Spanish-American War: The 20th Kansas Volunteer Infantry

Battles of the “Fighting Twentieth
Advance on the enemy, February 5 [1899] Independent skirmish, February 7
Caloocan, February 10
Tulijan, March 25
Malinta, March 26
Poli, March 27
Marilao, March 28
Bigoa, March 29
Guiginto, March 29
Advance on Malolos, March 30 – 31
Defense of Malolos, three weeks
Bagbag river, April 25
Calumpit, April 26
Grand river, April 27
Santo Tomas, May 4
San Fernando, May 6
Bacolor, May 13
Santa Rita, May 15
Defense of San Fernando, May 25

Events in Twentieth Kansas History

1898
APR. 26–Governor Leedy called for troops.
MAY 13–Officially mustered into service
16–Regiment left Topeka
20–Arrived at San Francisco
AUG. 5–Changed from Camp Merritt to Camp Merriam
OCT. 27–Second and third battalions sailed for Manila in transport Indiana; arrived at Honolulu
NOV 5; left NOV 5, and arrived at Manila DEC 1
NOV. 8–First battalion embarked at San Francisco on transport Newport; arrived at Honolulu
NOV 16; left NOV 19, and arrived at Manila DEC 6

1899
JAN. 23–Removed from quarters in tobacco warehouse to camp formerly occupied by Wyoming troops
FEB. 4–Ordered to the front north of Manila
FEB. 7–Lieut. Alfred C. Alford killed in an advance
FEB. 10–Kansas troops first to enter Caloocan
FEB. 22–Insurgents’ attack on Caloocan repulsed
FEB. 25–Capt. David S. Elliott killed
MAR. 24–Advance from Caloocan began
MAR. 25–Regiment swam the Tulijan river and captured a blockhouse
MAR. 26–Engagements at Malinta and Meyouayan
MAR. 28–Band of Kansans swam river at Marilao and captured earth-works on other side, taking eighty prisoners
MAR. 29–Major (now Colonel) Metcalf slightly wounded
MAR. 31–Kansas regiment first to enter Malolos, the insurgent capital. Captain Watson severely wounded
APR. 24–Advance against Calumpit began
APR. 25–Captain Boltwood’s company crossed the Bagbag river under fire
APR. 27–Privates White and Trembley swam the Rio Grande, carrying ropes with which to draw rafts across
MAY 4–Colonel Funston promoted to be brigadier general
MAY 5–Major Metcalf appointed colonel to succeed Funston
MAY 5–Lieut. W. A. McTaggart killed in the advance against Santo Tomas
JUNE 1–Rainy season began
SEPT. 6–Regiment sailed for home
OCT 10–Reached San Francisco
OCT 28–Final muster-out
NOV 2–Grand reception at Topeka by the people of Kansas

History of the “Fighting Twentieth

Something of the Achievements of the Kansas Volunteers during the Eighteen Months of Army Service.

During the thirty-eight years she has belonged to the sisterhood of states, Kansas has never been half so proud of anything as she is of the “Fighting Twentieth” regiment. When soldiers were needed to defend the flag the sons of Kansas volunteered. They have fought the good fight, they have kept the faith, and they return conquerors and more than conquerors. They have been put to the test of flood and sword and fire, and the test establishes 100 per cent. of patriotism and valor. No warriors in this or any age have displayed greater daring in battle, and no soldiery returning to the walks of civil life are entitled to greater honors in peace.

So much has been written of the Twentieth Kansas regiment, and so much is yet to be written, that a record of its achievements in a volume of this size must needs be inadequate. Eight months in the trenches, on the firing line and leading charges over swamps and through jungles on the other side of the globe is not a story to be told in a few lines. It has been fruitful in experience, rich in adventure, pathetic in hardships, and cruel in disease and death. But no discomfort has daunted the ardor of those sturdy Kansas boys, and no peril has restrained them. It is a matter of record that the only trouble the Kansans have caused their superior officers has arisen through the tendency to get too far in advance of the others. They were first in war; let it be written also that they are first in peace and first in the hearts of the people of Kansas.

There has never been anything of the tin soldier about the Twentieth. It has never been arrayed in gaudy togs with gilt braid, tinsel, and plumes. It has never gone forth to sham battle for the edification of a grand-stand. Its fighting has been real fighting, and hardships began with the day of enlistment. There was a downpour of dreary rain almost every day during the stay at Camp Leedy, in the Topeka fair-grounds. The soldiers were wretchedly equipped in tents, blankets, clothing, provisions, and other essentials to camp comfort. When they enlisted most of the young men came in their poorest clothing, for they expected a grateful government to furnish them with uniforms forthwith. When they reached San Francisco the red tape of the War Department had not been sufficiently untangled to vouchsafe uniforms to the regiment. It is fortunate that the coat does not make the man, for the Twentieth, when it arrived at San Francisco, certainly did not offer the outward appearance of an ideal soldiery. Regiments on all sides were more fortunately equipped, and the Kansas boys who have since won fame and glory were then objects of ridicule and jest. The daily newspapers of San Francisco referred to them facetiously as the “Kansas scarecrows,” and reporters wrote “humorous” pieces about them. This sentiment, to some extent, was imparted to the commanding officers of the camp, and the Jayhawkers were contemptuously assigned to space on the sand lots.

