk from August 1898 to February 1899.

CUBA Habana

Evacuation Commission December 1898

TeaNIeR aA A SRR:

Inbound registered letter posted at Troy N.Y. on 15 December 1898 addressed to Major General Gonzales Parrodo of the "Evacuation Commission" in Havana. This group was concemed with the repatriation of the Spanish soldiers who were prisoners of warin Cuba. An international registration marking for mail in transit was applied in Havana, but the letter could not be delivered and was retumed to New York where it was backstamped in Troy on 11 January 1899,

PUERTO RICO

The first American troops landed in Puerto Rico on 25 July 1898 at Guanica, a small village near Ponce -- the principal town on the south coast. Resistance by the Spanish forces was light, and Ponce was captured on the 28th. Large portions of the island were quickly overrun, and hostilities ceased upon the declaration of an

armistice on 12 August.

Mil. Sta. No.1 Porto Rico 3 August 1898

Opening Day of Military Post Office

mM. STAND.I

PorRTO Rico} AUG 3 /

98

Bo ee me

Military Station No.1 was opened in the former Spanish Custom House at Playa de Ponce on 3 August 1898. A provisional postmark, modeled on RPO devices in use in the United States at the time, was used initially. Only

two examples are recorded of the first day of usage.

PUERTO RICO Port Tampa Mail Posted Enroute 4 August 1898

FO ne ge ag REE OTT re a re ae a ag ee niinionaceaceni

‘

+ = beet i fags

by be. EF A la ee

Soldier's letter datelined 21 July as the troopship was leaving Tampa. Text of enclosed letter reads "I send this by the pilot. At last we are off bound for Porto Rico." The pilot must have carried it around for a while, as the envelope is not postmarked until two weeks later. Manuscript postage due marking, but no indication that it was actually collected on arrival in Norwalk on 6 August.

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.1 Porto Rico

5 August 1898 11 August 1898

The first Military Postal Station operated at Playa de Ponce until 17 September, when it was moved from the beach area to the main post office in Ponce proper. Although the provisional RPO-type postmark was used for two weeks, its movable type format resulted in varieties in the placement of the text. Note that the lower cover shows the date in the top line of the cancel and the time added at the bottom.

Mil. Sta.1 Porto Rico

18 August 1898 15 October 1898

29 May 1899

PUERTO RICO

meet Ape : — N\ Mn wt ANI 7 Lao . ’

- Bost Office Repartment. CL POST OFFICE AT PONCE, PORTO RICO,

é (MILITARY STATION No. 1.)

iN

=T seen eee os x

The provisional postmark was replaced in mid-August by a steel duplex, which continued in use until well into 1899. Above examples show a soldier's letter with early use of this device, an unusual variety with "17" in the killer, and a late example used on an official Post Office Department envelope. This marking clearly indicates the fact that the Puerto Rican military stations were treated as branches of Washington, D.C.

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta.1 Porto Rico Railway Mail Service

August 1898

en ee

Vv mt Ee er ee at etek = ee SR eo ee

There was a short (35 kilometer) railway line from Ponce to Yauco, on which this extraordinary but previously unknown Railway Mail Service marking on cover was used. No information is available on how this marking came to be used, but it must be from very early in the occupation period based on the New York transit marking of 9 August and Mendota, Illinois receiver of 11 August.

PUERTO RICO Ponce September 1898

Provisional Municipal Postmark

As the American forces advanced into the interior of Puerto Rico, the Spanish soldiers retreated toward San Juan, often accompanied by civilians and civil servants, thus causing a disruption in postal service. For example, although the military station at Playa de Ponce opened on 3 August 1898, there was no office in Ponce proper until 17 September. In this interim period, the mayor authorized creation of a temporary "municipal" postal service, which used a provisional circular rubber handstamp to indicate that postage had been paid.

In the primary source literature, Hill states that on letters forwarded through the military postal system after having travelled over the municipal routes, the Ponce handstamp was struck over the U.S. stamp to indicate that the municipal postal fee had been paid in cash.

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.1 Porto Rico 27 September 1898

29 October 1898

pe nes are

dees . . Ms ghee, Fs git aa i , sat . ONS et a ae Tm OTe oe . ecemeg 3 acest ct . vas ses se <p caeeDP mate Mere can dewcsoorm 2 ane cere ee Fine EN eee RI ET Da ee meme te re

Fritze, Lundt & Co. ZC 3 2 Ponce.

Puerto Rico.

ot ° ; £ - a

ot —_ :

< Y

eee pe en a . aeons Seen

ee 5

a 5 Re

— 4

s ant

"he es _ 2 = = =

Two types of Registration markings are known from Military Station No.1 at Ponce. The first was a 5-line device without indication of the town of origin. A later version had 4 lines that included "Ponce" in the text.

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.1 Ponce January 1899 20 June 1899

ae ee om ee = BE Se enran RHE ® oe ee Se eee ye ;

: POTERARAAALT SRA A x a < ps =F PROM AMOKIGGON oan. ee

LIVINGSTON2. GREEK. : fe ae pe ONTARIO’ CRT

pe oo an . : a w Pry ! 3

Ae es Mil,

4 pee en

i } s+ / Zz a ; ,

fone ~~ a j Se “ 5

: . a .

| r Address sitnutied and forwarded ‘, a -—

s POMC: -O-TO RICO.” & f a

Year »

EE ON Eas

. 7 S s 2 a . 3 =: vom: < Le 7 io 5 a6 ray & ; & : S 6

: x a 3 f . TF a “ { ~ ee

Pee | = —_— = ° Binge Ne ceca

Examples of auxiliary markings used at Military Station No.1 are unusual. Further, incoming mail is considerably scarcer than outbound. Thus, "Rec'd." markings are much less common than than the normal cancels for the corresponding stations.

PUERTO RICO Ponce 31 May 1899

19 August 1899

Standard double ring Registration marking was introduced at Ponce in 1899. Note use of "R" and smudge killers to cancel the postage. Use of 4 cent imprinted envelope in this period is unusual. Top cover is correctly paid at 5 cent international rate (civilians could use military post offices, but had to pay U.P.U. rates on mail to the U.S.) plus 8 cents for registration. Bottom cover with 23 cents postage is most likely overfranked philatelically.

PUERTO RICO

i

‘After. . a . days return to HL der Llstve ws.

B=EEEIC,

Playa PONCE, . PUERTO RICo.

{ ae on «SARS TS

: JUN £50 Playa Ssasa Sta PORLO RICO.

Registered mail, especially from the smaller stations, indicating the station name and date. Above double-wei Porto Rico/Rec'd Reg"

Playa Ponce 26 June 1900

often re

ght example has as backstamps a double ring "Ponce, transit marking of the same day and a Havana receiving mark on 4 July.

ceived a special 4-line registration marking

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.2 Guayama 26 September 1898

4 April 1899

. _— ee - - J Military Station No.2 was established at Guayama on 23 August 1898. Initially, a provisional postmark was used, but this was subsequently replaced by a steel duplex device. The "T" marking is a postage due indicator left by the Spaniards; in this case postage due was assessed (at double deficiency) as the sender was a civilian, hence not entitled to send letters to the U.S. at the domestic rate.

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.2 Guayama 19 September 1899

5 December 1899

Guayama also used a steel cds receiving mark, but examples are scarce. Upper cover transited Military Stations No. 2 and 4 en route to Haiti. Lower cover from Military Station No. 4 shows proper backstamping in Guayama and at Arroyo.

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.2 Guayama 1 November 1898

5 November 1898

a “4

ie

et t

a a

e e

Additional markings from Military Station No. 2 included Money Order Business and Registration. These are also unusual, with the former being the only example recorded.

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.3 Mayaguez 16 September 1898

18 February 1899

ae Stee SiS ioe maT mie Meee mn agate a. Mee me os, wre eae oe ee

SABATER & C- MAY

wR cn ie ta ee Military Station No.3 was established at Mayaguez on 23 August 1898. A provisional postmark was used initially, but was subsequently replaced by the normal steel duplex device.

