The voyage of the 47th Regt. U.S.V. / H. P. Wilkinson

1898

Harry P. Wilkinson (Henry Porteus Wilkinson, 1874-1949), of Brooklyn, New York, served in Company G of the 47th Regiment of the New York National Guard, federalized for service in the Spanish-American War. He enlisted May 2, 1898, and mustered out as a sergeant on March 31, 1899. After the war he worked as an electrical crane operator at the Brooklyn Navy Yard. The voyage of the 47th Regt. U.S.V., signed H.P. Wilkinson, is a manuscript narrative (9 leaves) covering the regiment’s voyage to Puerto Rico in October 1898, and the early weeks of its service there. The account begins with the regiment’s march to the troop ship Manitoba at Newport, Rhode Island on October 7, ending on an unspecified date at barracks in Carolina, Puerto Rico. He recounts their uncomfortable voyage to Puerto de Ponce and their encampment nearby. On October 22 they sailed for San Juan on board the transport Chester, embarking and disembarking troops along the way, with stops including Arroyo, Humacao, the island of Vieques, and Fajardo. The 47th saw no action, but the voyage on the Chester was marked by the fatal shooting of a soldier named Butler of Company H.