Such treatment as they received at San Francisco, and in a lesser degree at Topeka, would have disheartened a less sturdy regiment. Their pride and their temper were sorely tested, but they accepted all the jibes and abuse with equanimity, and devoted their whole time to becoming good soldiers. During the tedious days of waiting at the Presidio they were drilled and disciplined. The officers studied manuals and tactics and made themselves proficient in the military code, while the privates, like Tommy Atkins, were taught “how to walk and where to put his feet,” and other more essential items in transforming the citizen into the soldier. The Kansans worked hard, behaved themselves, and attended strictly to their own business. After five months of this treatment the Kansas volunteers were, to all intents and purposes, regulars. There was no more “fit” regiment in the service.

The Twentieth was the first regiment ever mustered into government service from Kansas that did not have one man in it who signed his name with “his mark.” The cross did not appear on the muster-rolls. Proof of the material composing the Twentieth Kansas was given in the six months the regiment spent in America, as all trials and tribulations were faced by the soldier, as he has since faced Filipino bullets, with patient, silent courage, with self-sacrificing, unboastful heroism of the true American brand. In justice to those who were slow to appreciate the Twentieth Kansas until it had fought its way to fame, it should be said that the splendid and elaborate ovations which the boys are receiving wherever they go may be accepted as ample atonement for the neglect of eighteen months ago.

On April 20, 1898, when this government delivered its ultimatum to Spain and it was known that war would be inevitable, the average Kansas youth began to have a faint conception of what war meant. His father had been a fighter before him and his stories of the civil war had served to pass the time around many a winter’s fire, but it took the condition immediately following the issuance of the ultimatum to Spain to bring the son to a realization of what the father had seen. The days immediately following the cabling of the ultimatum to Spain were filled with lively times in Kansas. The farmers drove to the nearest town to hear the latest news and the young men filled the county-seats in the hope of getting a chance to offer their services to the government for the conflict which they knew must ensue. On April 22, Governor John W. Leedy announced that he would appoint Fred. Funston to be colonel of the first regiment raised by Kansas. This appointment met with general approval in Kansas, as Funston was known to have a better knowledge of Cuba and the Cubans than any man in Kansas. It was then expected that the fighting would largely be confined to that island. Fred. Funston had but recently returned from Cuba, where he had enlisted in the Cuban army as a private and risen to the position of chief of artillery of General Garcia’s army.

On April 23, President McKinley issued a call for 125,000 volunteers, and on April 26 Governor Leedy issued a proclamation calling for three regiments of volunteers and naming the recruiting stations in the state. Then arose a controversy between Governor Leedy and Secretary of War Alger as to where the regiments should be mustered into the federal service. The government favored Leavenworth and Governor Leedy was determined that it should be Topeka, for the reason, he said, “I want them here where I can look after them and see what they want.” Secretary Alger finally permitted the troops to be mustered in at Topeka.

On April 30, the day before the battle of Manila, the first company marched out to Camp Leedy, south of Topeka. This was company A of the Twentieth Kansas, which had been organized in Topeka on April 29. The day was wet and chilly. The company reached camp at about nine o’clock in the morning and the tents for the ninety men who composed it were pitched at noon. The afternoon was devoted to pitching the tents for the Kansas City, Kan., company, B, which arrived before supper time. For the next two weeks companies were arriving at Camp Leedy on almost every train. Tents were pitched, ditches dug, and the condition of the soldiers made as comfortable as possible. Officers who had left the farm, the school- room and the printing-office but two weeks before spent their time qualifying themselves to teach the duties of a soldier to the privates.

As the crowd of recruits began to form into regiments, the subject of the numbering of the regiments came up for discussion. The old soldiers of the state asked that the first regiment be numbered the Twentieth, because Kansas had mustered nineteen regiments during the civil war. Out of deference to their wishes, Funston’s regiment was numbered the Twentieth. Colonel Funston returned from Washington on May 11. He had been called before the Board of Strategy to give information of the topography of Cuba. When he returned, the companies which were to compose his regiment were announced. They were the companies recruited in Topeka (A), Kansas City (B), Leavenworth (C), Pittsburg (D), Leroy (E), Fort Scott (F), Independence (G), Lawrence (H), Paola (I), Osawatomie (K), Abilene (L), and Salina (M).

By this time the War Department had practically decided that the Twentieth regiment should go to the Philippines, and Colonel Funston was eager to start. On May 11 the colonel received a telegram calling him to Tampa for service on the staff of General Miles. After securing permission from Governor Leedy to turn the command of the regiment over to Lieut.-Col. E. C. Little, Funston set out for Tampa. The Twentieth regiment spent sixteen days in Camp Leedy, and of that time there were but two days when it was not raining. The soldiers were very poorly equipped in the way of blankets, shoes, and clothing. Their condition was pitiable, and would have been disheartening to a less hardy body of men. The regiment was officially mustered into the United States service May 13. It then seemed likely that the regiment would be relieved of its miserable condition. The government, however, gave no relief. The men of the Twentieth Kansas did not complain, however. Far from advertising any feeling of injustice, it was only wrung from them by the most tactful questioning.

On May 16, at daylight, the regiment broke camp and loaded the tents and other equipment on wagons to be hauled to the train. Orders had been received for the regiment to go immediately to San Francisco and from there to the Philippines. Owing to a disagreement between the commissary departments of the Twentieth and Twenty-first regiments, the Twentieth, with all its other troubles, started to San Francisco with barely enough travel rations to last it on the trip. The regiment boarded the Union Pacific train at three o’clock in the afternoon and started for San Francisco. It arrived there May 20 and spent the next five months at the Pacific coast rendezvous.

