John Young Filmore Blake, also known as John Y.F. Blake and J.Y.F. Blake was an Irish-American soldier and writer. He was born October 6, 1856, in Bolivar,

Missouri Missouri is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...

in the

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, and died January 24, 1907, in

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.
"Annual Reunion," United States Military Academy, Association of Graduates, pages 71-74. Retrieved April 21, 2010 Blake served as a foreign volunteer for the Boers of the

South African Republic The South African Republic ( nl, Zuid-Afrikaansche Republiek, abbreviated ZAR; af, Suid-Afrikaanse Republiek), also known as the Transvaal Republic, was an independent Boer Republic in Southern Africa which existed from 1852 to 1902, when it ...

during the

Second Boer War The Second Boer War ( af, Tweede Vryheidsoorlog, , 11 October 189931 May 1902), also known as the Boer War, the Anglo–Boer War, or the South African War, was a conflict fought between the British Empire and the two Boer Republics (the Sout ...

Early life

After his birth in 1856, Blake's family soon moved to Denton County, Texas. There he grew up

cattle ranching A ranch (from es, rancho/Mexican Spanish) is an area of land, including various structures, given primarily to ranching, the practice of raising grazing livestock such as cattle and sheep. It is a subtype of a farm. These terms are most often ...

and learned to ride horses.Blake 1903, p. III. His father sent him to the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville in 1871. Soon after graduating, he received an appointment to West Point in 1876. Upon graduating from West Point in June 1880, Blake began his military career, assigned as a 2nd Lieutenant to the

6th U.S. Cavalry The 6th Cavalry ("Fighting Sixth'") is a regiment of the United States Army that began as a regiment of cavalry in the American Civil War. It currently is organized into aviation squadrons that are assigned to several different combat aviation ...

stationed in Arizona. He served under General Willcox,

General Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. During the 1880s, the Apache nicknamed Crook ''Nantan ...

, and General Miles during the

Apache Wars The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States Army and various Apache tribal confederations fought in the southwest between 1849 and 1886, though minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. After the Mexic ...

.Blake 1903, p. IV. Resigning from the military in 1889, Blake moved to

Grand Rapids Grand Rapids is a city and county seat of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 198,917 which ranks it as the second most-populated city in the state after Detroit. Grand Rapids is the ...

, Michigan to become a businessman, as his wife and family wanted him to settle down. After about five years he soon found out that "'the tricks of the trade', were too deep for me" and giving into his desire for adventure, headed to South Africa as a gold prospector.

Boer War

While in South Africa he became involved in the

on the side of the

, leading the Chicago Irish-American Corps, known as Blake's Irish Brigade into battle against British forces. He returned to the United States after the war to a hero's welcome and toured on the lecture circuit. He subsequently published a memoir of his experience during the war, ''A West Pointer With The Boers.''

Family

John's mother Sinclair T. Chitty married his father Thomas Kincaid Blake Jr. at the age of 15. In 1885 John married Katherine Euphrasia Aldrich in Grand Rapids while still in the service. Together they lived in the officers' quarters at Fort Leavenworth, where John's first son Aldrich Blake was born on November 6, 1885. In 1888 Katherine, being pregnant with John's second son, persuaded him to resign from the military and return to Grand Rapids. He agreed, and on September 19, 1889, Ledyard Blake was born.

Death

Blake was found dead in his home in Harlem, New York City of gas asphyxiation on January 24, 1907. He had previously been tending a sick friend for three days. Some sources said the death was accidental, while others called it suicide.
De Souza, Francis Hugh "A question of treason," Kiaat Creations, 2004,page 269. . Retrieved April 21, 2010. He is buried at West Point, New York.

References

*Blake, John Y. F
"''A West Pointer with the Boers''"
*http://penandspindle.blogspot.com/search/label/blake%20john%20young%20filmore

External links

*https://web.archive.org/web/20121108171237/http://www.roguery.com/safrica/giorno5.htm *https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1907/01/25/106109897.pdf *https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1907/01/28/101723522.pdf {{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, John 1856 births 1907 deaths People from Bolivar, Missouri United States Military Academy alumni South African military personnel University of Arkansas alumni Boer military personnel of the Second Boer War People from Denton, Texas Military personnel from Texas

Early life

Boer War

Family

Death

See also

References

External links