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.3 Mayaguez 3 August 1899

9 November 1899

Haven te PB de el, 09

Fn waco,

Wolpatibrasser— A

—_— SS ee OT Ce ee Mayaguez used a steel cds Receiving mark. Examples are unusual. Postcard from Ponce shows proper backstamping. The second example was ostensibly applied as a dispatch marking on an underpaid overseas letter; it almost certainly was a favor cancellation on an unmailed envelope.

PUERTO RICO Mayaguez 2 December 1899

woe ater ese pete A ee os eee Sak ae se ae wl wee

A third type of double ring registration marking was provided in Mayaguez. Unlike those used in Ponce and San Juan, it showed the location in both upper and lower case letters. In this instance, the postage was cancelled with an unusual single line "Registered" marking. Backstamped "San Juan, Porto Rico/Received" on 4 December en route to Virginia.

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.4 San Juan

19 October 1898 10 January 1900

:. Wee see sme sm gee ee - “ee ae elses tee = c- Nooeer a 5%]

FIDEL UILLERME 1 FARMACEUTICO ¥: DROGUISTA Nhe 9, \ 4

- PLAZA DE ALFONSO xf gn Wy, ,! ApartadasNe 43 9a | = “ PUERTO-RICO aj

=

, 4 E. U. de-A-- j

4

P. O-"Box 3784 3 4

ag

“Ir dsnt ae-spe Fie 2 sabe nad. siaretanety a caasth, sop meneame cuteness Susie vn nse ee cs

DRPARTHLENT OF - POSTS 0 OF F PORTO Ro ~ . A penalty of $300 is fixed by iim for usin : this envelope to ayment of Poseabe.on - P.O. ‘SAN JUAN, PORTO RICO. . 2

- OFFICIAL BUSINESS. “ bus

|. (Ho, 1-Z,) J BS

-POSTMASTER, DS focal

_____COUNTY,

- PC ee are

‘Fa ee (eS * a mn a ae eat ca me ND Bere ce

Military Station No.4 was established at San Juan, Puerto Rico's capital, on 23 August 1898. As was the case for the other early offices, a provisional postmark was used initially and subsequently replaced by the normal steel duplex device.

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta.4 San Juan

18 February 1899 9 October 1899

; leas: mae Ka d an? faewaraed Address ouppiled ahd CU wal rn _

- Sr LEV ’ 4 4

*s — oO H1S9.—— os

4, 4; Wasbhizioa, 0, S.gan 1 S= Paa29 I PORTO Brea, Rae ae

‘itary Statlaa i

SAN JUAN,

Zikag

Examples of auxiliary markings from Military Station No.4 are unusual. Above usages show "Address supplied and forwarded" and "Dead Letter Bureau." Lower cover also shows two receiving marks -- those of Military Sta. 4 and of the unnumbered station at Arecibo.

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.4 San Juan

3 January 1899 13 April 1899

ain Se er NE ene te : Y oe 7 : ee " r ¥ : « _~ rete Res \ 4 x sans Hm . PE L yase eae

cb ° wv 2

_. 70014 OLYOd ‘NWAE'N EG “oysurcsess “py con xanere [6

rt *Syoeee pases oe pede mane eee Ra

ROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE rs HEADQUARTERS

; PoRTO Rico

Examples of Registered mail from Military Station No.4 include 4-line and double circle markin

gs.

PUERTO RICO San Juan

5 January 1900 15 June 1900

OFFICIAL oS “me * (No. I-A.) | poet

"P241318)5; 0061 -~Nyp

2 091 4 OLWod “evar NYS

A special boxed registration marking (with chamfered comers) was supplied to San Juan in 1900. Lower cover transited New York, where a registration label was applied, on 22 June and New Orleans (another label affixed) on 25 June, en route to Guatemala.

— a tN <n upinaih inna

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.5 Coamo 28 September 1898

28 May 1899

i . S —/ \ Ve YY Yn a

jie oe Seed St po

Uy § M Military Station No.5 was established at Coamo on 9 September 1898. As usual, a provisional postmark was used

initially and subsequently replaced by the normal steel duplex device.

Mil. Sta. No.6 Utuado PUERTO RICO

23 January 1899 11 April 1899

Military Station No.6 was established at Utuado on 9 September 1898. Examples of the steel duplex postmark

{

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.6 Utuado

2 March 1899

eA ee

For many years, no example was known of Registered mail from Military Station No. 6. The cover s

hown above

is the only recorded example. Note use of "Washington, D.C." double ovals to cancel the postage. T his was the

correct terminology for the undated killers used on registered mail and parcel post as the Puerto Rica n military

stations were branches of the Washington D.C. post office.

Mil. Sta. No.6 Utuado PUERTO RICO

16 January 1899 19 January 1899

"Rec'd." portion of the g matches that on the upper cover,

. Althought the tion of the wordin

k of Utuado are known ple, the configura

dispatch mark.

iving mar: the lower exam

harply from that of the ering s :

Only three examples of the steel cds rece cancel is not apparent in

re

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.7 Yauco 14 October 1898 1 February 1899

ARATE Tg

Military Station No.7 was established at Yauco on 9 September 1898. As was the case for the other early offices,

a provisional postmark was used initially and subsequently replaced by the normal steel duplex device.

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.7 Yauco 14 March 1899

tot ss a Tee ye

To RES TERES ae ee (sr MAR 14 1899.” meee o Military Station No.7.ffs

“PORT RICO; ¢ nr

T 4° tah Sere ae ee) N e7 : apes ine pn = °

s oe ® hum rae SS

é Maines Crees 1 irhder.

The Registration postmark for Military Station No.7 at Yauco was the early type with five lines of text and not denoting the name of the town. The above marking is not recorded in the literature, and its use on the cover sent to Corsica is the only known example.

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.7 Yauco 8 September 1899

A steel cds receiving mark was issued to Yauco, but examples are very elusive (unrecorded in Preston or Hill).

The "Rec'd." portion of the cancel is not apparent in the example above, but the configuration of the wording

differs sharply from that of the dispatch mark and matches the pattern of receivers used at other military stations.

ee ee ee a ee

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.8 Juana Diaz 6 April1899

The final numbered military station (No.8) was established at Juana Diaz on 9 September 1898. In the case of this office, the name of the town was incorrectly entered into the records as "Juan Diaz" and an erroneous postmark was issued and used.

PUERTO RICO Aguadilla Station

12 May 1899 29 April 1899

eee me nS TS eI mer en 2 . 4 v

scu § SAL GUADI ro™N

a oN ox a

Locations for the first military stations in Puerto Rico were not known in a

dvance. Thus, their first postmarks

showed only numbers, and the second series of markings combined numb ers and locations. By 30 September, the

island was fully pacified, and the locations of fixed garrisons were established. Therefore, the 13 military stations

opened after that date were from their inception assigned place-name post marks, without station numbers.

The 3-line Registration marking of the Aguadilla Station is the only recor ded example.

EE

PUERTO RICO Aibonito Station 25 August 1899

16 May 1900

eee ee ae ee od —_—_— —

Unrecorded in Baker, Aibonito is the most obscure military station in Puerto Rico. It was opened on 1 December 1898 in a small village in the mountains of Ponce Department. No examples have been recorded of its normal cds; only one example of its registration marking (above) and four examples of the steel receiving mark are known, dated from 10 January to 16 May 1900 (as on reverse of the cover shown).

PUERTO RICO Arecibo Station 2 November 1899

31 October 1899

c. ETE Le s

x

An unnumbered military postal station was established at Arecibo on 1 October 1898. The 3-line Registration

marking of the Arecibo Station is the only recorded example.

ee ee ee oi ee

PUERTO RICO Bayamon Station 14 March 1900 9 March 1899

- 1901

4x BROOKDALEsIARMS,

AYAMON, PUERTO RICO.

” Satz | i al | Ee : "yy - we ‘ :

gules

° A CORMACK, © 9 a*, | |

; ~~ ,

mB at 99 d tine

NEW YORK, Estavos Unioos. Bayamon was one of the last of the unnumbered military postal stations to be opened, debuting on 1 January 1899. Above are shown the steel duplex and 3-line Registration markings; the Registered marking on cover does not contain the name of the station, while the later version on the three 8 cent stamps does. They are the only recorded examples of these two markings.

