Though America did not join rebellious Cuban forces against the Spanish empire until 1898, Frederick Funston (1865–1917) was so moved by a speech by Gen. Daniel Sickles in 1896 that he went to Cuba as a filibuster in the battle for Cuban independence. When the United States finally went to war against Spain, he took command of a regiment, was sent to the Philippine-American War, and received the Medal of Honor for his daring and skill in crossing a river to turn the flank of the Philippine army at the Battle of Calumpit. Two years later, in 1901, he became a national hero for capturing Philippine president and lead insurgent Emilio Aguinaldo. In such roles, Funston was integral to the successful implementation of U.S. policy.
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Memories of Two Wars is Funston's firsthand account of his adventures in the Cuban Revolution and the Philippine-American war. Conversational yet informative, Funston’s memoir relates his experience with the vigor and joviality of a friend sharing war stories over a drink and a cigar. He describes the guerrilla-style combat necessitated by the lack of weapons, the exotic scenery and vegetation of the islands, and the myriad characters—Cuban, American, Spanish, and Philippine—with whom he worked and fought.
