On the 25th of January, 1898, the United States battleship Main was ordered to Havana Harbor, on a peaceful mission, by the authority of the United States, and on the 15th of February, 1898, between the hours of 9:00 and 10:00 p. m., the vessel was blown up by a submarine mine with 266 sailors losing their lives. A searching investigation followed without fixing who was to blame. Congress immediately appropriated $50,000,000 for the National defense.
    On April 19, 1898, Congress passed resolutions, which were signed by the President at 11:24 a. m. the following day, declaring, "that the people of the island of Cuba are, and by right ought to be free and independent," and demanding that Spain at once relinquish its authority in the islands. It also authorized the President to use the entire military force of the United States to carry the resolution into affect. Diplomatic relations between the two countries ceased April 21, 1898 and a state of war existed from that date and the President called for 125,000 volunteers to serve two years, and on May 24, 1898 the Spanish government announced that state of war between that country and the United States existed.
    Henry County responded with the following list of citizens volunteering to "Remember the Main."
    I am sure there are other names that are missing from this list. Those listed were taken from local military histories, with Hazzard's Military History of Henry County as the main source.