PUERTO RICO Caguas Station 8 February 1899

Camuy Station 24 March 1899 We Marcas

Lh & ae 2 Press Beceeh Cayey Station 28 August 1899

Cla LPL, , A.

Cc

Loews HON. Vearleur

. Dy

ZAMIGUEL ARRIETA. ASD

CAMUY.—PTO. -RICO. ar

Unnumbered military postal stations were opened at Caguas and Cayey on 1 December 1898, but not in Camuy until 1 January 1899.

PUERTO RICO Fajardo Station

5 February 1899 31 March 1899

29 September 1901

LM. CINTRON ~ FAJARDO P.-R.

ac

5) REGISTERED MAR “8121899 “Fai ardo Station

j Ee Bice.

Fajardo was one of the unnumbered military postal stations opened on 1 December 1898. Above are shown two examples of the steel duplex and the only recorded example of the 4-line Registration marking.

PUERTO RICO Humacao Station

24 October 1898

26 November 1898 14 September 1899

| z& a _ % oa

a Re

mn cr

t pa be te nt K

ily g e

pth atarent D3 tee we - a sig wy pesrei sxecna ovis = st « pps camtepaber Sue Verma a ew ny ade oalttte BI ge wae ti NP ek a ne I, Sigh ner heath Tien eee ls

Opened at Humacao on 1 October 1898. Above are shown an early provisional cancel (only recorded example),

the steel duplex and an unusual 2-line marking used for the receipt of Registered mail.

PUERTO RICO Lares Station 19 January 1901 —

Rio Piedras Station 4 December 1900

__ Wg = Dp , ¢ oe ys 19 November 1901 O7- D oe 9

GP a acts

sage seg Ege _ Peartatiiu Bioated ey

Cer & Hakone 7 Agsutwuis ca Stes at Serves. APARTALO 24, 4 onto,

SAN JUAN, PTO. PICO/ZA20- 40 ees )

rs . we - oa fo ee elim SN eee ee ee - ~ a as or eee oF Oo ty et ee ~

A military postal station was opened at Lares on 1 October 1898. The station at Rio Piedras did not open until 1 January 1899. The four-line registration marking from the latter is not previously recorded.

PUERTO RICO Vicques Station 15 August 1900

: San German Station ( ~ ome HRRSRRIS e me me 20 July 1900

5 December 1900

wee eee

hey CG Whe Mou

After .... days return to -

PUERTO RICO.

PORTO RICO. Sis th Wey 6 oi oe ea The final two military stations in Puerto Rico were opened at San German and Vicques on 1 January 1899. Note

that the postmark of the latter is erroneous as the name of the town should be "Vieques." Examples of mail from

these small offices are scarce, and the "Registered" marking from San German has not been previously recorded.

fe ane tent ee eed

pe a Oe em te sell ae oe

PUERTO RICO U.S. Naval Station

Mil. Sta. No.4 San Juan

29 March 1899

SA ELLE LOL LP ees" so4e

e y e s

se ti nd

ae 337 Karun €, = Li

$A ee eerie

engineer, U.S.N. to a family member in Detroit, where it arrived on 4 April.

Two-line rubber stamp "U.S. Naval Station/San Juan, Porto Rico," not previously recorded. From a chief

PUERTO RICO Mil. Sta. No.4 San Juan

Naval Mail 25 August 1899

Culebra 10 March 1900

PETC RiScMAR [2.2m

Naval mail from Puerto Rico is much more elusive than from Cuba or the Philippines, as fewer ships were

stationed there and for shorter time periods. Upper cover mailed from U.S.S. Panther at San Juan. Lower cover

sent from U.S.S. Monongahela has unusual manuscript marking with town and date; San Juan machine postmark

applied two days later.

HAWAII

Although the Hawaiian Islands were not directly involved in the Spanish-American War, Honolulu served as a transit point for the troops being shipped across the Pacific. Even though Hawaii was annexed by the United States on 12 August 1898, postage stamps of the former Republic of Hawaii remained valid for postage and UPU rates applied on civilian and business mail from the islands to the U.S. mainland until June 1900.

Troops in Transit Honolulu

25 September 1898 - October 1898 Se eo ete eee ee TREE ES yo ; ong 7 we ee ey

“SOUR ANY B. ise, RECIMENT ‘NFAMTRY, Lite gee ee

N W YORK VOLUNT ERS.

ti; —— Sol We?! LETTE, pr

= wee tS

“Old Glory - Sa ee : Serres PETP pS a A > a ee OG koae we y a ees

The Flag we want waving over

‘bawaii net’’

Soldiers’ mail was allowed to be sent without prepayment of postage, with the money to cover the U.S. domestic rate being collected from the recipient on delivery.

Honolulu HAWAII Oahu

28 June 1898 A emguangege « Bypose 8 July 1898

2 November 1898

s e e

Ye

wH le ar et iu ci y

1S Y,

Nvciga Faetige oad by (zens thee yi “Wil be goad only afte py. Wg me * AS As fo Pee }-“ANNEX HAWAIDS at aS Fre, : axe a

The government of Hawaii provided official stamps gratis so that mail from the troops not be delayed. Examples

shown of single and double-weight covers, the latter very unusual. Lower item is printed matter rate on an

envelope used to wrap a newspaper. Unrecorded pro-annexation slogan reads "Foreign Postage paid by citizens

of Honolulu. American/stamps will be good only after you/ANNEX HAWAII" in same ink as "Foreign Office."

PHILIPPINES

After the United States declared war on Spain on 21 April 1898, an expeditionary force was assembled preparatory to the occupation of the Philippines. The destruction of the Spanish fleet in the Battle of Manila Bay on 1 May by the Americans under Commodore Dewey sealed the fate of the defenders, and an armistice was signed on 12 August. However, some of the Filipinos wanted independence, not merely the substitution of American rule for Spanish, and an insurrection led by Emilio Aguinaldo required the presence of a substantial American military force until it was finally put down on 16 April 1902.

Transport Post Office Forerunners Hong Kong 26 July 1898

CEE Sadith « ietienmangge egy 30 July 1898

s

A fleet of four troopships sailed from San Francisco on 15 June and arrived in Cavite Bay on 16 July 1898. The postal agent anf two clerks remained on board the steamer China, where they operated a "transport post office,” gathering outgoing mail for despatch to the U.S. One such mail shipment went out via Hong Kong.

PHILIPPINES Mey, U. S. Flagship

Hong Kong 27 April 1898

The U.S.S. Olympia was the flagship of Commodore Dewey. The cover shown above represents an extraordinary usage, having been posted from the ship on the afternoon of the day that Dewey left Hong Kong for the Philippines. Four days later, he defeated the Spaniards in the battle of Manila Bay, which sealed the fate of the Spanish empire in the Pacific.

PHILIPPINES Philippine Station Luzon 30 July 1898

Opening Day of Cavite Post Office

Eventually, the postal agent and the clerks, with their safe and other equipment, were unloaded and set up for business on 30 July 1898 at Cavite, about 10 miles southwest of Manila. This first U.S. post office in the Philippines was designated as the Philippine Station branch of San Francisco. Only four examples of this postmark are recorded on the opening date. The latest recorded date is 18 January 1899.

PHILIPPINES Philippine Station Luzon 6 August 1898

LO ERI LT EI A AA OIE PA TA RA RR ARE 8 TO AO ly

Aer,

= :

mL , " QAPTAIN AND ADJUTANT FIRST INFANTRZ, - ~-. . SHeacquarter

“ist Rég Cal UK _ valp béewey Ph. ts.

