Cuba Deployments in the Early Twentieth Century U.S. Army Cavalry Service Photo Archive of Soldier Harold Howard, 1910s

U S. Army

Photograph

Soldier Harold Howard's person documentaation of service in the 11th U.S. Cavalry during the period of American military occupation and intervention in Cuba following the Spanish American War. These photographs place an enlisted cavalryman within the broader framework of U.S. expansionist policy in the Caribbean under the Platt Amendment, when American troops were repeatedly deployed to Cuba to oversee political stability, infrastructure, and economic interests. The archive includes identified images of Sgt. Harold Howard and captures both formal military organization and informal daily life, offering a ground-level record of U.S. cavalry presence during a period of continued occupation and reintervention, including the second U.S. occupation of Cuba from 1912 to 1913.

Archive of nine vintage silver gelatin photographs, ranging approximately from 3.5 x 5 inches to 10 x 13 inches, many mounted to original photographer boards and some annotated in ink or pencil. Two large-format formal group portraits depict Troop K, 11th U.S. Cavalry at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia, 1913, showing soldiers in full dress uniform arranged in tiered formation with visible regimental flag marked “11” and “K,” with Howard identified in one image. Smaller photographs include a group portrait of U.S. cavalrymen in Pinar del Río, Cuba, dated 1908, showing soldiers in campaign dress posed near a stable, as well as candid camp scenes featuring cooking areas, barracks life, and assembled troops. Two photo postcards function as personal correspondence, with handwritten messages from Howard dated April 1 and September 9, 1913, addressed to Mrs. A. L. Howard in Maine, referencing weather conditions and upcoming exhibition drills, providing direct evidence of mobility and routine within cavalry service. Additional images include a cabinet card of two uniformed soldiers and a scene depicting Black Cuban civilians posed near a thatched structure, situating U.S. military presence within local social environments.

Taken together, the archive documents the lived experience of a U.S. cavalryman operating within the infrastructure of American imperial policy in the Caribbean, linking domestic military bases such as Fort Oglethorpe with overseas deployment in Cuba. The photographs record both the formal visual culture of the U.S. Army and the everyday conditions of enlisted service, while the inclusion of Cuban subjects and locations underscores the entanglement of military occupation with local populations. General edge wear throughout, with occasional pinholes, adhesive remnants, and minor chipping to mounts; some toning to boards. Photographs remain clear and stable, with annotations legible. Overall very good condition.

Item #22467

Price: $750.00