Scope and Content Note
The papers of Lewis Whitfield Colson (1880-1961) span the years 1894-1950, with the bulk of the material from 1898 to 1902. The collection relates primarily to Colson's service as a private in the 23rd United States Infantry, 1899-1902, in the Philippines during the Spanish-American War. It consists largely of four narratives of the same experience: a one-volume handwritten diary, 1899-1902; a two-volume handwritten diary, apparently an expansion of the first diary; a typescript diary in six small notebooks, apparently an expansion of the two-volume diary; and a typescript in four notebooks containing an account in which personal experiences in the Philippines are combined with information from published sources about East Asia and the war with Spain. Although each succeeding account enlarges upon the narrative told by its predecessor, it also omits information previously offered. Thus each account makes a contribution; no one account is wholly incorporated in the others.
Also in the collection is a notebook of notes on the history of the 23rd Infantry as well as photographs and picture postcards from Colson's Philippine experience and his travels in East Asia.