Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-09-23
PROUD OF REGIMENT.
COLONEL KESSLER SAYS THAT EN-
ERY MAN PERFORMED HIS
DUTY FAITHFULLY.

Special to the Inter Mountain.
San Francisco, Sept. 23.-Seated in his
,stateroom on the Zeaandia last night,
with bags and boxes and an assortment of
curios that would start a pawnbroker
in business, Colonel II. c. kessler talked
freely to the Inter Mountain of the ser
vice of the regiment in the Philippines.
| 1T has been an experience not one CT
us will ever forget" said he, but on the
other hand don't believe there is man
in the regiment who regrets it. I can
Only say for my men that they return
with the full knowledge that their duty
has been well and faithfully performed
and take pride and pleasure in assuring
the people of Montana that my men have
earned every honor that can be bestowed
upon them by those al home. The war in
the Philippines has demonstrated what
we all knew before that-that the Amer
lean soldier is incomparab BILE. Every reg
iment that went out there did valiant
service and I know of no greater praise
to give my command than to say that
would not exchange it for any in the
eighth army corps Our list of casualties
tells our services-122 wounded and u
killed means hard and continual fighting
I'VE went into action under General
Macarthur on the breaking out OF hos
tilites on Feb. e. and We're on the firing
line continuously until July 8. when we
We're withdrawn from the north and sent
to the southern line, part of the regi
ment being stationed at Cavite and the
remainder operating through thai Sec
ton.
"rhe climate and country is simply
horiid. When ! tell you that in my three
years campaigning with the army of the
] Potomac during the rebellion, l never ex-
perienced such hardships as we endured
, in the Philippines, you will understand
what our trials We're. Week after week
! in trenches half filled with water from
which to arise to a standing position was
! TO make target of ones self for hum
dreds of Filipinos to shoot at was only
one of our hardships. We had no shelter
and at times no blankets. On the march
if we were not griled by the tropical sun
we slashed through inundated rice fields
There is no pleasant or agreeable weather
in the Philippines. Every minute OF year
mas It's oN ii DdEt uFaWDdck
But despite the hardshps the First
Montana won the unstinted praise of .v-
cry brigade and division commander i,
served under The only murmurs Of dis
content that ever We're heard were at the
enforced inactivityThe men seemed thor
oughly happily only when they We're rush
ing up on their foes They never could
forget the insults heaped upon them dur
ing the first months of their say in the
islands.
why, do you know that war ough, to
have been commenced a month before il
did. l cannot begin to tel! you q. the
indignities heaped upon my men and the
men of other regiments by -Asuinaitio's
followers. But our orders were to show
them every courtesy. This we did and
received insults of the grossest character
in return. Imagine an American soldier
s..luting one of those fellows VINO spat
at him as he passed.
'As for the end of the trouble, think
the beginning of the next rainy season
will see the incomplete subsection. The |
government is rushing troops out there |
as fast as possible and they will make
no more parleying, for experience has |!
shown that the Filipino cannot be de- !
pended upon in anything. The generals |
nnr