Leonard Clyde Smith - Gainesville, TX - Graves Mentioning a Cause of Death on Waymarking.com

The Spanish-American War lasted but a few months in 1898, ultimately resulting in Spain's turning over Cuba, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Philippines, and their island possessions in the Caribbean to the United States. By 1902, Cuba was granted their independence -- the presence of the United States at Guantánamo Bay was part of the agreement -- but the budding First Philippine Republic soon realized by 1899 that they were not to be granted their independence. Call it a war, call it an insurgency, call it an insurrection, but there was violence between the United States and the Philippines. It was over by April of 1902, the First Philippine Republic's being crushed, to be replaced by a provisional government with promises of eventual independence that finally occurred in 1946.

Down in the Southern Philippines were -- and still are -- the Moros, natives who had embraced the Muslim faith. At best, they had a rocky relationship with Spain, who operated according to the idea that they had full sovereignty, while the Moros managed themselves as if they were a protectorate. Exit Spain, enter the United States, and the resistance continued -- including suicide attacks -- a call-out to future history. Over time, cooler heads prevailed, but not before thousands died -- 130 on the American side -- and Private Smith was among them.

A Gainesville Register story in 2008 (see website, below) covered the placement of Pvt Smith's headstone, and it references a Gainesville Hesparian article in 1905 that noted Mr. Smith as a Gainesville native, and that his body was arriving home for burial. It apparently indicated that Pvt Smith had died in the Spanish-American War, but that is not correct: That war ended in 1898. His headstone also references the Spanish-American War, but unless he lied about his age and/or looked older than he was, he could not have possibly participated, as he turned sixteen in the middle of that war. The headstone was issued by the United States government in 2008, with a shield inscribed across the top, and it reads:

Leonard Clyde Smith
PVT CO F
Sp-Am War

Jul 1882
May 8 1904

Killed in Ambush
Seimpetan Mindanao PI
Moro War

Type of Death Listed: War related (Killed in Action) Cause of death inscription on headstone: Killed in Ambush Website (if available): [Web Link]

Visit Instructions:
When posting a visit to an unusual grave, please include the minimum of one picture of your visit as proof that you were there in the flesh.

Although not required, please include your personal experience of this location.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log   01/09/2022 Benchmark Blasterz visited it