A  SPLENDID LITTLE WAR

NORMAN V. KELLY

As an historian, I am just a local yokel.  My stories cover Peoria and Peorians, so what am I doing writing about the Spanish American War?  Good question.  The answer is easy enough because I want to tell you a story that surrounds a Peorian who long ago slipped into oblivion. I’ll give you a little background before I tell you of Peoria’s connection to this war.

On April 21, 1898, America declared war on Spain following the sinking of our Battleship MAINE while anchored in the Havana harbor. Secretary of State John Hay called it a “Splendid little War.” Historians tell us that it was an important war, and one that freed Cuba and ceded to the United States, Guam and Puerto Rico. It allowed America to purchase the Philippine Islands from Spain. It also cost the United States the lives of 3,000 men, most of whom died of yellow and typhoid fever. That is your history lesson for today, now let’s get to the Peoria connection.

His name was George H. Ellis and he was born here in Peoria, Illinois October 26, 1875.  Way back in 1875 Peoria was a bustling, vibrant city on the grow with a population of nearly 26,000 people.  We grew up with the smell of breweries and distilleries in the air, and Peoria flourished.  By 1890 our population was at 29,259 and Peoria was a pearl along the Illinois River, and a cosmopolitan, lively city.

George Ellis lived here until the ripe old age of 17 when the excitement of the war prompted him to enlist in the United States navy on February 26, 1892.