Hometown Heroes
Sgt. Alfred Wilder Merriam, killed in action in Philippines
By Michael Rocchetti
Summer in the Philippines is very tropical — hot, humid, and wet, especially on the Island of Luzon. It was on a day such as this, July 3, 1900 when a detachment of 20 men from Company H, Third U.S. Volunteer Infantry Regiment, under the command of Sergeant Alfred W. Merriam, was scouting the country in the vicinity of Hagonoy, Bulacan Province, Luzon, PI, in search of the robbers of the steamer “Filipino,” when they were ambushed 1-1/2 miles from the coastal fishing village of Tibaguin by insurgents.
Reinforcements under Second Lieutenant J. H. Page, 3rd U.S. Infantry, arrived later, and the insurgents were defeated with a loss of 12 killed. Six rifles were captured and 6 more destroyed. Three U.S. soldiers were killed, and 2 men were wounded. Sadly, Sergeant Merriam was one of those soldiers killed during the engagement. He was shot through the neck and died instantly.
Alfred Wilder Merriam was born March 30, 1875 in Putnam, the son of Alfred Merriam (1821-1891) and Ada (Lawrence) Merriam. At the age of 21, he was enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 30, 1895 at Fort Trumbull, New London, by Lt Reed. At that time, he listed his occupation as “brakeman.
His physical attributes were listed as follows: eyes, blue; hair, light brown; complexion, fair; height, 5'-9.5"; He enlisted as a Private in the 2nd Artillery Regiment, Battery K. He was discharged as a Sergeant at the expiration of his term March 29, 1898, at Fort Schuyler, N.Y. He left with an “excellent” rating.
On April 9, 1898, he was re-enlisted at Fort Schuyler by Lt Krayenbuhl. He enlisted into the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment, Company H. At that time the unit had just completed a deployment to Cuba and had returned to their garrison at Fort Snelling, Minnesota. On Oct. 5, 1898, a force of about 80 men—including soldiers of the 3rd Infantry, U.S. Marshals and Indian Police—fought in the Battle of Sugar Point against 17 members of the local Pillager Band of Chippewa Indians near the Leech Lake Reservation. The U.S. forces lost 6 soldiers and one Indian Police officer killed and another 14 wounded. There were no casualties among the Chippewa. The Battle of Sugar Point was the last battle fought between the U.S. Army and Native Americans.
The 3rd Infantry was then redeployed to the Philippines, and sailed from New York on Feb. 3, 1899 aboard the U.S. Army transport Ship USS Sherman. It reached Manila, the Philippines on March 22, 1899 via the Suez Canal.
After Sergeant Merriam was killed-in-action, his body was sent back home to his family in Putnam, and he was buried at the Grove Street Cemetery, Putnam. The local post of the Spanish War veterans was named in his honor – the Alfred Wilder Merriam Camp #16, United Spanish War Veterans.
Unfortunately, we don’t have any pictures of Sergeant Merriam, but we included a picture of an iconic Spanish-American War statue, called “the Hiker”. There are over 50 of these bronze statues throughout the U.S. They were made in Providence, and there is one in that city, and there is one in Meriden.
During the period of 1898 through 1902, there were approximately 186 men from the local area who served on land and at sea during the Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, and the Boxer Rebellion in China. Their stories will soon be published in the “Hometown Heroes of the Quiet Corner” book series, 2026 Volume 6, the Spanish-American War Edition, published by the Mayotte-Viens Post #13, American Legion, Putnam.
Hometown Heroes books can be purchased online at: https://hometown-heroes-of-the-quiet-corner.myshopify.com/ - all proceeds benefit the local American Legion Post. Hometown Heroes is a series published in the Putnam Town Crier & Northeast Ledger with this mission: We owe it to our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines to make sure that they are never forgotten, and that the memory of their service and sacrifice will forever live on in the hearts and minds of the grateful people of Putnam.
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