FIVE MONTHS IN SAN FRANCISCO

For more than five months, from May 20 to October 27, the Twentieth was kept at San Francisco. Its stay at the Presidio is best described in an article from the pen of William A. Snow, in the Kansas City Star of October 11. It was written by Mr. Snow two days before his death. A portion of it follows:

Had not the men who compose the Twentieth Kansas regiment been subjected to a few peculiar, not to-say distressing, circumstances before their departure for the Philippines they could not appreciate to the full the triumph of their return. It is only through struggle that a Kansan finally attains the stars. He would spurn to achieve glory other than by the established route laid down in the motto of his state.

It is probable that the Kansans remember their march of a year ago, May 20, 1898. The men had paid no attention to costume then. They had come westward to fight and they cared not how they looked. San Francisco was to them only a temporary stopping place, and they were not on exhibition. Only four of the entire twelve companies had about them any suggestion of the army blue. There was a wonderful variety of travel-stained and wrinkled civilian clothes, with nothing to distinguish officers from privates. Light-colored canvas cartridge belts were buckled around faded cutaway coats, about peculiar sack coats, and over ancient cloth of many hues. Grimy, unshaven faces completed the suggestion of a hasty departure from home and a rough-and-ready willingness to appear “any old way” pending the coming of the government outfits for which the plainsmen could not wait in their eagerness to be at the front. They tumbled out of their cars at the Oakland mole like shipwrecked seamen cast upon a friendly shore. Lined up by companies they responded to roll-call and took orders from men who stood apart so that their rank might be distinct in the motley array of rifle bearers.

The Kansans were a rich find for the newspaper men. Writers for the San Francisco papers had been dealing in heroics for so long that their store was well nigh exhausted. They welcomed the Kansas men as fit subjects for burlesque, and treated them accordingly. They called them the “dudes from the plains,” but, withal, they recognized them as men who would not flinch in the face of danger. And now the eager space grabber forget the truth!

“Many of these men from the prairie never saw a respectable mountain until they crossed the Rockies,” said the San Francisco Chronicle, “and were never in sight or smell of tide water before. The belated Kansans slept at Sixteenth street station Friday night. When they went to sleep the waters of the bay were lapping the rocks of the embankment. When they awoke the tide was out and there was a wide expanse of mud. The commanding officer called to a sentry:

“‘Hello! Where’s all that water that was out there last night? ‘

” ‘Darned if I know,’ responded the equally puzzled sentry.

“Another lad from the plains has never seen a lemon. Upon receiving one at the ferry he declined to eat it and said he was ‘ going to send it to the folks.’ Every one noted that the Kansans have their hats fastened to their heads with elastics, having come from the land where the strong wind blows. Several of their companies, lacking uniforms, wear the homespun and overalls of the farm, nondescript hats, and some of them are wearing Connemara caps pulled down over their ears in typical cyclone fashion. Only the cartridge belts, with the ‘U. S.’ on the buckles, and the guns in their unaccustomed fingers proclaim them as belonging to Uncle Sam.

“Most of the Kansans are the newest recruits, and the drilling of them will require limitless patience. They are blondes, chiefly, with brown skins and light hair, the one burned by the sun, the other bleached. Their eyes have a far-away look, as of men who remember the grasshopper, the army-worm, and other things that make living tough in Kansas. The high cheek bones tell of the Scandinavian blood that is in them. They do not look the sort of men to be afraid. There are whole companies of them who do not know the meaning of a single command. They have the record on the way out of looting everything that came their way. They played the grasshopper role they know so well, and ate up everything on their line of march.

“One company was slow in the line, and the captain remarked: ‘All set, boys? Well, come along.’ And with this informal command the company moved off at a dog trot.

“Several of the men complained of sore feet, and from under the edge of one tent appeared a pair of huge understandings, guiltless of shoes or stockings. The owner was washing them in the rain.”

But for all of the Kansans’ lack of uniform and drill they were cheered again and again as they marched up Market street on their way to Camp Merritt. It was after reaching camp that an incident occurred that first gratified and later wounded the pride of Lieutenant Colonel Little, who was then in command, Colonel Funston, being in Tampa, Fla. A woman reporter visited camp and was “shown around” by the ex-consul to Cairo. She returned to the office and wrote a “roast.” The lieutenant colonel was very wroth at what he termed a violation of military etiquette. He threatened to exclude the reporter from the Kansas lines, and soon Little’s warfare with the newspapers became a byword.

After this the public learned of all the queer points in which the Jayhawkers excelled. The Kansas camp came to be visited by the idle and the curious as if it were a menagerie of unique specimens. The Kansas boys were quick to “catch on,” and the crowd looking for strange sights never failed to find a plenty of them. One Kansan attracted great attention by the curious manner in which he ate broth with his fingers.

A sorry-looking volunteer, in a suit of many seasons, when asked who his tailor was, replied, that they “didn’t have none of them things in Kansas.” All of these curious observations and many more were duly printed, and the gentler folk of the city began to send missionaries to the Kansas camp. Besides the missionaries came another class which the plainsmen greeted with acclamations. Pretty young women with kind hearts and baskets of good things under their arms made daily visits along the Kansas line, passing fruit and dainties over the fence to hungry soldier lads. Indeed, the constant banqueting made the camp look like one great picnic ground. Then subscriptions were taken up among the good people of San Francisco, and great boxes of suitings, shoes and stockings arrived in camp. All the suits were not of the same material and pattern, however, and though they served to keep out the cold better than the rags which were now discarded, they still gave to the Kansas troops a motley appearance. About this time we find carefully noted in the San Francisco press that at the suggestion of Mrs. Spear, wife of the collector of the port, Lieutenant Colonel Little had engaged the services of two military tailors, “so that the Kansas boys might present the natty appearance of their brother volunteers.”

