Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1899-10-07
Montana Boys Were Greatly
Disappointed.
WHEN THE NEWS CAME
That Colonel KeSSler Was Only Made
a Brevet Brigadier General--He
May Yet Receive a Full Commits
sion From the President.
Special to the Inter Mountain.

Special to the Inter Mountain.
nounced to the First Montana officers and
men that Colonel Kessler had been pro-
NOTED there was wild rejoicing, the SOL
diers cheered. the band played n Gen.
Shafter offered his Fluctuations. Colonel
Kessler was flooded with kilograms and
all his friends were delighted that a long
delayed nj we'll deserved honor had been
bestowed. In the morning the scene had
changed. 1t then appeared that the al
legged promotion is hat of a brevet brig
adler generalship. A wave of disap-
pointment has swept over the camp and
some profanity not loud, but deep, might
have been heard in every tent within the
Montana encampment. 1t is believed by
many that the brevet appointment is only
temporary, that it will be followed by full
promotion, for surely many officers. the
services of whose regiments have been
less arduous, responsible and continuous.
than that of Colonel kessler, have been
made full generals. The Montana boys
would regard the promotion of their COM
handing officer as a recognition of their
own work, and it is or their account that
the officers are unanimously in favor OF
his promotion. .t....a.
A brevet brigadiership will not content
them. and they mince no words in saying
so. Colonel Kessler himself has made no
effort to obtain a higher commission
When interviewed today, he declined to
make a statement, except that he this
morning received an official notification
from General Shafter stating that the
! president had conferred upon him the
| brevet of brigadier general Of volunteers
in recognition of his gallant services IN
! the battles in which his regiment was en-
| gagged in the Philippine islands.
All the officers and men of the regi-
ment seen today. express the hope that
| Colonel Kessler will decline. to accept the
brevet appointment, and they know him
/ we'll enough to say that he would rather
! return to Montana the colOnel of his regi-
ment than to go home with the empty
title of a brevet brigadier general. 1t is
! recognized that he has no desire to re-
main in the army, but that if he is to be
! honored at all he should be given a pro-
! motion commensurate with the value OF
| his services. and those of his regiment,
! even though he had no newspaper cor
| respondent at Manila to toot his norm or
(credit him with swimming rivers in adj
vance of his men. when he went over in
a BOAT later, as was the case OF one gal
liant man subsequently made a full gen.
| ofal. lnlS is VIA tic OIuiOlo say. "a
colonel himself says nothing. 1t is GER
tain. however, that there is a vacancy te
be filled at Washington and there is nc
reason why Montana should not have the
honor, which yesterday it was supposed
had been conferred on this state. which
organized the regiment first accepted fol
the prosecution of the war. Having serv'
ed in the war of the rebellion with honor
and therefore being beyond the charge O.
seeking after personal glory, he aban'
doned important business interests II
Montana, impelled only by sense of pat
, riotic duty. and was OF the firing linz
with his men for six long months. Mac
Arthur's letter to'him tells of his glorious
work he and his men accomplished. Tha
his work should be rewarded by a breve
appointment shows that there has beef
a mistake somewhere. unless it is intend
ed that a full commission shall be issue'
later, as the simplest justice demand
Nothing less will satisfy the regimen
and this correspondent feels safe in say
ing tina respect for the feelings of hi
men will constrain Colonel Kessler to de
cline a brevet promotion. Colonel kessle
is too good a soldier to c~riticise the act
of his military superiOrs, but it is pre-
dicted he will go nome a colonel if not
poporal .f- --z