Frank L. Anders

Frank LaFayette Anders
Frank Lafayette Anders
Born	(1875-11-10)November 10, 1875 Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory
Died	January 23, 1966(1966-01-23) (aged 90) Ripon, Wisconsin
Allegiance	United States of America
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1894 - 1899, 1918 - 1920
Rank	Major
Unit	Young's Scouts 1st North Dakota Volunteer Infantry
Battles/wars	Philippine–American War
Awards	Medal of Honor McKinley Congressional Medal
Other work	Businessman Historian Scottish Rite Mason Geologist Engineer

Frank LaFayette Anders (November 10, 1875 – January 23, 1966) was a United States Army soldier who received the Medal of Honor for actions during the Philippine–American War. He went on to become a noteworthy engineer, businessman, amateur military historian and politician.

Early years

Anders was born in Fort Abraham Lincoln, Dakota Territory, in what is now Fort Abraham Lincoln State Park, North Dakota. His father, formerly a Union Army soldier died of complications related to his wounds in 1890, and Anders, at age 15 began work with the Northern Pacific Railroad and became a machinist.

Active service and war years

In 1894 Anders enlisted in the National Guard and after starting his second enlistment was deployed to the Philippines.

Medal and citation

On May 13, 1899, Anders was one of 11 men later awarded the medal for actions which took place against the Philippine Rebels. These men, part of Young's Scouts, caused 300 members of the enemy to retreat before their sudden charge. Anders' medal was officially awarded on March 3, 1906. Citation:

With 11 other scouts, without waiting for the supporting battalion to aid them or to get into a position to do so, charged over a distance of about 150 yards (140 m) and completely routed about 300 of the enemy who were in line and in a position that could only be carried by a frontal attack.

Post-war service and death

After returning to the United States in 1899, he worked for mining interests and in 1902, armed with only a seventh grade education and a few months at Dakota Business College (1895), he decided to attend Ripon College and after graduation in 1906 he became the first person awarded a scholarship by the University of Wisconsin–Madison where he studied Civil Engineering and was initiated into Acacia fraternity in 1907, and was chief engineer with Utah Smelting Corporation from 1909 until 1920.

In 1918, he was commissioned a captain in the Corps of Engineers and stationed in Fort Dodge, Iowa. In 1919 he was transferred to Fort Riley, where he was in charge of hospitals and also served in Washington, D.C., and at the Henry Ford Hospital in Michigan.

Major Anders died in 1966, and was the oldest surviving recipient of the Medal of Honor at his death.

Marriage and personal life

In 1910, Anders married Mary Bertha Hargrave and had two children, Franklin and Marion.

See also

• List of Medal of Honor recipients
• List of Philippine–American War Medal of Honor recipients

External links

• "Frank Anders' biography". Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved September 29, 2010.
• "War Citation". Retrieved September 29, 2010.
• "Frank L. Anders". Claim to Fame: Medal of Honor recipients. Find a Grave. Retrieved 2007-11-21.

This page was last edited on 11 March 2024, at 04:58