Soon afterwards the first installment of government supplies arrived. There was much red-tape attending the distribution of government supplies, but Lieutenant Colonel Little would have none of that. “Here, you fellows, you need these things; just break open the boxes and help yourselves,” was his generous command.

And right gleefully the soldiers looted the boxes, some of them carrying off several pairs of shoes and several suits of clothes of various sizes, while others got nothing at all.

On Decoration Day San Francisco arranged a great parade, and all the regiments in Camp Merritt were to participate. The Kansans, however, were overlooked in the invitation, presumably on account of their unsoldier-like appearance. This was “the most unkindest cut of all” to the patriotic Kansas volunteers. They made no complaint, however, but quietly held a service of their own.

The arrival of General King found the regiment in a deplorable condition. The Kansas boys did not know the commanding officer of the brigade. General King was somewhat surprised and shocked, therefore, on his appearance on the Kansas line to find the sentries perched on fence rails whittling, unconscious of the presence of a superior officer. The general looked at them in astonished silence, expecting them to come out of their dream and salute, but never a salute got he. Out of all patience, he ranged them in a row and made them salute him for an hour. But this was not the worst; he found many of the officers lacking in military etiquette, and he also took a turn at giving them instruction, ranging them in a line in front of the Kansas camp.

The old Bay district was soon found inadaptable for a military camp, and one after another the regiments of volunteers were removed to the Presidio, but it did not seem to concern the military board what became of Kansas, and the Twentieth was left to the sand and slime and unsanitary surroundings of Camp Merritt. Any sort of treatment seemed good enough for Kansas, and the sick-hearted volunteers saw themselves assigned to dirty camping places, which other more-favored regiments and newer to the service had spurned. The Twentieth Kansas was among the last of the regiments to be assigned to the high ground at the Presidio. It is little wonder that the Kansas soldiers became reckless and “ran the guards” every night, and did penance, toiling at their drill in the filled sand of the old Bay district every day. To add to their misery measles broke out in camp and became epidemic. On June 17 the first deaths occurred Orville H. Knight, of Fort Scott, pneumonia, and Albert Fergus, Yates Center, spinal meningitis. It was on this same day that the arrival of Col. Frederick Funston brought good cheer to the drooping spirits of the men. Just a week after the colonel’s arrival Brigadier General King said: “It may interest the public to know that the Twentieth Kansas regiment is improving every day under its new commander, Colonel Funston. Every morning now he is going to take his men out on the hills for extended order drills and target practice.”

The Kansans were consumed with anxiety to be at the front and worked at drill with feverish energy. It was generally understood that Kansas would go on the third expedition, but this departed without the men from the Sunflower state. With the coming of every transport the Kansans expected to be assigned, but as transport after transport sailed with its quota of fighting men, as regiment after regiment that had come to San Francisco long after the Twentieth departed for the scene of action, the Kansans came almost to lose hope of reaching the Philippines. At last, after five months of waiting, the regiment was assigned to the Indiana and the Newport, sailing October 27 and November 8, respectively. The Kansans, who had been among the first to reach the place of mobilization, were the last to go. But the departure was none the less gay on that account, for the Jayhawkers, after all their woes, were to see active service at last. But now that the world has the record of the fighting Twentieth Kansas, there is nothing too good for the boys on their return. San Francisco is anxious to make amends for burlesque and caricature which were so freely offered to Funston’s men a year ago. No regiment received a warmer greeting than did the Twentieth Kansas.

The long-delayed order from the War Department assigning the Twentieth Kansas to service in the Philippines was received with demonstrations of delight. The regiment was in prime condition, and the assignment appealed to the adventuresome spirit of the Jayhawkers. On October 27 the second and third battalions broke camp and boarded the transport Indiana. The first battalion did not sail until November 1. The voyage across the Pacific ocean was not particularly noteworthy. Some seasickness there was, but the Kansas boys bore up under it with the same measure of fortitude that they had displayed on previous occasions, and which they manifested at every subsequent engagement in Luzon. The transports stopped four days at Honolulu, and the patriotic Americans of the islands were lavish in the hospitality shown the young Kansans. The few days passed at Honolulu are one of the brightest pages in the regiment’s book of remembrance.

THE TWENTIETH IN THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS

Like Dewey, the transport Indiana arrived at Manila bay early in the morning, on December 1, having on board the second and third battalions of the Twentieth. The first battalion, on the transport Newport, arrived six days later. The regiment disembarked without much delay, and went into quarters in a large building formerly used as a tobacco warehouse. On January 23 they moved from the old warehouse quarters to the camp ground formerly occupied by the Wyoming troops. During the next eleven days they were hourly in expectation of orders to go to the front to defend the city of Manila against the threatened attack of the insurgents. The order came on February 4, and the Kansans were assigned to an important position north of Manila. On this day occurred the opening engagement between the American troops and the insurgents. It was little more than a skirmish, but it was sufficient to show what manner of men the Twentieth Kansas men were. There was not an officer or a private but appeared to delight in battle. It was the test, and no ” yellow ” was found. From this time on the regiment was given little rest.

It was about this time that the “Kansas scarecrows” became known as the “fighting Twentieth.” The Jayhawkers apparently took to fighting like a duck takes to water. The trouble was always to keep the Kansans back – they went ahead too fast, and fleet were those who kept up. It used to be that when the Spaniards were fighting the insurgents they would go out in the jungle, light their cigarettes, exchange a dozen shots, retreat, and spend the next three weeks talking about it. This was the Spaniard’s idea of a “campaign.” The Kansans introduced a different kind of campaign. The scriptural injunction, “pray without ceasing,” they adapted to “fight without ceasing.” A regiment that swam rivers as easily as it dashed across the open was an innovation to the natives. A regiment that scaled trestles, and went into battle giving the Kansas university yell, “Rock Chalk, Jayhawk, K. U.,” was something appalling to the “little brown brothers,” who were accustomed to nothing fiercer than Spanish warfare, accompanied by Spanish marksmanship and Spanish cigarettes.

