After the USS Maine was sunk in 1898, tensions ran high between Spain and the United States in their fight over Cuba. For months President William McKinley struggled to decide if war was the best option. On April 25, Congress officially declared war on Spain, beginning the Spanish-American War.
Three weeks before the declaration of war, Annie Oakley (born Phoebe Ann Mosey) wrote to President McKinley. Oakley volunteered to organize a regiment of “fifty lady sharpshooters,” who would supply their own ammunition and arms, should the nation go to war.
Her request was denied because women were not allowed to serve. The blue notation “War” and the underlining in the letter indicates that it was passed on from the White House to the War Department to decline her offer.
From 1882 to 1913, sharpshooter Annie Oakley was a famous attraction in many traveling shows around the United States and a renowned international star. She even entertained Queen Victoria and Kaiser Wilhelm II—she shot a cigarette out of the Kaiser’s mouth.
