Iley N Selph, Spanish American War

©  Kathy Duncan, 2023

Records indicate that Iley Nunn Selph served during the Spanish American War. Various circumstances indicate that he was already in the Signal Corps when the war erupted in April 1898. He was stationed at Fort Sill Oklahoma as early as February 1898 when he purchased a beaded cane from Geronomo's wife and sent it to Col. W.C.P. Breckinridge of Lexington, Kentucky.

Iley was still at Ft. Sill in October 1898 when he was transferred to Fort Reno, Oklahoma. 

This means he served the duration of the Spanish American War, which ended in August 1898, at Ft. Sill.

By the time of the Spanish American War, the Signal Corps had progressed from sending communications with flags and bugles to communicating by telegraph. They both erected telegraph lines and worked as telegraph operators. Most of their communications were focused on the weather.

The skills that Iley N. Selph acquired during his stint in the military were put to use once he became a civilian. He worked for years as a telegraph operator, surveyor, and railroad agent. 

At some point during his military service, Iley contracted malaria, which affected his health for the rest of his life. I'm not sure where he contracted malaria. I researched malaria outbreaks in Oklahoma, and there were some. However, this "new" tidbit of information, that reveals he was transferred to Savannah, Georgia in November 1898, may indicate where he contracted malaria. There were several forts near Savannah, and I'm not sure where he was stationed.