David Fagen
David Fagen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1875 Tampa, Florida, United States |
| Died | Unknown |
| Allegiance |  United States (until November 1899)  Philippines |
| Rank | Corporal (United States Army) Captain (Philippine Revolutionary Army) |
| Unit | US Army 24th Regiment (until November 1899) |
| Battles / wars | Philippine-American War |
A native of Tampa, Florida, USA,[1] David Fagen (1875-?) was an African-American soldier who defected during the Philippine-American War. He acquired the rank of Captain in the Philippine Army.[2][3]
Service
Fagen served in the 24th Regiment of the U.S. Army, but in November 1899 defected to the Filipino army.[4] He became a successful guerrilla leader and his capture became an obsession to the U.S. military and American public. His defection was likely the result of differential treatment by American occupational forces toward black soldiers, as well as common American forces derogatory treatment and views of the Filipino occupational resistance, who were frequently referred to as "niggers." [5]
After two other black deserters were captured and executed, President Theodore Roosevelt announced he would stop executing captured deserters.[3]
Supposed death
As the war ended, the US gave amnesties to most of their opponents. A substantial reward was offered for Fagen, who was considered a traitor. There are two conflicting versions of his fate: one is that his was the partially decomposed head for which the reward was claimed, the other is that he took a local wife and lived peacefully in the mountains.[6]
References
- ^ Fagen, David (1875- ?) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed
- ^ Black Soldier White Army (Paperback). Government Printing Office. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-16-087264-8.
- ^ a b William T. Bowers; William M. Hammond; George L. MacGarrigle (May 1997). Black Soldier, White Army: The 24th Infantry Regiment in Korea. DIANE Publishing. pp. 12. ISBN 978-0-7881-3990-1.
- ^ Rudy Rimando, "Interview with Historical Novelist William Schroder: Before Iraq, There Was the Philippines", November 28, 2004, History news Network.
- ^ Black American Anti-Imperialist Fighters in the Philippine American War | Black Agenda Report
- ^ The Saga of David Fagen
Further reading
- E. San Juan (2009). "An African-American Soldier in the Philippine Revolution : A Homage to David Fagen" (PDF). Cultural Logic: An Electronic Journal of Marxist Theory and Practice.
{{cite journal}}: External link in|journal= - "David Fagen: An African-American Rebel in the Philippines, 1899-1901". Pacific Historical Review. 44 (1). February 1975.