When the U.S. declared war on Spain in April, 1898, 16-year-old Jesse Langdon of Fargo wanted to volunteer, but his father told him he was too young. Impetuous, Jesse Langdon ran away from Fargo to Minneapolis to enlist in the 13 th Minnesota Infantry. As Langdon later said: “I lied about my age. I said I was 19. I was big for my age, so no one questioned it.”