The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-11-29
NOT ONE GLAD SNEETSONG
Thanksgiving Day Year Ago
in the Philippines.
HOW THE SOLDIERS JARED
"Mulligan" and Hard Tack the Chief Ar.
ticles of Diet-Was a Dreary Oc-
cas!on for the Boys From
Montana

When the returned Montana volunteers
stretch their legs under their own dining
tables, or perhaps the table of a friend
or even don't stretch them at all, but tie
them in familiar knot under the lifeline
of q lunch counter tomorrow, they prob
ably will sigh with pleasure and let their
thoughts drift back to year ago, while
the waiter is throwing up the napkin,
glass of very icy water, knife, fork and
spoon and pat of butter with a Pudd'n-
head Wilson thumb mark in the corner.
Last years Thanksgiving dinner for
the Montana volunteers was not a howl
ing success-from an epicurean stand
point. 1t didn't start off with Blue Points
and wind up with nuts, Paris-green load
ed cheese and cafe royal. No deft ebony
hued walters served them, kept their
champagne glasses full and swiped bot
tie or two of their wine now and then.
Roast turkey and cranberry sauce did
not figure on the menu of the First Mon
tana volunteer infantry that day.
Thanksgiving day, 1885, for the regiment
was dull, fiat, stale and Improbable 90
casion.
When Thanksgiving day rolled around
to the Philippines with the impetus of a
presidential proclamation behind 1T, the
First Montana was quartered in San MI
guel in the southern part Of Manila. o.
the fringe of society as it were. The
quarters marked the ending of the com
mercial district and the commencement
of the residential section. Two hundred
yards away was the beautiful home of
Admiral Montejo, the gentleman of whom
Admiral Dewey made a monkey on that
memorable May /, 1885,
Two battal.ons of the regiment were
stationed in an old warehouse from which
great piles of cocoanuts had been remov-
ed to make room for the hard nuts from
Montana. Three or four blocks away the
first battalion, of which Company X was
a member, had its quarters. About mid
| way between. in the center of the block,
| were the kitchens of the soldiers. a block
| or so away in another direction was reg4-
| mental headquarters.
| AT this time the regiment was, and had
| been for month. engaged in wearisome
| guard duty. In addition to its own bar
| rack guard and guarding General Mac
Arthur's headquarters, it furnished about
so men day for other guard duty in the
city
The life was a dull, steady routine, not
even enlivened by a good dinner now and
then. Even Thanksgiving day failed to
prove a break, for the majority of the
companies sat down to the same old menu
with "mulligan" or bacon as the chief
dish and hard tack as an entree, with cof-
fee to wash it down.
Company E was treated better than
some of the others. 1t received that day.
in honor of the OCCASION an extra barrel
of river water. All the water used by
the companies came from the river ana
was transported in barrels Containing
as it did a large amount Of vegetable and
animal matter, 1t was a sort of soup.
Hence the pride of the company in secur-
ing the prize.
To the members of Company NJ. Cap
tain Halahan gave a Mexican or 'dobe
dollar each from the company fund. with
which they were instructed to purchase a
dinner so some Jared comparatively WELL
Lieutenant Gerald Sullivan rounded up 10
of the enlisted men of Company NJ and
took them to the English hotel, where
they enjoyed the best that hosiery af-
forded. He also sent roast duck to the
dsconsolate prisoners in the damp and
dismal regimental guard house.
The soldiers who dmed in their COM
pany messes had a dull time of it. Most
of them We're obliged to squat tailor
fashion on the ground while others took
advantage of the few benches provided.
Taken altogether Thanksgiving day in
Manila for the Montana boys was not
one "glad, sweet song" and mighty glad
are they to be home, where roast tur-
KEEP and the accompanying "ixin's'' can
be procured.