February 7 the Kansans were ordered to attack the insurgents’ position before its front. The work necessitated an advance against a strongly protected position in a dense jungle. The charge was brilliant, the enemy being driven like chaff and the Kansans penetrating the very heart of Caloocan before they could be recalled. In this attack Kansas lost its first commissioned officer, Lieut. Alfred C. Alford, of Lawrence, who fell while bravely leading his company. His death was a serious blow, as he was not only a popular officer, but also possessed a military knowledge far in advance of the ordinary citizen soldier.

It was discovered on February 9 that the enemy was massing in front of MacArthur’s line, and on the afternoon of February 10 orders were issued for the dislodgement of the native forces. The advance commenced at 3:40 P.M., with Kansas in the lead. Across the open swept Funston’s boys, driving the natives from their earthworks, and at six o’clock the insurgent position with the railroad line was in the hands of the Americans. That night the line of the “fighting Twentieth” was established at Caloocan amidst the ruins of the town which the insurgents had fired before their retreat. At this point the Kansas boys proceeded to entrench themselves, and there awaited orders for a further advance. Here, before Caloocan, Kansas was several times attacked, an exceptionally strong effort being made by the natives on the night of February 22. This attack was intended to break the American line so that the natives might enter Manila. It did not take long to drive the Filipinos back. They retreated in disorder and with heavy loss. Hardly a day passed without some minor engagement, and the Kansans were constantly exposed to the fire of native sharpshooters. In one of these skirmishes, on February 27, Capt. David S. Elliott, of company G, was killed. He was one of the bravest, most competent and most popular officers in the regiment. He was a civil war veteran, had been a county officer in Montgomery county, and had edited a newspaper at Independence.

The Kansans remained entrenched in Caloocan until March 25. It had been known for some days that a decisive movement of some sort was contemplated, and on the 25th the advance began, with Kansas in the lead. The Filipinos were strongly entrenched, but Funston’s men charged line after line of earthworks, leaving many dead Tagals in every trench. At one point they were brought directly under a heavy fire from a blockhouse on the opposite side of the Tulijan river. It was necessary to take the blockhouse, but no bridge was at hand. Rafts were made from logs hastily chopped, and on them enough of the Kansans crossed to make the expedition successful. Dripping, but with ardor undampened, the cheering men from the prairie charged the blockhouse and the entrenchments surrounding it. The Filipinos, thoroughly terrified by such an exhibition of bravery, fled in dismay without further resistance.

This was the first day’s work in the advance on Malolos, the insurgent capital. On March 26 there were engagements at Malinta and Meycuayan, in which the Kansans again demonstrated their bravery. At Marilao the rebels made a determined stand on the north side of the river, and it was necessary for the Kansans to cross to the other side, in order to engage them. The river was too deep to ford, so General Funston and a few picked men swam the river, charged the works on the other side and took eighty prisoners. It was the publication of this exploit that made Colonel Funston famous and had much to do with his reward–a brigadier general’s commission. It was an instance of daring that justly delights the public mind and in popular fancy made Fred Funston, like Hobson, one of the picturesque heroes of the war.

The “fighting Twentieth” rested only one night in Marilao. There was more fighting to be done. In the skirmishes during the next few days both Colonel Funston and Major Metcalf were slightly wounded. March 30, the Kansans, at the head of the flying column, reached Malolos, another Filipino “capital.” The next day the Kansans were first to enter the city. Here they remained for nearly a month. It was not until April 24 that Generals Wheaton, Hale and MacArthur began the advance on Calumpit. It was in this final campaign that the Twentieth Kansas performed more glorious feats and added new honor to the name of their state. Early in the morning the Kansans reached the Bagbag river. The insurgents had destroyed the bridge and constructed strong fortifications on the other side. Colonel Funston called for volunteers to cross the river, and there were plenty.

Funston, Lieut. Colin H. Ball and four privates crawled along the iron girders of the dismantled bridge. When the end of this was reached they plunged into the water below and swam to the opposite shore. The insurgents bolted their strongest position and fled, leaving the Kansans a clear field to advance. At nightfall on April 25 Old Glory was run up in the center of the town. The Kansans, headed by Colonel Funston, were the first to enter Calumpit.

The exploit of crossing the dismantled bridge across the Bagbag is best told by Lieutenant Ball himself. In a statement to a correspondent for the Topeka Capital he said:

“Owing to the excitement and confusion which always attend an event of this character, it would be impossible to estimate the particular acts of individuals. I would not attempt to say who all crossed the river at this time under fire, for fear of doing some deserving soldier a grave injustice.

“The popular impression is that General Funston called for volunteers in this particular instance, but such is not the case. The facts in the matter, as I recall them, are as follows:

“The Twentieth Kansas infantry was halted under cover of the timber three quarters of a mile from the Bagbag to wait for the armored car to open and drive the enemy from its fortified position at the farther end of the bridge. Shortly after the car opened the engagement General Funston ordered me to take a scouting party across the open country to the river, and ascertain whether there was any of the enemy on our side. I was to select my own men. I accordingly took with me four men of my own company on whose good judgment, coolness and intrepidity I could rely. They were Corporal Arthur Ferguson, Norman Ramsey, Edward Cornett, and Woodruff. We crossed the open field and reached the river in safety, leaving the American line nearly a mile in the rear. We made our way carefully up the stream until nearly opposite the fortification on the other bank, from which the enemy was maintaining a steady fire at the armored car. This car had the most of the enemy’s attention, so that my party was able to maintain a careful fire at the portholes in the Filipino entrenchment. At this time but eighty yards of water lay between us and the insurgents. The American line was nearly a mile in the rear.

