O'Neill Man Shares Story About Army Rough Rider Ancestor

Edward A. Frolkey

By John Robert Smith,

May 25, 2023

My paternal great-grandfather's brother, Edward A. Frolkey (1876-1898), was raised on Garfield Table, Lincoln County, Nebraska, and enlisted in the United States Army sometime in the early-1890s. He was first assigned to the Troop A, 6th Cavalry Regiment, and then later to the Troop G, 1st Volunteer Cavalry Regiment. He knew William F. Cody well and during brief furloughs from the cavalry, participated in several of his Wild West events. He also became acquainted with Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. and was one of his Rough Riders. He was killed in The Battle of San Juan Hill in Cuba on July 1, 1898. He was 22 years of age.

On July 1, 1898, during the attack on the San Juan Blockhouse, the 1st Sergeant of the Troop G, 1st Volunteer Calvary Regiment was shot through the chest and of the four men who ran to his assistance, Edward A. Frolkey was one. They carried the sergeant to the river and as they were putting him down, a shell burst immediately above them. This killed Edward A. Frolkey and Charles D. Jacob, Jr., the son of the Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky. The other two men escaped injury. Edward A. Frolkey and Charles D. Jacob were buried together where they fell on the banks of the San Juan River shortly after this event.

The Frolkey Family did not learn of Edward's death until January 15, 1899. His sister, Magdalene (Arbogast) had previously written a letter to the federal government inquiring about her brother, as the family had not heard from him for some time. The letter that they received in return on this date informing them of his death was written by Walter M. Whitman, 1st Lieutenant and Commanding Officer of the Troop G, 1st Volunteer Calvary Regiment. In it, he expressed his deepest condolences and commented: He was brave and well liked among his comrades – a fearless horseman and a good soldier. The Frolkey Family requested that Edward's trunk and personal effects be sent to them. These things were sent by freight to North Platte later that year, as well as $15 from the federal government to cover any "additional" expenses. 

Eighteen months later, the bodies of Edward A. Frolkey and Charles D. Jacob were exhumed from their watery graves on the banks of the San Juan River in Cuba and brought back to the United States for burial. Edward's mother, Marie Magdalene (Chasseré) Frolkey and Emma left Garfield Table for Washington, D.C. at that time to receive his remains and attend the national military ceremonies and burial.

Edward A. Frolkey is memorialized by a monument in Arlington National Cemetery in Washington, D.C.

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