For the final print I might chose Van Dyke brown. It has an exellent
tonal range and works pretty well with contrasty negatives. For better control
of the shade of brown you can play with fixing the print.
If your interested in photography around the turn of the century or
specifically during the Spanish-American War, you might John Jakes' book
_Homeland_. Its a good book and an interesting look at photography/film ninety
years ago.
Good luck,
Craig