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Marine Corps Officer. |
John Myers, known later as 'Handsome Jack' to his military colleauges, was born in Wiesbaden, Germany on January 29, 1871. He was the fourth son of Colonel Abraham Charles Myers, Confederate Quartermaster General and Ms. Marion Twiggs, who was the daughter of Major General David Twiggs, known as the 'Bengal Tiger', of the Mexican-American War era.
With the fall of the Confederacy in 1865, John's parents fled to Germany, living in Wiesbaden, where John was born. They returned to America in 1876, settling in the Washington D.C. area, when John was five years old.
John attended the United States Naval Academy and graduated in the class of 1892, just three years after his father died. Jack's mother, Marion, lived to see her son graduate, however, she died a year later at the age of 55. He was appointed an Assistant Engineer two years later.
When Jack graduated from the Naval War College, he became a naval engineer, but in 1895 he transferred to the Marine Corps.
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Jack was a graduate of the Naval War College. |
In March 1895 he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Marines Corps. The city of Fort Myers, Florida was originally named for J.T. Myers' father.
In 1896 he became a Hereditary Companion of the Military Order of Foreign Wars by right of his father's service in the Mexican War. He was later eligible to become a Veteran Companion in the Order by right of his own service in the Spanish–American War, Boxer Rebellion, Philippine Insurrection and First World War.[1]
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Military Order of Foreign Wars Insignia |
Three years later, at the start of the Spanish-American War, Jack was in San Francisco, and was assigned to the USS Charleston that sailed to the Phillipines, transporting troops.
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Halftone photograph of Charleston at the entrance to the harbor of Agana, Guam, 20-21 June 1898, when she captured the island from the Spanish. Photo taken by Rear Admiral Ammen Farenholthttps://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/User:Bernstein2291~commonswiki[2] |
During the Philippine-American War, Jack led several amphibious landings against the Filipino Rebels in 1899, gaining recognition for his heroic conduct. He was then promoted to Captain of that same year.[3]
During the Philippine-American War, Myers led several amphibious landings against Filipino rebels in 1899, gaining recognition for his heroic conduct. He was promoted to captain some time in 1899. The Philippine conflict arose when the First Philippine Republic objected to the terms of the Treaty of Paris under which the United States took possession of the Philippines from Spain.[4]
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The Philippino Katipuneros. |
Charleston grounded on an uncharted reef near Camiguin Island north of Luzon on 2 November 1899. Wrecked beyond salvage, she was abandoned by all her crew, who made camp on a nearby island, later moving on to Camiguin while the ship's sailing launch was sent for help. On 12 November, gunboat Helena (PG-9) arrived to rescue the shipwrecked men. Charleston was the first steel-hulled ship lost by the US Navy.[5]
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Allied forces atttack the Beijing Castle in 1900. |
In May of 1900, Myers was sent China aboard the cruiser USS Newark and put ashore with a detachment of 48 Marines to guard the US Legation in Peking, just as the Boxer Rebellion broke out.
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Diagram showing locations of foreign diplomatic legations in Peking during the Boxer siege, 1900.. |
Myers' Marines occupied a wall defending the Legations, and led an attack, with Russian and British troops, and took part in a ferocious battle. Myers was wounded in the leg by a spear. His attack was claimed by Sir Claude Maxwell MacDonald, as "one of the most successful operations of the siege".
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USS Newark Cruiser Portside. |
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Lt. General Myers one out only 20 living Marines to receive this medal. |
In spite of the fact that few people know of John Twiggs Myers, he has been portrayed in two Hollywood films that incorporate his service as a U. S. Marine officer.
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55 Days at Peking - An Historic Epic Film. |
The first film was titled 55 Days at Peking, starring Charlton Heston in the role of Myers, a chap named Major Matt Lewis commanding the Marines during the Boxer Rebellion.
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Adventure film based on the real-life Perdicaris Incident of 1904. |
In the second film, titled The Wind and the Lion, Steve Kanaly plays the role of Captain Jerome, which in the actual event, was John Twiggs Myers.[8]
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U.S. Marine Corps Lieutenant General's Flag. |
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A Veteran's Salute to Lt. General John T. Myers, "Handsome Jack' of the United States Marine Corps. Thank you for your patriotism and service to your country! |
This week's featured connections are Redheads: John is 17 degrees from Catherine of Aragón, 22 degrees from Clara Bow, 27 degrees from Julia Gillard, 13 degrees from Nancy Hart, 16 degrees from Rutherford Hayes, 19 degrees from Rita Hayworth, 21 degrees from Leonard Kelly, 19 degrees from Rose Leslie, 21 degrees from Damian Lewis, 15 degrees from Maureen O'Hara, 27 degrees from Jopie Schaft and 33 degrees from Eirik Thorvaldsson on our single family tree. Login to see how you relate to 33 million family members.
Categories: Notables | United States Marine Corps Generals | Marine Corps Brevet Medal | Purple Heart | Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal | Spanish Campaign Medal | Philippine Campaign Medal | China Relief Expedition Medal (Navy) | Mexican Service Medal | World War I Victory Medal (United States) | Military Order of the Carabao | Military Order of the Dragon | United States Naval Academy | United States Marine Corps, Boxer Rebellion | United States Marine Corps, Philippine-American War | United States Marine Corps, Spanish-American War | Wounded in Action, United States of America, Boxer Rebellion | Spanish-American War | United States Marine Corps, World War I