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<em>Lawrence Sprague Miller</em> was born at Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland, March 5, 1872. His father was Brigadier General Marcus P. Miller who was in command at the capture of Iloilo in 1898 and a veteran of the Civil War and three Indian Wars. His grandfather, on his mother’s side was General Joseph Haskin, who served in the Mexican War, so his natural ambition was an appointment to West Point.</p>
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His schooling was that of the average army boy—attending schools at Angel Island; Presidio, California; Fort Monroe; West Point: District School, Bay Ridge; Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute; College of the City of New York; and the University of Vermont, at Burlington, VT. There he joined the Sigma Phi Fraternity. From the University he was appointed to West Point.</p>
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He was a Cadet at the U.S.M.A. from 1893 to 1897, when he was graduated and promoted in the army as an additional 2nd Lieutenant of the 4th Coast Artillery.</p>
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He served at Ft. Washington and Ft. Hunt and in 1899 left, with Battery F. 4th Artillery, for duty in the Philippines where he served two and one half years in the field and took part in the Lawton Campaign in Central Luzon.</p>
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During his stay in Manila he was assigned to police duty in the Tondo District. It was well known that Tondo was the stepping stone to Malabon, the hot bed of insurrection. His speaking knowledge of Tagalog proved of use in secret service work in that district.</p>
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Early in 1900 while he was 1st Lieutenant of Battery E, 6th Coast Artillery and stationed at Marlveles, Bataan, word came to him that a Major in the troublesome army of General Mascardo wished to surrender.</p>
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At that time all Filipinos who would give up their arms and take the oath of allegiance to the United States were pardoned and set free. A handsome Spanish Philippine army officer in his early twenties appeared with two orderlies, one bare footed. The officer was bedraggled, sickly and hungry. He introduced himself as Major Manuel Kison, a name which later became famous as Quezon.</p>
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To Lieutenant Miller, Kison surrendered a few rifles, a foot long dagger with the initials “M.K.” in a silver-plated sheath decorated with a crosspiece and collar insignia. Kison asked to keep his saber. Miller agreed and Kison, very much in need of money, promptly sold it to an American photographer. This surrender to Lieutenant Miller was dramatized on the radio program, “March of Time’’.</p>
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July 6, 1900 he sailed on the steamship Australian on leave, first going to China and later to Japan. In his travels through Japan he learned enough of the language to manage without an interpreter and toward the end of his trip he lived in private homes and Japanese hotels, rather enjoying the novelty.</p>
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Returning to the United States in 1903 he served as Professor of Military Science and Tactics at the University of Vermont.</p>
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He was promoted to Major in 1917 and returned to Manila in the office of Chief Quartermaster. When he was relieved from Ft. Mills he was sent to command Ft. Preble, ME. Made a Lieutenant Colonel, Coast Artillery, National Army August 5, 1917, he was ordered on Border Service at Laredo, Texas. At Camp Upton. N.Y., he commanded the 306th Field Artillery. He served about a year and a half in France in the First World War as a Colonel; returned to the grade of Lieutenant Colonel on July 10, 1919, and was retired for disability contracted in line of duty on April 19, 1920.</p>
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Colonel Miller was a Distinguished Graduate, Coast Artillery School, 1909; Graduate of the Field Artillery School and of Camp Songe, France 1918.</p>
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He never married but lived with his mother and sister in Chevy Chase, D.C.</p>
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He enjoyed his Class Reunions at West Point and attended them whenever possible.</p>
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Always fond of sports he played baseball and tennis and made several visits to Florida and Cuba where he enjoyed fishing and other outdoor amusements.</p>
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After the passing of his mother and sister he bought an apartment, where he died of a heart attack on March 19, 1945.</p>
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All his life he was fond of young people and an impressive number of them attended his funeral in tribute to his unfailing kindness and sympathy and the assistance he gave them in their studies, examinations and amusements.</p>
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He was buried in Arlington Cemetery surrounded by the graves of many members of his family in the Military and Naval Services.</p>
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One of Ills friends in speaking of him and of his living and dying alone said: “He never wished to be a burden to anyone and he kept his troubles and worries to himself. In fact he died as he lived—a kind courageous gentleman”.</p>
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