By William “Skip” Deegans
Had Monroe County spy Andrew Summers Rowan been born in the 20th century he may have been a character in a John Lecarre novel. From Gap Mills and the son of John M. Rowan and Virginia Summers, Andrew Rowan graduated from the U. S. Military Academy in 1881. While serving in the U.S. Army he developed an interest in topography and meteorology. In 1891-1892 he participated in a survey of the Inter-Continental Railway in Guatemala where he learned to speak Spanish fluently. By 1895, he was working in the Bureau of Military Intelligence of the War Department.
In 1898, a revolution was underway in Cuba as Cubans sought to free themselves from Spanish rule. In an effort to evaluate the prospects of invading Cuba to assist the rebel insurgents, Lt. Rowan was selected by the U. S. Army to make contact with rebel leader, General Calixto Garcia. Rowan was described as having “all the coolness and courage necessary, is familiar with the Spanish character, full of resources and capable of meeting any emergency.”
In April 1898, Rowan took a civilian ship to Jamaica where he found Cuban exiles who took him through the jungles to the northern coast. There he boarded an open fishing boat and sailed to Cuba, landing near Guantanamo. Disguised as a Cuban or Spaniard, Rowan made his way across Cuba to General Garcia’s camp in the mountains.
In addition to giving Garcia a message from the U. S. Government, Rowan was tasked with determining the strength of the insurgent armies and seeking their cooperation should there be an invasion by the United States.
Having accomplished his mission, Rowan made his way back to the Cuban coast, sailed to Nassau and then to Key West. On his return to Washington, D.C., Rowan briefed the Secretary of War and the Commanding General of the Army. The next day, he briefed President McKinley. Rowan was looked upon as a hero, and his clandestine adventure was headline news throughout the country. He was immediately promoted to Lieutenant Colonel.
Sketch of Rowan in his disguise from the Knoxville Sentinel.
Sources: Greenbrier Independent, The Kansas City Times, Sioux City Journal, Atchison Champion, WV Archives & History.