JOHN F. JAMES, 1LT, USA
John James '00
John Frederick James was admitted to the Naval Academy from Virginia on September 5, 1896 at age 18 years 6 months.
He resigned on November 13, 1897.
Lucky Bag
John Frederick James is listed among "ex-members" of the class.
Loss
John was killed in action on August 6, 1906 with Philippine insurgents in Julita, a barrio and ward of the city of Burauen on the island of Leyte. Also killed were contract surgeon Calvin D. Snyder, and IRS collector and chief scout Williams of Illinois in hand-to-hand fighting with the Pulajanes.
Other Information
John’s name appears in the article “The Seven Churches: The Pulahan Movement in Leyte, 1902-1907” by George E. R. Borrinaga in the Philippine Quarterly of Culture and Society, vol 43, no. 1, 2015, page 97. His name also appears in the report of Jaime de Veyra in the Report of the Governor of the Province of Leyte in the 8th annual report of Philippine commission 1907, p 321.
From researcher Kathy Franz:
John attended Virginia Military Institute from 1894 to 1896 when he went to the Naval Academy. He was in the VMI Class of 1897.
He enlisted as a sergeant in the Virginia Volunteers in May 1898. On July 30, he was promoted to first lieutenant. He was mustered out on February 22, 1899. On April 10, 1899, he was a second lieutenant in the Eighth infantry and became a first lieutenant on February 2, 1902.
John graduated from the Infantry and Cavalry School in 1904 and from the Staff College in 1905.
His father John was a tobacconist in Danville. His brothers were Julian/Jules, Russell, and Bartlett. Julian/Jules ('10) became a Rear Admiral. Russell was a captain at VMI in 1906 and was a captain in the Third Infantry when he died suddenly at Eagle Pass, Texas. Bartlett, a graduate of West Point, was a captain in the 24th Infantry. Their sisters were Elizabeth who died young, Helen (Mrs. Randolph Meade), and Harriet.
From Find A Grave:
John "Fred" James volunteered in the war with Spain as first sergeant of Third Virginia Infantry. He transferred to be promoted to First Lieutenant of the 7th US Volunteer Infantry (Colored). After the war, Fred entered regular army as 2nd LT, and in Feb 1901 was commissioned 1st LT of Eighth Infantry (Colored). He was a graduate of the Infantry and Cavalry School for Officers, and of the Staff College. He was killed in an ambush on Leyte Aug 10, 1906. Lt. Fred James was the only US regular Army officer to be KIA in 1906.
He is buried in Virginia.
Namesake
"Battery James", on Corregidor Island in Manila Harbor, Philippines, was named for him.
Memorial Hall Error
John's middle name on the killed in action panel is simply "Fred." His middle name was Frederick.
His listing on the killed in action panel under the heading "PHILIPPINE ISLANDS CAMPAIGN 1911" makes little sense given that he died in 1906. The killed in action panel should be corrected; one option would be to change the existing "PHILIPPINE INSURRECTION 1899-1901" to "MORO REBELLION 1899-1913" and to include John there.
The "category" links below lead to lists of related Honorees; use them to explore further the service and sacrifice of alumni in Memorial Hall.
