The Captain Who Died for His Flag
A Seattle lawyer’s final wish—to be killed in battle while holding the American flag—was tragically fulfilled in Manila, casting a storm over the local community.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The news that Captain George H. Fortson, mortally wounded at Manila on Saturday, has died, has cast a storm over the entire community. No man in the city is known or coveted more well than the gallant captain of Company I, 1st Washington Infantry.
A cablegram from Manila this morning confirmed that Captain Fortson had passed away. Born in 1860, and when twenty-three years old admitted to the Oregon bar, he later ventured into Florida law before coming to Washington for a short time. He worked in the mills at Port Gamble, and as soon as he had a little money up, he came to Seattle, where he obtained work in an abstract office as clerk. For some months he worked in the office during the day, and at night served as waiter and bookkeeper in a restaurant; but the loss of sleep and the strain proved too much, and he was forced to give up the night work.
When the city wiped out by fire on June 6, 1889, he boldly opened a law office and enjoyed a rapidly and constantly increasing practice up to the time he mustered with Company I, 1st Washington Infantry. Most warmly-esteemed, sympathetic and generous gentlemen, Captain Fortson had a genius for military detail. He was devoted to the cause, and it born fighter.
In conversation with a friend about eight years ago in this city, Captain Fortson, then in civil life, said so far as the Seattle militia was concerned, 'I'll never do.' But since I have come to think for myself, I declare that I will fight. He expressed his desire to be killed fighting for the flag.
That he died bravely, happily, heroically, with the American flag in hand, no one who knew him can doubt. His death must have been a sweet one for him. When a few days since General Otis called to Washington announcing a large force by Captain Fortson with a small band of eighty men under him, the captain's friends in this city feared that his daring would result in his death. They confidently believe that had he lived to the end of the campaign, he would have received not only substantial promotion in the regular line, but would have been the proud recipient of commendation from the Chief.
Captain Fortson leaves a widow in Seattle and one son four years old.
In an era before modern military benefits or widespread PTSD awareness, the death of a local hero was often framed through the lens of romanticized sacrifice and civic pride. Today, we might view Captain Fortson’s story with a more complex eye: recognizing his professional struggle as a lawyer who had to work as a waiter to survive the post-fire economic slump, highlighting how the
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