David Fagen

David Fagen
Born 1875
Tampa, Florida, United States
Died Unknown
Allegiance First Philippine Republic Philippines
United States United States
Service/branch United States Army (until November 1899)
Philippine Revolutionary Army (November 1899-?)
Rank Corporal (United States Army)

Captain (Philippine Republican 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 on November 17, 1899,[4] he defected to the Filipino army.[5] 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" and "gugus".[6]

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.[7]

Media Portrayals

References

  1. ↑ Fagen, David (1875- ?) | The Black Past: Remembered and Reclaimed
  2. ↑ Black Soldier White Army (Paperback). Government Printing Office. p. 12. ISBN 978-0-16-087264-8.
  3. 1 2 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.
  4. ↑ "A HOMAGE TO DAVID FAGEN, AFRICAN-AMERICAN SOLDIER IN THE PHILIPPINE REVOLUTION". www.academia.edu. p. 20. Retrieved 2015-12-15.
  5. ↑ Rudy Rimando, "Interview with Historical Novelist William Schroder: Before Iraq, There Was the Philippines", November 28, 2004, History news Network.
  6. ↑ Ryan, David (2014). Cullinane, Michael Patrick, ed. U.S. Foreign Policy and the Other. Berghahn. pp. 114–115. ISBN 978-1782384397. Retrieved 3 August 2015.
  7. ↑ The Saga of David Fagen

Further reading

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