I represent Phillip Wager, Captain of the 4th U.S. Regiment of Infantry, Company A. I was born in 1790, in what was then Virginia. I was a veteran of the War of 1812. When we first arrived in West Florida, we were camped at the ranch of Manuel Gonzalez, but General Jackson moved us to the Galvez Springs. Early in the morning on July 17, 1821, the 4th Infantry and the 4th Artillery were marched into the public square, opposite the Spanish dragoons. We exchanged salutes, then four companies marched to Ft. Barrancas. At ten o’clock, General Jackson and his retinue passed between the double line of American and Spanish troops and entered the Government House. After a few minutes, he emerged, accompanied by Spanish Governor Jose Callava and passed back between the lines. The Spanish troops were then marched to their ships to sail for Havana; the American flag went up, and salutes were fired by the Artillery company and the ship HORNET, military musicians playing the “Star Spangled Banner” all the while.
I served in Pensacola area until July 1828, and that year I was awarded the rank of Brevet Major. I died in 1835 and I am buried in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia.