Queen Victoria's funeral took place at St George's Chapel in Windsor Castle.
The Kings of the United Kingdom, Germany, Portugal and Greece, and the future kings of Denmark and Sweden were in attendance.
The post Spanish American War United States Army Reorganization Bill was signed into law by President William McKinley. As part of it:
- The United States Army Nurse Corps was established as a permanent part of the United States Army's Medical Department. Women could enlist in the Army for three year terms, but t hey could not be commissioned.
- The Dental Corps was established.
The Army needed modernization, as di the state militia system, and it was receiving it.
Benjamin O. Davis Sr., the first African-American general in the United States Army, was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. 9th Cavalry.
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Davis had enlisted as a private less than two years earlier and been mentored by Major Charles Young, who, at the time, was the only other black officer in the United States Army. He'd be a pivotal figure in the ultimate integration of the U.S. military, as in fact was Young.
It should be noted that this date is somewhat confusing in regard to Davis' career, as he'd been an officer in the Washington D.C. National Guard in 1898. He'd been commissioned again during the Spanish American War in the 8th U.S. Volunteer Infantry. After being mustered out he'd rejoined the Army as a private, showing a remarkable drive for service in the segregated Army of the time.
Davis in 1945.
He was old for an officer during World War Two, but such a seminal figure that he was retained in service. He lived until 1970, dying at age 93, outliving both of his wives who predeceased him. His son by the same name became a general in the U.S. Air Force. The senior Davis was serving at Ft. D. A. Russell at the time of the younger Davis' birth.
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