This volume, Exciting Experiences in Our Wars with Spain and the Filipinos, is a contemporary historical account edited by Marshall Everett (a pseudonym for Henry Neil) and published shortly after the conflicts concluded. It documents the American military campaigns in both the Spanish-American War (1898) and the subsequent, more brutal Philippine-American War (1899-1902). The book served as a popular compilation of heroic narratives, official reports, and descriptive accounts designed to appeal to the patriotic sentiment of the American public at the turn of the 20th century. Notably, the volume includes the "Official History of Our War with Spain" by President William McKinley and stories attributed to key figures like Admiral George Dewey (victor of the Battle of Manila Bay), and General Frederick Funston, a controversial figure in the Philippine campaign. The inclusion of "The Life and Heroism of Brig-Gen’l Funston and the Adventures of Aguinaldo" highlights the immediate public interest in the capture of Filipino revolutionary leader Emilio Aguinaldo. The book is an example of the American narrative of "expansion" and "victorious battles" during this imperial period, a perspective often at odds with the Filipino struggle for independence.
Exciting experiences in our wars with Spain and the Filipinos