“We had been interesting the Filipinos for probably twenty minutes when company K came from the timber in open order, advancing toward the river. General Funston was with the company, and after they joined us on the river bank the enemy quit the armored car and gave us the full benefit of the car. At this time company K and my party were lying flat on the river bank and the fire was quite heavy. The general ran up to me and asked:
“How the devil can I get across ?”

“Swim,” I replied.

“Can’t we get some bamboo poles and put them over that broken span,” he asked.

“I told him I would see, and ran over to the end of the bridge. I moved the first squad of A company and my own four men up to the end of the bridge and then ran out on the structure. The insurgents had removed the ties and all the woodwork, so that we made our way along the top of the iron girder. Arriving at the end of the broken span, I removed a rubber poncho from my shoulders and slid down an iron rod into the water, followed by the men one at a time. We swam from here to the bank, probably a distance of forty feet.

“The first enlisted man whom I saw after gaining the opposite bank was Ray Enslow, first sergeant of K company. Corporal Ferguson and Privates Ramsey and Cornett and Trumpeter Barshfield were over in a moment, and there may have been others. I did not, at that time, deem it important to note these facts. Within a very short time the bank was swarming with soldiers.

“General Funston came on the bridge with the first men but stopped at the end to remove his boots, and when I turned around from the top of the enemy’s parapet, he greeted me, dripping wet from head to foot.”

The Filipinos were hotly pursued to the Rio Grande river beyond Calumpit to the north. Without rest the Kansans pushed ahead, and on April 27 the river was reached. On the other side lay Apolit, and between the town and the river was a seemingly impregnable stronghold, garrisoned by General Luna and the pick of Aguinaldo’s army.

The Kansans had had too much experience in crossing rivers to be kept back, and too poor a respect for native resistance to fear the result. Rafts were made, each capable of holding ten men. When they were completed two soldiers from Kansas City, Kan., privates White and Trembly, swam the river with ropes with which to tow the rafts across. They were under fire the entire distance, but reached the opposite shore safely. Other rafts followed them, and the natives fled pell-mell with heavy loss.

In the last engagement in which the Kansans participated–the taking of Santo Tomas, on May 5–Lieut. William A. McTaggart was among the killed. He was a son of the late Senator Dan. McTaggart, of Montgomery county, and was a splendid young man. The following day Kansas’ line advanced to San Fernando, from which Aguinaldo hurriedly removed his capital.

Until its final recall to Manila, the “fighting Twentieth” maintained its position as a portion of General Funston’s brigade, being repeatedly engaged with bands of insurrectos, who from time to time made futile attempts to break through the invincible line formed by these men in brown from our Kansas prairies. Every skirmish told some new story of Kansas bravery.

AS TOLD IN THE OFFICIAL REPORTS

The operations of the Twentieth Kansas regiment during the Philippine campaign are best told by the official reports made to the War Department by Colonel (now General) Funston and his successor, Colonel Metcalf. These reports are models of military brevity and as such are entitled to be preserved. They are noteworthy not only for their brevity, but also for their modesty. They go much farther into detail than any mere sketch of the regiment’s operations could well go, and give a more accurate insight into its brilliant achievements than can be obtained from any other source. The reports follow.

OFFICIAL REPORT FOR FEBRUARY

About ten P.M., February 4, orders were received for the regiment to take the field, in accordance with a previously arranged plan, and the second and third battalions, under the regimental commander, at once proceeded to the scene of hostilities at the Kansas outposts at the extreme left of the American lines, where the enemy were held in check by the outpost guard of two officers and sixty men. Line was quickly formed, and fire opened upon the insurgents. The fire was returned, and a heavy exchange of rifle shots maintained until daylight, and intermittently until noon of the 5th inst., when an advance of the entire brigade line was ordered and immediately executed, the first battalion having meanwhile joined the command. The enemy were quickly driven back past two lines of entrenchments to their blockhouse, about two miles north of Manila, from which point a retreat was ordered; the line fell back about 1000 yards in an orderly manner, but retook the position without opposition the following morning.

On the 7th inst. the regimental commander asked and obtained permission to attack the insurgent forces in our front, and moved against them with four companies, C, I, B, and E, driving them from their position with heavy loss after a sharp fight of about forty-five minutes.

At three P.M., February 10, orders were received to take the town of Caloocan, in conjunction with the First Montana volunteers, and the Third United States artillery; the left flank was protected by two companies of the First Idaho volunteers, and the line reinforced by two guns each of the Utah light artillery and the Sixth United States artillery. After a half hour’s shelling of the town by the fleet, the advance began gradually swinging to the right, and drove the enemy with heavy loss through and beyond the town, where the line was halted and formed for the night. The following day position was taken about half a mile beyond Caloocan church, where the command still lies entrenched in face of a continuous fire from the enemy in front and on the left, the latter from the town of Malabon.

In all of these engagements, the troops of this command, most of whom were under fire for the first time, behaved in the most excellent manner, advancing in the face of heavy fire steadily and without flinching. To the inferior marksmanship of the insurgents is attributed the comparatively small percentage of casualties, a major portion of which are slight.–FUNSTON.