Soiciers Lettir Wf fam

—, = —_ 1 J : oo OSIONVZSNYS c CAPTAIN AND ADJy'YAM'D FIRST INFANTRE os Hagia ea as eres Ade eee beatin! Soca shennan = dh i Ret * sactbiccoal

me

LF f A aay Cy a, JoOF ug fo. j so

ah lean =~ Lact a, aos |

Wk ~ eer ,

ayy OP AEE wy /

CV As bie, BAR oh ES 7: TPES Ls Lf

. o™“

Shine OF, tna, te -

Lae \ . . oe

A few days after the post office was opened at Cavite, a sub-station was opened at Camp Dewey nearby, the

primary encampment for the U.S. forces (Goodale). No special marking was used on the Camp Dewey mail,

which was delivered to Cavite for cancellation. However, the location was provided in a soldier's letter endorsement applied by the 1st Regiment of California Volunteers.

PHILIPPINES

Luzon

Souvenir of Agent Vaille's first visit to the Manila post office

ct

Philippine Station 13 August 1898

wh ie TARJETA

Ex ag. srr a, Plow ta PL, _

_ 7” rn as nee yy .

? : SF Weanrce.. 'é flrmado por el remitente. x / - |

BY Guy Pak

Thanins *tomesmy oe 7) _ Comeny Mey mle . a

7 §

F, W, Vaille, postal agent for the Philippine Island Military Postal Service, embarked on a transport at Cavite on 13 August to witness the taking of Manila and arrange for the transfer of the postal activity to U.S. control. He reported, "...I was enabled to land and enter Manila an hour or more before any of our soldiers entered the city, and soon thereafter succeeded in finding the Manila post office. There I was courteously received and shown over the office.”

Vaille also prepared souvenirs of his visit, cancelling Spanish Philippines postal cards with the "Philippine Station" postmark and endorsing them on the back to confirm his visit on the 13th.

PHILIPPINES Marine-Schiffspost No. 5 Luzon 13 August 1898

oo et ae ne A Ae ge

ea

WTO ee ee de be Pe ee Eee Des D eu t{ ob { and feciuviinmnedtveniittnte to PPT 0 beth 55

: - (eee - ° y Ba

Pofttarte — Weltpoftverein Carte postale — Union postale universelle

TU T

U C T Y L

E T

Meh e e e

n e r

L E N

O R O

ME T

T e Ce

E E

R N B E N G E L

Se ee Ct een en eee Ae ERR

3 22x, 1 eae ee During the Spanish-American War, Germany sent warships into Philippine waters, ostensibly to protect German nationals. However, the American authorities were suspicious that the Kaiser had designs on any available parts of the disintegrating Spanish Empire. As a result, it was made clear that any intervention would not be tolerated.

The above card was sent by a sailor aboard the light cruiser S.M.S. Prinzess Wilhelm in Manila Harbor on the day that the city fell to the Americans. The message on the back reads in part, "Today at 9:30 the Americans attacked Manila from land and sea at the same time. One hour later the American flag flew over the powder magazine...More than 200 Germans have been taken on board already on Tuesday..."

en ee ~ oe eo ee

PHILIPPINES Philippine Station Luzon 14 August 1898

Opening Day of Manila Post Office

a - + aR

OLDIER'S LETTER, © 3 8

OF Mbt De

BBG Ete ot ie

ee

\ -f. ~

it (yy

On the following day, 14 August, the Manila post office officially opened for business under American authority. Only five covers are recorded as being used on the first day. Four of the examples are on letters sent to the United States and one (shown above) to Canada.

PHILIPPINES Philippine Station

Luzon 24 August 1898

me et

te

ye e ae ,

re Trae Van :4em

Single-ring rubber cds reads "Philippine Sta." The postage is cancelled with a double oval "San Francisco" killer.

On the reverse is a previously unrecorded 3-line marking of the "U.S. Military P.O. Sta./ No.1 Philippines."

PHILIPPINES Philippine Station Luzon 13 September 1898

17 September 1898

i ro. Some ee Fe en ren re ee: RR ee ee ee —n —— re A ne See + ane ve SR eS TT TT pa EL er CO oe

The single ring rubber cds for Registered mail is recorded used only from 22 August to 9 October 1898. Thus, it is quite uncommon, particularly to foreign destinations (as above to England and Italy).

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 1 Manila

Luzon 9 July 1899 12 September 1899

NB ee ER a tte | art iP en neice eo

Two types of steel duplex devices were provided in 1899. The first, somewhat larger in size and with the town name at the bottom, is recorded used from 20 March 1899 to 22 August 1900 at MPS No.1. The second, smaller version has "Phil. IsI'ds." at the bottom and is recorded used from 5 December 1898 to 25 August 1900.

PHILIPPINES

Luzon

ere eee

OSTA Po Pg fer 38 CN Bech e Al =. yo Se nae Di “ Ay. i — t =

“. = Most ne . ST otter ee : ” ee meres a ay

E “ og 2 e * ‘ se } ; = e —>\ .

stat cone} QNE CENT. at

Mil. Sta. No. 1 Manila

26 May 1899

13 June 1899

oe

For marking inbound or transit mail, two different

types of steel cds were used at Manila. The first is slightly smaller and reads "Rec'd." at the bottom; it is recorded used from 17 February 1899 to 21 February 1901. The second, larger type reads "Received"

concurrently and, sometimes, and was used from 17 April 1899

as in the case of the upper cover, both on the same piece of mail. to 9 April 1901. Both were used

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 1

Luzon 24 October 1898

11 November 1898

es

ae

Manila was the first of six numbered military stations opened in the Philippines. A new double-ring postmark

reading "Mil. Sta. No. 1/San Francisco, Cal." is recorded used from 17 October 1898 to 14 March 1899. An

extensively used postmark, but usage to foreign destinations (as above to China and Indochina) is very unusual.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 1 Manila Luzon 16 April 1899

7 June 1899

ARMY + NAVY CHRISTIAN COMMISSION

OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE

YOUNG MEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION

CALIFORNIA OEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS

ASSOCIATION BUILDING CORNER MASON & ELLIS STS., SAN FRANCISCO

Le 2 Ng $4 =

SS a Ran RT TE OO walt Ww et = RRS en Le ES The third type of postmark for ordinary mail was a single ring rubber cds indicating "Mil. Sta. No. 1/Manila, P.I." It is recorded used from 23 March 1899 to 30 March 1901.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 1 Manila

Luzon 1 February 1900 27 February 1900

\

p St d,

Ee tb an ,

an y

Yo Ha ac k

00 K

Co N

l1 de nk

A fourth (hitherto unrecorded) type of postmark for ordinary mail was a single ring rubber cds reading "Mil. P.

Sta. No. 1 Manila, P.I." around the upper two-thirds of the circle -- apparently used only briefly in early 1900.

One possibility is that the postal agents found that they were using the similar Receiving mark mostly for the

dispatch of mail and decided to excise the "Rec'd" from the dial.

LTS CR e e e

o a

as ae

= oy saat

is is

cn S o t bd

PSO te

rs Mil. Sta. No. 1

5 April 1899 17 May 1899

including the station number and "San Francisco.” Above parcel and an unusually franked, triple-weight registered &, z 8

Q Yu £ 8 5 g

Ly ey 3 9

Bas B e e

g s

a Pe A B s

2 3 s w

’

PHILIPPINES

usages show part of the wrap cover to Switzerland with large

For registered mail

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 1 Manila

Luzon 11 December 1899

As a result of the American occupation of Spain's principal Pacific possessions ~ the Philippines and Guam -- the Northem Marianas were cut off from the homeland. Therefore, they were sold to Germany on 8 February 1899. However, the Germans did not formally take possession until late that year, and stamps of the Spanish Philippines continued in use in the interim. However, a substantial quantity of these stamps had been stolen during the unrest in Manila, causing the authorities to fear for the postal revenues. As a result, the overprinting of stamps in the Saipan post office with a boxed "Marianas Espanolas” was ordered. The quantities produced were very small, including only 50 copies of the 6 centavo value, shown on the above cover with a pair of the 2 centavos.

These stamps were only used on a single mail dispatch, on the steamer Uranus which was bound for Manila on 29 November 1899. Upon arrival, the mail arriving from the Spanish Marianas was backstamped on 11 December, thus providing the most exotic usage of Manila receiving markings of all.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 1 Luzon 6 October 1899

17 July 1901

EP Ye Sen ete nm ae

cPARIMENT OF POSTS OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS.

o

4 penalty of $300 “this envelope

P.O. MANILA. 3.

