When the sinking of the Maine in 1898 flamed into war, young men from all over the country flocked to the colors. The heated times brought an intense longing to the warrior in Frank Stringfellow. At age 57, he would enlist, not as a fighter this time, but as a chaplain. There would be a need for him in the jungles of Cuba, to lend the strength of the Word of God to those who faced the guns. 

But he was past the acceptable age for military service and he was not in the best of health. However as one might expect, Frank Stringfellow would not take no as an answer. He had one more trick up his sleeve. When Grant was president, Stringfellow had written him in great detail how in 1864 he had Grant in his gun sights highlighted against the camp fire, but spared the general’s life. Grant had thanked him warmly and said that any request by Stringfellow would be honored by him or any future president. Stringfellow had not taken advantage of Grant’s promise, but now, he felt, the time had come. He wrote President McKinley, quoting from Grant’s letter, and an affirmative answer came back quickly. 

So it was that on May 28, 1898—the 37^th anniversary of his enlistment in the Confederate Army—Frank Stringfellow entered the Fourth Infantry Regiment, Virginia Volunteers, U. S. Army. Sworn in with him was his son, and both served in the same regiment throughout the war. 

*From Stringfellow of the Fourth, by R. Shepard Brown, pp. 292-293