The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-06-17
ANACONDA NEWS.
HOW DILLON WAS SHOT.
Manila Paper Tells of the Cap
tain's Wounding.
WOUND NOT DANGEROUS
A Tribute to His Courage and That OF
the Fighting Irish Company
From Anaconda He
Commands.
WOUND NOT DANGEROUS

:
s containing full account Of the fight
at San Tomas. in which Captain Dillon
of Anaconda was severely wounded,
have been received. The report of the
battle confirms all that has previously
been said of the bravery of the Mon
tana boys. Here it is:
"On Wednesday afternoon General
Macarthur moved his headquarters up
from the Malolos side of the Bagbag
river to the north bank of the Rio
Grande. On Thursday morning at
Q clock the order to advance was given,
and General Hale's brigade moved off
TO the right from Calumpit by the
wagon road, while General Wheaton's
brigadeSmoved up the track with the
Montanas on the left and the Kansas
on the right
The distance from Calumpit to San
& Tomas, where the first conflict took
place, is, by way of the track, about
eight miles. About six of these miles
mad been passed without trouble from
the dark-skinned enemy, and the boys
were trudglng along as well as pos
slble through sWamps. rivers and rice
nelds, when the enemy hove in sight
behind trenches which they had hur-
Iedly thrown up in front of San
Tomas. The guns of the Utah battery
r
on the entrenched amigos, while the
Nebraskas, South Dakotas and Iowas
TOOK hand with their smaller death
dealing weapons, and after a short,
put sharp fight the rebels retreated to
the left.
The Kansas and Montana men were
having, by this time, all that they
could handle. The rebels had waited
until they had gotten within good
sighting distance and then poured in
volley after volley. which was an
sWered by our boys in kind.
Companies c and K of the Mon
tanas, under Captain Dillon, were on
the firing line. and in short time
used up all of their ammunition and
were ordered back to the rear. The
two Hotchkiss cannon with General
Wheaton's brigade had been pushed up
the track on hand cars and fired round
after round into the insurgent trenches
The Kansas and Montanas made a
charge across the field and the rebels
setting fire to the town, drew back,
firing as they retreated
The blue coats followed them up,
driving them back toward San Fer
nando, which town was also soon in
flames. Colonel Funston, while lead
ing his men beyond the railroad
bridge near the depot, was struck in
the hand by a bullet. The wound is
not bad one, and the colonel will be
a
few days
Captain Dillon of the LIST Montana
regiment who has been acting major
Of the 1st battalion in the absence of
Major brennan, who has been on sick
leave, was shot in the left breast the
bullet passing out on the right side.
The wound is not considered dangerous
not having penetrated any vital part.
captain Dillon is a brave officer and
is captain of Company K, or the fight
ing Irish company of the regiment.
The men are mostly all miners, who
can stand a little hard work and are
not afraid of any campaign hardships
or Gugu bullets.
Lieutenant McTaggart of the Kan
sas regiment was shot through the
head and may not recover. Captain
Albright of the regiment was also shot
through the left thigh. The American
losses so far known, are three killed
and Is wounded.
1T is expected that no further ad-
vance will be made to-day as General
Macarthur will stop at San Fernando
until more supplies are brought up.
THE country through which the
boys moved yesterday is very shy of
good water. There are numerous
streams but they are all affected by
the tides. and it was necessary to bring
up water from Calumpit.
The railroad between the Rio
Grande river and San Tomas is all in
good condition, with the exception of
one bridge, which has one span broken.
The natives, it would seem, used the
time consumed by their 'Forney' peace
commissioners in monkeying around,
in digging trenches and tearing down
bridges so as to impede our onward
march. AS well try to stay the winds
of the heavens as to stop a lot of blue
coats hunting for a scrap, and it is
about time the Gugus discovered this
fact The bridge across the Bagbag
river has not been as yet put in or
der so as to admit of the army cross
ling. About four miles of track are
torn up between the Bagbag river and
the Rio Grande, and the sleepers and
rails have been removed from the large
bridge which crosses the Rio Grande
1t is doubtful whether any attempt
will be made by the quartermasters
department to put this section in or
der, and the bringing up of supplies to
Major General Macarthur will be
mostly by mule trains over the wagon
road from Ca1umpit."
In an accompanying list of wounded
soldiers brought in from the north line
Thursday evening (the day after the
engagemenD and taken to the reserve
hospital for treatment. appears the
name of Private Fred w. Smith, Com
pany C, 1st Montana.
Elsewhere in the same paper appears
list of sick and disabled men re-
Gently sent to the First Reserve hospi-
tai. This list includes the following
members of the Montana regiments
Private Henry B. Hinton, Company F.
Private Thomas Robertson, Company
F: Private James J. Cannon. Com
pany x; Private Joseph Shultz Com
pany H. Captain Dillon is also re-
ported being cared for at the same
hospital
Freedom of Sunday, May T. tells of
the further progress of Hales brigade
and the capture the preceding Friday
of San Fernando. 1t also mentions a
successful scouting expedition con-
Quoted by the Montana regiment dur
ing the forward movement
The copies of the Freedom are in the
hands of G. NJ. Johnston and were
sent him by his brother-in-law, Fred
Rothstock, member of the 18th Min
nesota.