OFFICIAL BUSINESS. ela a)

The Philippine postal service remained subsidiary to the San Francisco office until 1 May 1899, when it became an independent entity. This event was most clearly indicated by the excising of the S.F. reference from the Registry cancellation. The altered marking is recorded used from 15 May 1899 to 18 December 1901.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 1 Manila

Luzon 11 January 1899 9 April 1900

Oy e

OE CM UE RE

Yt

OY © Eor U.S.PostaL Money ORDER

me Philopine Islan NI No. 1, Z

TO THE POSEMASTER AT Zo ‘

LODZ OF on

ann OA TE oper ON

YOU FoR = ; NN : . mS

A478 Dollars_= __ Cents

-

..

Infavor rant Parezoper —

NO ey eye f CU Hered

Street

REMITTER

POSTMASTER | aid

Ms

Official postal documents for Advice of Money Order and Certificate of Registration. Former item is imprinted

for Military Station No. 1 and postmarked by double-ring "M.O.B." cds. The only previously recorded example

of this marking was used inadvertently as a receiving mark on the reverse of a cover from the U.S. to Manila..

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 1 Luzon 22 January 1899 30 October 1899

PAY, LYNCH & Day, “ . CANTON, OHIO.

wy os 7 get

tk ERR SZ ” 2 Mr. Edwin A.Koehler, a

la,

+8

illipine Islands »

au

ee _. Le a abe 4 ieiiee, Mca ee re, An additional type of supplemental marking was used at Military Station No. 1 in Manila for mail which was sent to recipients without a permanent address or where they could not be located at the address shown. Only five examples of this "General Delivery” marking are recorded, with the zarliest and latest dates being shown above.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 1 Mani la

Luzon 11 Augu st 1900

0 CY 1333

NE On Her Majesty’s Service. “=~.

OS hay Offre 4 hicok Uffpeore

Cpt .

Incoming Registered letter from Mauritius with previously unrecorded "Received" marking of MPS No. 1. A

very late reference to the San Francisco connection, which was actually severed in May 1899,

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 1 Manila Luzon 5 September 1899

25 July 1900 ere ee na:

a

a ~ i

fil fo LOee2eLSea? WOM Sew ATS —~ thea ets a oe :

Litre Ieres

ta fi Omg ref } Sst eS a

ME YE i try “as ? g Sorrp b, : 1 §

es 3 ag "2, AGEN.

“leas, pit

. ] ear val ery

* €

r e y

.

er ta

eS ee

yy

a %

#

o b

go r C ed i

02 0 e ng ag es

‘

a

The inbound registered cover from the Spanish Marianas (date in postmark illegible) shows previously unrecorded "Undeliverable" marking of Military Station No. 1, along with Dead Letter Office docketing. Lower cover shows manuscript "opened by mistake," which was remedied with an official P.O. seal; its supplemental markings include "Advertised at Manila," "Please have your mail properly addressed” and, on the reverse, "Dead Letter Bureau/Dept. of Posts, P.I."

PHILIPPINES Manila

Catastrophe Mail 30 September 1899

ah GEE Lie. Liteon,

95a” LU, 4 entre aE Bre, a

LAwe ast hal nef bECn BT. L2UL LTAe ct, WeterY ELL |

bin Be fiog nie igi ae

The most elusive of all of the markings of the military period in the Philippines was applied to mail salvaged from

a chartered transport, the S.S. Morgan City, which went down at sea off the southeast coast off Japan. Part of the

mail on board was recovered and sent to Manila where it received a special handstamp reading "Damaged

Mail/off S.S. Morgan City/Manila P.I. 9-30-99."

PHILIPPINES Dagupan & Manila R.P.O. Luzon 20 June 1900

Sas Gaede e as Sm se Bee \ 27 June 1900 oN RS SORE yyy me meee 7 ‘ '

ad at id )

¥

ic ~ am - ee | PHIEIINES “a

Soe wes? Bove vhs gz ~~ 5 so Ta eo sale bn a

This railway was operated under military control and, during the period of the insurrection, was used almost exclusively by the 8th Army Corps in its campaigns in northem Luzon. Postmark varieties exist for trains in both directions, but only four examples of "North" are recorded (17 March 1900 to 14 August 1901) as the vast bulk of the mail moved southbound toward Manila. "South" cancel is known from 2 March 1900 to 6 October 1901.

PHILIPPINES First Res. Hosp. Sta.

Luzon _ a 16 June 1900 28 June 1900

” wee bes Sete enya Pg pe ae Meath eempee ct manent : f 2

TM RTT MS

" . BIRST RESERVE HOSPITAL, »

#

.

“ p Ke “

a is

= Tet,

Lobe b

ad 1 Qe THIS SIDE IS FOR THE ADDRESS ONLY, ‘st SAO |

oe ee ae

oh fae Eigse yf

The First Reserve Hospital Branch post office operated during the military occupation of Manila. Its postmark is

always missing the "o" of "Hosp." (Goodale) and is recorded as being used from 6 February 1900 to 14 March

1901. The two-line marking used on the back of a 1 cent imprinted wrapper for printed matter is previously

unrecorded. Only two examples are recorded of the use of the cds as a receiving mark shown above.

PHILIPPINES U.S. Mil. Sta. No. 1 Cavite 12 September 1898 Luzon

6 October 1898

~~ - Br rete

gp e a! OSoldsers Letter

a: C. STOLL, Che- foun

© ~ “ur

After the Philippine Station post office was moved to Manila, it tumed out that Cavite was handling sufficient mail to warrant restoration of a postal facility. As a result, a new 2-line handstamp was introduced. Postmarks of this type are recorded used from 7 September to 8 November 1898. Note the variations in the marking: the month is spelled in all capital letters on the top cover, but in upper and lower case letters on the bottom one.

PHILIPPINES U.S. Mil. Sta. No. 2 Cavite

Luzon 25 October 1898

8 November 1898

- ite: SE Se IES ~ * os eT

MorLes

U-S.S. OLYMPIA

Manih®

Pl. US. MIL. STA.NO.2 a

fo AL fn aps AL

Pa Mb, b. A |

cement ee eer creer rire En e Pitman carmen RMS Ie ms

As Military Station No.1 had moved to Manila in August, it was no doubt rather confusi

ng to have a new No. 1 at

Cavite. As a result, the 2-line handstamp was changed to read "No. 2." This marking is recorded as being used

from 25 October (above) to 21 December 1898. (Note the error in the earli est strike, in which a lower case "s"

was used in "sTA." It was replaced with a proper capital letter in the interim between th ese two examples.)

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 2 Cavite Luzon

1 March 1899

2 October 1900

. FROM

Seeuick’S LETTES re _ emp 6 2 Ye rv on Sf sade

. 8 hee niga

c wl

ad

‘

a —

ws

\ .

ran a

ea) TATE? av Seed fr ®

Low's ® Ti, POTN bo

Both the small and large steel duplex cancellers were als © issued at Cavite. The recorded dates of usage of the former are from 5 February 1899 to 14 February 1901 and the latter from 23 March 1899 to 27 October 1901.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 2 Cavite

Luzon

This 2-line marking clearly reads "Military Sta. No. 2, Cavite/Philippine Is lands." but it is a mystery in several

other respects. It is previously unrecorded and unknown to specialists . The date of use cannot be determined

from the above piece, consisting of wrapping paper -- probably a portion of the front of a homemade envelope.

The 2 cents postage due on top of the 2 cents franking suggests a double-weight , if odd-sized, letter was sent..

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 2 Cavite Luzon

7 February 1900 21 November 1901

oa ASLAN P23 (Eat ike as 2, ua? wae, , os, li " eg: my rhe

NB NO TRH LK a wg Vy : 7. 2x2 MANILA, PLL

.

