Episode one introduces David Fagen and American dual wars at the turn of the 20th century. Before Fagen was hunted the United States, he enlisted to fight for Cuban freedom in 1898. This pilot explores WHY the US declared war and how a Florida teenager fought alongside the Rough Riders to become an American hero.

Pilot Clip 1: Destruction of USS Maine

This is the true mystery of an American Hero turned Traitor. Over a hundred years ago, David Fagen fought side-by-side with Theodore Roosevelt’s Rough Riders, only to be left for dead in the midst of a Yellow Fever contagion. 

David was then sent to the Philippines war-front, but he chose to defect rather than risk killing civilians. For nearly two years, Fagen organized a Filipino resistance unit and led raids against his former regiment. He personally searched for vengeance against his old officers as a unit of elite American Scouts and Sharpshooters hunted him down. 

On the eve of a presidential election, the New York Times published a front-page article about ‘General Fagen’ and David became America’s Most Wanted soldier. ‘American Traitor’ is a dramatic retelling of David Fagen’s escape from the US military and the mystery of his capture.