Manila Envelopes

By George F. Telfer

Subjects: Biography, Spanish-American War, 1898, Oregon. National Guard, Soldiers, Oregon, Correspondence, Personal narratives

Description: In a fusion of the individual with the historical, Manila Envelopes reveals one soldier's response to America's first overseas war -- the Spanish-American -- and to the country's emerging role as a world power. From May 1898 to July 1899, Lt. George F. Telfer of the Second Oregon Volunteers recorded the progression of military events surrounding the United States occupation of Manila. Telfer shows the daily workings of a soldier's life. His letters home make Manila come alive, recounting military duties and procedures, as well as his impressions of Filipino culture: landscape, religion, food, dress, pricing of goods, transportation, roles of husbands and wives, the integration of Spanish traditions and customs. His letters also reveal the human side of a soldier overseas attending to responsibilities of officer, husband, father, and son.