REPORT FOR MARCH

The command remained in the trenches of Caloocan until evening of March 24, 1899, when it was moved to La Loma church, about one mile southeast. At 6:30 A.M., March 25, 1899, the advance began, this regiment in center of brigade line, the entire division gradually swinging to the left until stopped at the Tulijan river, where the enemy was strongly entrenched on the north bank. Crossing under the enemy’s fire was finally accomplished by company E, under command of Captain Watson, driving the enemy from their position, and the entire command passed to the opposite bank about noon. No further opposition was met with and position was taken for the night. At seven A.M. the following day the advance was continued with little resistance from the insurgents, until the Manila-Dagupan railway was crossed near Polo station. Later in the day line was formed for the night about one mile north of station, the third battalion in rear. On the 27th the command moved forward at seven A.M., passing through the town of Meycauayan and halting just beyond for dinner. Shortly after noon companies H and I were called into action on left of road, engaging the enemy across the Marilao river. It was found impossible to dislodge them, and the regimental command, with one platoon of company C, crossed river on left and attacked in rear, taking twenty-eight prisoners and rifles, besides killed and wounded. This platoon returned, and command moved down river and crossed at the town of Marilao in time to participate in engagement with the insurgents, who attempted to advance but were driven back, and position taken for the night just north of river. No move was made on the 28th. March 29 the line moved forward at six A.M., this regiment on right of brigade line and to left of railroad track, the third battalion in support. The enemy were engaged within a mile and quickly driven back across the Santa Marva, Bigoa, and Guiginto rivers, halting for about two hours just south of the town of Bigoa. Just north of the Guiginto river the advance was checked by a spirited fire from the enemy. Line was quickly formed, and the fire silenced after a hard fight of about twenty minutes. The line remained in this position until 2:30 P.M., March 30, when the advance was continued, with the first battalion in support, to the main road into Malolos, where, some resistance being met with, the line was halted for the night, and preparations made to advance on the town the following day.

In all of these engagements the men of this command continued to exhibit the soldierly qualities heretofore characteristic of their services, encountering the numerous difficulties of the campaign with patience, fortitude, and endurance.–FUNSTON.

REPORT FOR APRIL

On the 31st of March the regiment, on the right of the brigade line and west of the Manila-Dagupan railway, advanced upon the city of Malolos. The regimental commander, with a small party from company E, moved in front of the command and was the first to enter the public square of the city, meeting with little resistance. Line was formed about a mile north of Malolos, and no further move was made until April 25, when active operations were again resumed, and the command moved, in conjunction with the First Montana, against the Filipino entrenchments on the north bank of the Bagbag river. Line was halted about half a mile from same, and, after a spirited shelling of the works by the armored train, company K advanced to the river and drove the enemy from their position after a few minutes’ fire. Position was taken for the night on south bank of river, and on the 26th the advance was resumed until opposite the town of Calumpit.

After a continuous fire maintained for the balance of the day, a portion of the 27th, it was found impossible to force the passage at the railroad, and the regimental commander, with forty-five men from various companies, crossed the river about a quarter of a mile below the bridge and attacked the enemy in the rear, quickly driving them from their position. Meanwhile the balance of the regiment, together with the Montana regiment, crossed the river on the railroad bridge, and the enemy were rapidly pressed northward through the town of Apolit, at which place the regiment is now located. The enemy’s loss in these engagements was very heavy in killed and wounded, while the total casualties in this command were one killed and fourteen wounded, three of whom have since died.–FUNSTON.

REPORT FOR MAY

The regiment, in conjunction with the First Montana, left Apolit early on the morning of May 4, marching northward along the Manila-Dagupan railway, crossing several streams by means of railway bridges, until at about nine A.M, the third battalion, which was leading the advance, encountered the enemy, who were entrenched on the north side of the Santo Tomas river, and engaged them. Company H, supporting a battery consisting of one Hotchkiss and one Gatling gun, deployed on the right of the railroad, and later company C deployed on the right of company H. After considerable firing, company I was ordered to relieve company H, whose supply of ammunition was short. Company D advanced along the railroad, firing on the enemy to the left. After about an hour’s engagement the enemy retreated to their trenches north of the Santo Tomas railroad station, where they made a stronger stand. Companies C, D, and I, having crossed the bridge, of which one span had been cut and dropped into the river, advanced and, being reinforced by companies G and E, of the second battalion, a charge was made, dislodging the enemy and driving them from the field. That night and the following day the regiment rested at Santo Tomas, and on May 6 entered San Fernando.

On the evening of May 8 outposts were attacked, the engagement lasting about one hour, in which companies B, C, D, H, I and M took part.

The regiment left quarters at 8: 30 A.M., May 24, under command of Major Whitman, to engage the enemy west of San Fernando, the third battalion being left in reserve. The first and second battalions made a detour to the right, moving under cover of the woods, the leading company arriving within about 150 yards of the enemy’s entrenchments before being discovered. The first battalion, consisting of companies A, B, and L, deployed, and attacked the enemy from the front. The second battalion, companies E, G, K, and M, deploying at nearly right angles to the line of entrenchments, and the first battalion, gradually swinging to the left, drove the enemy in a southerly direction along the trench, completely routing them, and compelling them to retreat in disorder, the first battalion following them through and beyond Bacolor.

