C.H. Newton
| Date and Place of Birth: | Date Unknown Washington, DC |
| Date and Place of Death: | February 15, 1898 Havana Harbor, Cuba |
| Baseball Experience: | Amateur |
| Position: | Third Base |
| Rank: | Fifer |
| Military Unit: | US Marine Corps |
| Area Served: | Caribbean |
C.H. Newton was from Washington, DC. During the latter part of the
19th Century he served as a Marine Corps Fifer (ship's bugler) aboard
the USS Maine (ACR-1), the United States Navy's second commissioned
battleship.
Newton was the third baseman for the ships' baseball team, and in
Florida in December 1897, the team defeated a team from the cruiser USS
Marblehead, 18-3, to earn the title Navy baseball champions. Their next
game was scheduled with an all-star squad in Havana, Cuba, and the Maine
arrived in Havana Harbor in January.
On February 15, 1898, Fifer Newton - who played the bugle well, and with
a flair that even the commanding officer appreciated - blew taps as the
Maine bobbed listlessly in Havana Harbor. Shortly afterwards, the Maine
blew up, killing 261 of the crew, including Newton and all but the
baseball team’s right fielder, John Bloomer.
Two months after the loss of the USS Maine, on April 25, 1898, saw the
start of the Spanish-American War, during which the rallying cry,
“Remember the Maine! To Hell with Spain!” was frequently heard.
Date Added: February 25, 2013
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