On February 15, 1898 the U.S.S. Maine sunk in a mysterious explosion in Havana Harbor, Cuba. By April the United States and Spain had declared war on each other. The Spanish-American War was short-lived and is not as well known as other wars in American history. But Nevada still answered the call when men were asked to volunteer to fight. One such Nevadan to volunteer for the Spanish-American War was Charles H. Stoddard.

Charles H. Stoddard was born in Alabama in 1845. In 1870, Stoddard moved to Reno, Nevada. He worked as a messenger for the Wells-Fargo Express Company, an agent for V&T Railroad, and a county assessor for Washoe County. He was also involved in real estate and grocery businesses. Stoddard was a member of the Nevada National Guard and served as a captain of Reno’s Company C for 12 years. 

Nevada initially recruited two volunteer cavalry units for the Spanish-American War: Troop M of the 2nd U.S. Volunteer Cavalry and Troop A of the 1st Nevada Volunteer Cavalry. Stoddard’s son Roy served in the 2nd U.S. Volunteer Cavalry regiment (known as Torrey’s Rough Riders). Throughout the war, Nevada politicians and military officials pushed for an infantry battalion from Nevada. Finally, in June 1898, Nevada was authorized to raise a battalion of four full companies of infantry selected from the Nevada National Guard. The Nevada National Guard units selected for the battalion were: 1) Virginia City’s Company A combined with Winnemucca’s Company D, 2) Virginia City’s Company B combined with Elko’s Company E, 3) Reno’s Company C (in which Stoddard served), and 4) Carson City’s Company F. Governor Sadler assigned Stoddard to lead Company C of the First Battalion, Nevada Volunteer Infantry.

Stoddard and other Nevada National Guard captains had been examined earlier in the year to assess their qualifications as military officers. The original exam questions can be found in the Nevada Adjutant General records in the State Archives.

The First Battalion, Nevada Volunteer Infantry was quartered at Camp Sadler, located at the racetrack in southeast Carson City. In August the battalion was moved to Camp Clark on the west side of Carson City in the area where the old Carson hospital on Mountain Street and Fleischmann Way now sits. Hostilities ceased between the Spanish and the Americans on August 12. On August 25, the U.S. Secretary of War ordered that the First Battalion, Nevada Volunteer Infantry be among the units to be mustered out. The men were released on October 29, 1898 without ever getting the chance to leave Nevada.

Nevada Archives Month 2025 honors the 250th birthday of the U.S. Armed Forces (June 14, 1775) and Nevadans who served their country. Funding for Archives Month is provided by the National Historical Publications & Records Commission. 

To learn more about Nevada's role in the Spanish-American War, visit the All for Our Country exhibit at the Nevada State Archives. The exhibit is open to the public through November 14, 2025, from 8:00 am - 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday (excluding holidays). Admission is free.