2 ar a “ we ie

: md we

2d Tw

oO yee, 3 2312) REG ISTE: ad Mm “SO NOY 21 3 1 | ! ms. | MILITARY STA. 2, :

, Tre, Ham Wager | “SOT 123 Market Steet -.| \ Sow F rowed

o> Raaanat — = a. emt Eie st . ‘ ; & Bm ee |

Two types of Registered markings were used at Cavite. The 4-line version shown on the upper cover is recorded used from 7 February (above) to 10 November 1900. The 3-line type shown on the lower cover has not been previously recorded.

o O

a S

= O V

o r

O n .

a 8

o§€ a >

: ©

& Z

, 2

g d

T E D a y ,

a t .

o u an

PHILIPPINES Luzon

Registered official mail from Asst. Paymaster at Cavite to Navy Auditor. in Washington. Postage was free, but 8 cent reg-

istry fee had to be paid.

PHILIPPINES U.S. Mil. Sta. No. 3 Doilo Harbor Panay

10 February 1899 - February 1899

\ sf

. 2 oe r— \ -~ AV Li as om NM! , ee eae

Be © SPE a om oe aC eT OG: Yes SE Se RY a 2 8 +. #2 Fo ed Pe tore Pee hits bi tae TT os fe n {eaten Sierra een TES 15 1099 Zee) PoP Dat spre aeesideib a Lt i) Bl e

os

U.S.MLSTAR PATS A PEAR

il. e wc LEAEE

. ( \ oi " ‘ : wee nda My csaeen HLS Tee eee ee ae ee ee lk . = oS | ke meen em wee i shee, we oe The first provisional marking from Ioilo read "Hoilo Harbor" and is one of the more elusive military station markings. It is recorded used from 18 December 1898 to 7 March 1899. The cover above is backstamped for receipt in San Francisco on 25 February.

PHILIPPINES U.S. Mil. Sta. No. 3 Loilo

2 March 1899 Panay 7 March 1899

The second provisional marking dropped the "Harbor" designation. It has been r ecorded as being used for only 2

months, from 11 February to 11 April 1899. Examples are shown with black a nd purple ink, with the latter being

on a registered cover, a very unusual usage.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 3 Doilo P. 19 August 1900

— 19 March 1901

CAN PRESB begs

Both types of steel duplexes were used at Iloilo. The small version is recorded from 16 March 1899 to 28 November 1901, which the larger one runs from 6 May 1899 to 14 September 1900.

PHILIPPINES , Mil. Sta. No. 3 Iloilo

29 July 1899 Panay 24 July 1901

Ne. cae oes As early Philippine markings go, the Registration handstam

p for Military Station No. 3 was in use for an extended

period, with recorded usage from 17 April 1899 to 16 September 190 1.

PHILIPPINES U.S. Mil. Sta. No.4 Cebu Cebu

March 1899

March 1899

en i eee z by,

fs Wap Posen, GARD > 8G CE

& THIS SIDE IS FOR THE ADDRESS ONLY. Sp iS > =i ta ,

| a fi < *% _

ery bie Loyga I fC

Aiesbad«

The most unusual military marking from the Philippines is an undated one from Military Station No. 4 at Cebu. It was apparently used in March and Apmil 1899 and is difficult to find on cover.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 4 Cebu

22 June 1899 Cebu 5 July 1900

: ‘Scansp #16” 5. 1900

q ~ ?

2 ¢ 2

a> mn “P

i aU ,

The standard single circle cds for Cebu is recorded us ed from 6 June 1899 to 14 September 1900. The 4-li

ne

registration marking is recorded as used from 20 March 1900 to 11 December 1901, and such covers are elusi

ve.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. - Negros 30 March 1899

Mil Sta. No.5 Bacolod 27 May 1899

a hbdeive Ete

| Mgr fleece “4, Vref Ch

es C0" boveg 5/7 28>: lan elleegs .

id> : LL Dt ae ‘ - a wnt cs

oe t

wk Shlba oo * = heen

sate ot. = ee

oo a

™e f

al

ARMY #2 NAVY CHRISTIAN COMMISSION OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE 3 sg

, YOUNG MEN’S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATION 7

CALIFORNIA DEPARTMENT HEADQUARTERS ‘

ASSOCIATION BUILDING i CORNER MASON & ELLIS STS., SAN FRANGISEO

foo ft co

e s e e

= ee t r a e

&

Lod Saclee b Morte.

an

In March 1899, a small contingent (not more than a company) of California Volunteer Infantry was sent to occupy the Island of Negros. As ne old rubber double ring marking with the station number from 15 March to 2 May 1899. The new single ring rubber

w Steel postmarks had been put in service in Manila, the Californians were given the tu ] w

excised. This temporary cancel was used at Bacolod marking was used from 3 May 1899 to 20 April 1901.

PHILIPPINES Mil Sta. No.5 Bacolod

Negros 31 January 1902

28 February 1902

ne t e m

em p a e i n t a m e n

pe rt

N p

ma e

Sh Fe r

a cad

Sey

eek DEY BBP, . or bin. boltermen |

PHILIPPIN

LS eT b, 4

‘ a

Yer ATR BEM - - : he ‘

:

TFS _ 1099 Lb

Fy rh v 2 te :

. .

=

a

oa, © ME: ain

aa t be Pag we elk ia

é

ee a ee Registered mail from the Bacolod military station

is very unusual. Only four examples of the 4-li ne marking are

recorded (three on outbound mail). The ab ove cover from Spain showing its use as a

receiving mark is the

discovery example on inbound mail.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No. 6 Maloios Luzon

5 July 1899 11 July 1899

The last and most difficult of the numbe red military postal stations in the Philippines, there are only five examples recorded of the Station No. 6 marking -- with postmarks from April to July 1899.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. Angeles 7 December 1899

Luzon 19 February 1900

After the initial six military postal stations, nine more units were o

pened, but no additional numbers were

assigned. One of this latter group was in the town of Angeles, located o n the Dagupan & Manila railway. It used

a single type of circular cds, with recorded dates from 5 October 1899 t o 13 February 1901.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. Aparri Luzon 3 January 1900

3 February 1900

-U.S.S. PRINCETON. SAILOR’S LETTER. |

The U.S.S. Concord anchore d off Aparri in northernmost Lu However, there are no recorded examples of this postmark until

zon and took formal possession in May 1899. December 1899, extending until February 1901.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. Dagupan Luzon 14 February 1900

24 May 1900

ae wa & 5 Tot a. tage pot ees * . ¥ we ae e B etn ci Soe npn whee etl. whe pci ethtSta- Cee BSC 2 SO soa SE onthe ~ oe a Or ah en swe ete he LEE fee . Dagupan was located at the northem terminus of the military railroad from Manila. Its postmark was previously recorded used only from November 1899 to April 1900. Note the obvious deterioration of the rubber handstamp due to the tropical climate.

F

_ ba

Mil. Sta. Jolo

26 October 1899 15 May 1900

e a s r

x « c z “oo

) MG

sh e

\ ‘ 6

d aD ;

Baty \ Verrier carrer _\

, PS 14023 T NOI

at Milita. ; station, ae

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. San Femando Luzon 15 July 1899

29 August 1899

rppmen re : * 7 ate wore = Nn ee CEE AW ie EEE OORT FAB S Facet! Sree eee noe Ma

Unrecorded in the literature, there are two distinct types of the single ring rubber cds for this office. One states "Phil. Isl'ds." and the other "Phil. Islands." The reason for this is unknown, and the dates of usage are overlapping, with the overall period recorded extending from 15 July 1899 (above) to 18 July 1900.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. San Fernando

Luzon 14 September 1899 27 February 1900

“Military Statlons :

~ SAN FERNANDO, PHIL, 18

pK ec a. NaI PS le ice at Te ne ea a al Laminin SU aes cal ace ee, Tae te ee So a Examples of Registered mail from San Fermando were unknown until recently, and only four such covers have been recorded to date, of which the above represent the earliest and latest dates.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. Siassi Sulu 29 October 1901

26 January 1902

PHILIPPINES.

U.S. forces occupied Siassi shortly after Jolo, thus consolidating their position in the Sulu Archipelago. Use of the rubber cds is recorded from November 1899 to March 1902.

