At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War in April of 1898, President William McKinley called on the states to gather their military forces. State officials ordered the Wisconsin National Guard to report for duty at Camp Harvey, named for Wisconsin Civil War Governor Louis P. Harvey and located on the grounds of the Wisconsin State Fair Park. The Wisconsin National Guard had been established in 1879 to improve the existing militia system. The war with Spain 0898-1899) demonstrated for the first time the value of the National Guard as a reserve component of the army. In a time of crisis, the Guard units from Wisconsin and the other states could rapidly augment the small active-duty forces. Wisconsin contributed 5,469 men divided into four infantry regiments for service in the Spanish-American War. The First and Fourth Wisconsin Infantry regiments never left the United States. The Second and Third Wisconsin Infantry regiments participated in military operations in Puerto Rico, where they lost two men killed in action. A total of 132 Wisconsinites died from disease, principally typhoid fever. State Park, Main Gate, 81 St. and Greenfield Ave., West Allis Milwaukee County Wisconsin
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