Mil. Sta. Vigan 16 February 1900

1 May 1900 26 May 1900

aa YP TP CRS mene awe " ‘ . 7% ? yor" “ps a

Vigan used military markings for an extended period, recorded from 16 January 1900 to 3 August 1901, but examples are elusive and often not well struck. Even allowing for deterioration of the rubber due to the tropical climate, the evidence is that at least three devices of differing size were used.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. Zamboanga 8 December 1899 Mindanao

10 June 1900

Qe ree ee ee wee ee Se ee ee eee

bls Ate — OC. FG: {. whips

SGT :

ny Coal 4, a

| A. ws ae | |

Ne See tet a mm ee em nena Sm vee Ne The first postmark of Zamboanga was an unusual 3-line provisional, which has been recorded from 12 August to 27 December 1899. The standard rubber cds has been seen used from 5 January 1900 to 17 March 1901.

PHILIPPINES Manila Inbound Mail 1 September 1898

14 July 1899

OT + arene

der e i

vn cn mn en ge

(m ar

r e e s ,

e e e

F i i

Inbound mail to U.S. Headquarters. Upper cover addressed to member of the Signal Corps, Gereral Staff, in Manila. Lower cover to member of 1st Infantry shows an unusual boxed “Headquarters Received" marking.

PHILIPPINES Inbound Mail

Sy 7. By eeReT Ly

ADDRESS ON THIS SIDE ONLY

bh Lica ZL Lbsom

R\

N S d

SS Oe \

x

y

S

i

: 7 2

(

SS E EA S Se

es

:

Manila February 1899

4 26 October 1899 10 February 1900

£

J o e s ar

AY

ie s

Sw e S e S S

or

5 TS S)

tr ox

t

e

Lerboal,

CS Hawaiian postcard addressed member of the North Dakota Infantry at Manila. Upper cover addressed to Captain in 9th Cavalry at Manila; addressee could not be found after a month, so cover forwarded to Adjutant General in Washington and eventually to Fort Wingate, New Mexico. Lower cover to Captain in 9th Infantry in Tarlac.

PHILIPPINES ° Mil. Sta. No. 2 Cavite Luzon 29 June 1900

et oe

Because of an outbreak of plague in mid-1900, mail was perforated and disinfected with formaldehyde. A report by the chief quarantine officer for the Philippines to the Surgeon General in Washington stated "I have the honor to hereby inform you that all mail leaving Manila for U.S. ports and for other places in the Philippine Islands is disinfected under my supervision. / have also required the disinfection of mail from Hong Kong." Four examples of the latter usage are recorded.

PHILIPPINES Mil Sta. No.2 Cavite

Marine Mail 19 May 1900 | 15 November 1900

Covers with manuscript endorsements as being from Marines; upper cover also has unusual printed cachet wit

h

Marine Corps emblem.

PHILIPPINES Manila U.S. Army Transports 7 February 1900

- February 1901

= { > Pee oo a O53 et ee _

ie ~* a -

The U.S. Anny was responsible for the troop transport ships during this period. Upper cover from war correspondent aboard U.S.A.T. Thomas. Lower cover mailed on U.S.A.T. Buford apparently on return voyage to San Francisco.

PHILIPPINES Mil. Sta. No.2 Cavite

U. S. Naval Station 16 May 1901 24 October 1902

“C.5. NAVAL STATION, CAVITE, PD

Fri COB, MT,

U.S. NAVAL STATION,

CAVITE, P. I.

ae

Covers with "Naval Station" corner cards. The upper example of single-line rubber stamp is unusual; it is

endorsed "Govt clerk's mail" and sent to Washington, where it arrived 15 June 1901.

PHILIPPINES Manila Naval Mail 28 January 1899

Letter from Admiral Dewey

Spe tenre ase: ate arin nae (apm Pete ere op ReM ST ne ee EEN y SCEROT RR Eee ae Pe

A

Se S a b b ite d

y RT F

Lee

eS orm remy . . . ~ RTT Parte Pe Reg es a

Ce wht te rips meee rere cae Te RT Be eet

& Ne A N

Q e d

a N

sh ee Sa

g Sh

°

ea ae

hg e a e

Etre | Pp a sree “Yar

Wee k

ca pi ta n

al a d a

tr at ed

i

te

Ra ne

y, S M R

s e t

é

Commodore Dewey was promoted to Rear Admiral on 10 May 1898 following his great victory at Manila Bay. Above personally signed letter is written on stationery of U. S. Cruiser Olympia, his flagship in the Philippines.

PHILIPPINES U. S. Flagship

Manila 26 January 1901

ae

oe / The U.S.S. Brooklyn was the flagship of S i the Commander-in-Chief of the American

if Naval Force on Asiatic Station in the j 1900-1901 period. The above cover was

i sent as official mail to China, being j backstamped for receipt at the U.S. Postal

Agency in Shanghai on 8 February before being turned over to the Chinese Imperial Posts for delivery in Chefoo (receiving

~~. mark of 15 February).

PHILIPPINES Tloilo Naval Mail - June 1899 4 August 1899

7 a Py Lf” or riltowo ” * ff Ne (Lewis, fo te = |

FEE,

(23 2. Le: Ss ic’. [Ciswcedyp

Cece Bz

Sailor s Letter,-

DS. Hele a, Wasbraleroe, Coma-¥, | 8. N ‘ocmags

fs Rl! 7 . ‘ oe fag Oe 4 ‘ Sent ce. ee, 5 nent Upper cover from sailor on U.S.S. Yorktown at Iloilo, although postmarked Manila. Lower cover from U.S.S. Helena with Iloilo Military Station postmark.

PHILIPPINES Manila

Naval Mail 18 April 1899 25 April 1899

ae pean Ni SEE ina Bede Ray mel

Ee re sin Sonoma es ee -- : apesses peiEng agin Rmmengyy

antic a TANT YL

FLAGSHIP OLY

NS,

bande ee cm en mets ae LON ah ie eee male wit PRR ete ee

Covers originating from U.S.S. Olympia (Dewey's flagship at the battle of Manila Bay). Both are postmarked at

Military Station No.1 Manila; the upper example was sent by Captain Lamberton to his father. Note "Flagship"

corner card on reverse of lower cover.

PHILIPPINES Mil Sta. No.1 Manila

Hospital Ship 30 October 1899 Naval Hospital 12 December 1899

grog 0 ao Beeline gyn ne ag Bas a WW, 8. A. Hosp. ' ‘Ship Retiet** ¥

Upper cover shows unusual usage from U. S. Hospital Ship Relief to minister in New York City. Lower cover from doctor at Cavite Naval Hospital to colleague in Brooklyn.

PHILIPPINES U. S. Monitor

Manila

17 July 1900

The monitor Monadnock (essentially a shallow-draft floating gun platform) was sent across the Pacific in June-August 1898, where it performed blockading duty in the Manila-Mariveles-Cavite area. Monadnock was launched in 1883, had a displacement of 4,000 tons, a main armament of four 10" guns and a compliment of 182. Mail from this vessel in the Philippines not previously recorded.

GUAM

Guam was captured in the Spanish-American War when Captain Glass of the U.S.S. Charleston, en route to the Philippines, stopped at the island and demanded the surrender of the garrison on 20 June 1898. Guam was then ceded by Spain to the United States pursuant to the Treaty of Paris on 10 December 1898. Formal possession was not taken until Captain Leary of the U.S.S. Yosemite arrived with an appointment as governor on 10 August 1899.

Mariana Islands Agana

11 September 1899

“FROM W.H. RUSE u.3.S. SOLACE

The postal history of Guam under U.S. administration began on 15 August 1899 when Chief Yeoman Hobby was appointed acting postmaster and began to sell Stamps overprinted "Guam" that had been brought out on the Yosemite. Several of the old Spanish devices were used for cancelling mail, including the "Marianas" cds and the killer shown above. These have been recorded as being used from 21 August to 8 December 1899.

The U.S.S. Solace was the station ship for Guam, generally engaged in bringing supplies from the Philippines.

GUAM Agana Mariana Islands 25 January 1900

© Yay, Cth Pte Farka a, ~ 3 3/ San Ta Ba bain Ss

Shae Babee, Be | oO COS. eed i er Te ee

The initial postal activities took place on the U.S.S. Yosemite, but the facilities were moved ashore to Government House on or about 25 November 1899. The first American-made cancellation was a straight line marking reading “Agana, Isle of Guam" with date below. It is recorded as being used from 15 August 1899 to 22 May 1900.

Agana

14 June 1900

21 July 1900

GUAM Mariana Islands

g "Agana Isle/of in Capital letters readi lines entirely e (above) to 14 October 1900.

ted of two 15 ght line cancellation cons This marking is recorded as being used from 14 Jun

A second type of strai Guam."

Agana GUAM Mariana Islands 14

June 1900

Registry Return Receipt

See eee ee ae ee

Y RETURN RECEIPT sent at te —— ee =

After obtaining receipt below;'the ‘Postmaster will mail this Card, without eg¢ver fs i > .* Sand withaut postage,-to address on the other side. “rr: '} vt

*LETTER.. Wy Mo

= ee ARR oo

RECEIVED, ESA S.A aes ee “ae ae

ke

, (SENDER’S NAME ON OTHER SIDE.) °° = oD pte Te woot ve

o n

ti e

" Sign on dotted lines. st +. to the right. .,

‘ . Sega # : aon Hs. When delivery is made to other

o4{: ‘than addressee, the name of both addressee and recipient must ap-

e \

Ty pear. ' = | 2s ;

nee * © eg Bota deg | Poh pans Cg

te Fe _ i) #:°® Erase letter or parcel according to which is sent,

Extraordinary usage of the second straight line cancellation (all capital letters) to validate a retum receipt for a

registered letter. It was used on 14 June 1900, the earliest recorded date for this marking, and the receipt is signed

by "R. P. Leary USN/Govemor" of the island.

GUAM 5 Agana

Mariana Islands 23 August 1900

-- October 1900 die es gins eben : nee - a ty

me HR TE ee, Ditton cee reer Piet A third type of straight line cancellation consisted of a single line in capital letters reading "Agana, Guam." This marking is recorded as having been used from 7 February 1900 to 13 July 1901. On the upper cover it is used in conjunction with a new circular registry mark reading "Agana,/Guam" in a circle, with the date inserted separately. This marking is known used from August 1900 to January 1902.

GUAM San Louis d'Apra Mariana Islands - September 1899

The U.S.S. Yosemite initially anchored just off the Village of Agana. However, this proved to be a poor location because the water depth drops sharply less than a half mile from the reef. Thus, the ship moved to San Luis d'Apra harbor, which offered much better typhoon protection. The cover has a marking "U.S.S. Yosemite/San Louis (sic) d'Apra, Guam." Only two examples with this erroneous spelling are recorded. Backstamped San Francisco 8 October and Washington 13 October 1899.

GUAM Mariana Islands

= ee er are ee

MAKINS & CO. SA

506 Market Street,

San Luis d'Apra 9 December 1899

10 February 1900

ss ya Ase tei oe Lo s * ,

« i es

N FRANCISCO,

BEEREL 1a iN WS o1ena aa fo | FEB Rae

™~ sg aa | ox

i Ledeen |

Conefbrostlai le,

US Mluesvens, gy : After the Agana post office was brought on shore to Government Hou anchorage, a new postmark was made up to be used on shipboard. straight line postmark, but it often was used in conjunction with a "b December 1899 (above) to 11 July 1900.

se and the U.S.S. Yosemite moved to a safer This marking is normally seen as a simple ear Claw" killer. Recorded usage is from 9

GUAM San Luis d'Apra Mariana Islands 2 August 1900

25 September 1900

The provisional "San Luis d'Apra”" postmark was replaced with a circular rubber device, on which the dater was applied separately, sometimes overlapping the circular dial of the cancel. The life of this postmark was probably cut short by the sinking of the Yosemite following damage in a typhoon in November 1900. Recorded examples are known from 15 July to 15 October 1900.

GUAM Agana Mariana Islands 31 October 1901

10 June 1905

— —”: From P. M.D.

-SiGUAM GUAM. =

Neca Roe a ee ee m2 z : i A second postmark was placed in service shortly after the assumption of postal responsibility by the USPOD. In this case, the year date was inserted between the cds and the killer. This mark saw relatively limited use because of objections by the local people over the use of "Ladrone," which means "thieves" in Spanish. Usage recorded from 19 August 1901 to early 1903. The offensive "Ladrone" marking was replaced with a new duplex device, with the wording simplified to "Guam/Isl. Guam." It is recorded as used from 1 April 1903 to 29 June 1915.

GUAM Agana

Mariana Islands 7 January 1901

loa 14 June 1900

eg * seals

During the period in which the Navy Department was responsible for the postal se

rvice, U.S. regular issue stamps

of the 1895-1898 series overprinted "Guam" were used. A total of eleven v alues were issued, ranging in

quantities from 105,000 of the 2 cent to only 3,000 of the $1.00 value. Most o f the higher denominations are

found used on philatelic covers.

GUAM Agana Mariana Islands 28 April 1902

REGISTERED, a .

D( Coy

Fieg VEGA E

Zehlendor?f . : fe e bei Berlin J. df Allemagne-Germany.

In addition to the overprints on regular postage, 5,000 copies of the 1895 10 cent special delivery stamp were also overprinted "Guam." Note the late usage on the above philatelic cover of the straight line "Agana, Isle of Guam” as an auxiliary registration marking.

Agana GUAM Mariana Islands

20 November 1901 22 January 1902

cee a Om re iets 3 omy yen omoen'®,

deem ign ma em TTT Te mee nit mae A SE eens Eee tane 2 gag arate Tatha m at

ee 2, OFFICE OF

INSPECTOR OF ORDNANCE, « _ FOR U. S. NAVY a:

_ Newport News SHIPBUILDING AND Bev Dock Co...

NEWPORT NEWS-VA. 2°

Oe fw 7.

{

ae

Gunner R.E. Cox, U.S.N. #2507-8th. Ave. .-

”

Altoona. = rt oe teas

Penna, As of 29 March 1901, the Post Office Department took over responsibility for the post

al service on Guam from

the Navy and began to sell unoverprinted U.S. stamps, although the "Guam" ov erprints remained valid for

postage. A new steel cds was introduced reading "Agana/Island of Guam." It is recor ded used from April 1901 to

30 November 1904.

GUAM Agana Marine Mail 5 September 1900

a SANFRANCISCO: i . AP fered totam7an- hare — 3

a : = as

Dy. Wel hoe Gorericac, | — (7) pL hie Eotathe Mimsy

7 ~ SC Coat OY ridin et Lr

Ort, thaws , be, i ES ge co lS HA |

With the strong Naval presence on Guam, Marines were posted on the island from the earliest days of the U.S. occupation. However, identifiable letters from Marines are uncommon and sought after by specialists.

GUAM Naval Mail

Printed corner card of the U.S. Naval Station, Island of Guam on cover sent to Barcelona,

Spain.

\

Sk Natbon Cobe

Agana 13 December 1900

24 January 1902

Shab, Saree

/ Official U.S. Navy

} Department registered

/ cover sent from

Government House, Agana.

JAPAN Troops in Transit Home

IROOKLYN DAILY EAGLE Gey HEADQUARTERS © ™ . : : wpe Rk

ANSPORT SHERIDAN,

rom G.A.Smi th, 7, with Company -"0}"4 3%

13th, Minn. Vol tnt tty. 2

‘bound for: San ‘Franct, sand Yokohama, FaD a

- Page epaRtMENT, A RS (0 bey ee

Nagasaki 19 August 1899

30 June 1902

The state volunteer troops called up on a temporary basis were replaced as regular army personnel could be trained and sent over to the Philippines. Upper cover from a volunteer being sent home via Japan on an Army transport ship, apparently after serving twelve months. Lower cover also from soldier on U.S.A.T. Sheridan but after completing service during the Philippine insurrection.