At six A.M., May 25, a reconnaissance party, consisting of companies D, H, and one platoon of I, together with two companies of First Montana, under General Funston, left San Fernando, passing through Bacolor to Santa Rita, engaging the enemy in a skirmish for about an hour at the latter place, returning to San Fernando at about four P.M., at which time, the outpost being threatened on the north, companies A, B, C, D, E, F, G, I, and L, reinforced, the enemy were engaged and driven north beyond Calumpit, our forces returning from there.

On the morning of May 26, the outpost being attacked, companies B and F were sent to reinforce company L, on duty at the outpost. The engagement lasted about half an hour. No casualties.–METCALF.

REPORT FOR JUNE

Up to the morning of June 16 all was quiet on the outpost, although a portion of the regiment was sent out on various nights to reinforce the companies on duty at the front, owing to the fact that there were rumors to the effect that the insurgents would attack the city of San Fernando, where the regiment was stationed.

On the morning of June 16 a large body of insurgents attacked the Montana and Kansas line, the attack extending around the city. Companies D and G were on duty at the outpost, and were reinforced by C and H, followed shortly by the entire regiment. Companies C and E, under command of Major Bishop, moving north under cover of a strip of timber, surprised a body of insurgents, and moving by the left flank drove the enemy to the west and north in disorder, killing and wounding many. Casualties, one private, severe.

After about an hour’s engagement the enemy was repulsed, and retreated with considerable loss.

The forces at San Fernando were again attacked on the night of June 22, the firing commencing on the east of the city, very heavily, but upon reaching our line the attack was only half-hearted, the insurgents being easily and quickly repulsed.

On June 24 the first and third battalions, and on the 25th the second battalion, left San Fernando and returned to Manila, the regiment having been on the line since February 4, or 140 days. The first and third battalions went into quarters at Cuartel de Espana, and the second at Cuartel del Fortin, where they are now stationed. Since our arrival in Manila the regiment has been performing provost-guard duty, having been temporarily assigned for duty to the provost guard.–METCALF.

REPORT FOR JULY

On the 12th of July companies C, D, H, and I, composing the third battalion of the regiment, were sent to Paranaque, P. I., to join General Lawton’s division, where they arrived at two P. M. of that date, relieving a detachment of the Fourteenth United States infantry.–METCALF.

RETURN OF THE KANSAS HEROES

By the terms of the enlistment the members of the “fighting Twentieth” were entitled to their discharge papers when the treaty of peace was signed between the United States and Spain. At that time things were in a serious condition in the Philippines. The Kansas boys, filled with patriotism and love of country, waived their rights under the enlistment agreement and notified the War Department that they would remain in the field until sufficient reinforcements could reach the islands from the United States. In the meantime people at home became anxious about the Kansas heroes. They felt that the regiment had done its full duty and was entitled to come back. The War Department hurried reinforcements to the Philippines as fast as possible, and when the Twentieth felt that it could be spared from the scene of war it prepared for its departure from Manila.

After an active campaign of over eleven months it embarked on the transport Tartar for home September 3, 1899. On the day of sailing the numerical strength of the regiment was 708 men and 41 officers. These were all that were left of the regiment which left for San Francisco in May, 1898.

On board the Tartar, besides the command under Colonel Metcalf, was General Funston, formerly colonel of the regiment. Colonel Little was in Japan, as was also Lieutenant Whisner, who expected to join the regiment upon its arrival at Yokohama.

The homeward journey began on the afternoon of September 3, and the Tartar sailed into the harbor at Hong Kong three days later. Here the transport was put into dry dock where extensive repairs were made. The regiment spent the time on shore, where the Kansans enjoyed the hospitality of the British troops.

The Britons proposed a shooting contest, which was quickly accepted by the Kansans, and although the men from the trenches were beaten, the Englishmen generously acknowledged that their victory was due to the superiority of their guns.

At Hong Kong the Kansas band made a great hit and concerts were given each day, which were loudly praised by the English colony.

United States Consul General Wildman and Lieutenant Hobson entertained several of the officers of the Twentieth, and their courtesy was reciprocated by General Funston, who gave an informal luncheon on board the Tartar.

The date set for leaving Hong Kong was September 13, and on that day the Kansans were ordered on board. Everything was put in order for sailing and the Tartar’s nose was pointed outward, when a most vexatious incident occurred, which might have taken an international turn had not public sentiment in Hong Kong finally overcome the exalted obstinacy of an officious harbormaster.

The transport was not given clearance papers, without which she could not leave Hong Kong harbor. In vain did Colonel Metcalf plead that the harbor-master had no right to delay the homeward voyage of the soldiers. The harbor-master claimed that the transport was overcrowded. There was no complaint among the Kansans, and the whole trouble was stirred up by the volunteer regulars aboard who found their accommodations somewhat too limited for their personal convenience and who sought to gain greater comfort on the voyage by getting rid of a portion of the Twentieth regiment.

In his provoking dilemma, Colonel Metcalf wired the state department at Washington, but before an answer came the harbormaster changed his mind and allowed the Tartar to leave.

It was at Hong Kong that Corporal Robert M. Lee, company F, died of dysentry. The body was embalmed and brought home. Lee lived at Manhattan, Kan.

On the way from Hong Kong to Yokohama the health of the regiment rapidly improved. When the beautiful Japanese seaport was reached a day’s delay in landing was caused by the exasperating delay of the health officers in visiting the transport and passing on the health of the command.

At last the troops were allowed to land, and in a few hours hundreds of the Kansas boys were on the trains bound for Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Here they were elaborately entertained by the American colony. On the morning of September 25, the Tartar ran out of the harbor of Yokohama and started on her trip to San Francisco.

Before leaving Yokohama, two deaths occurred, both privates. John M. Ingenthron, of company L, died of dysentery, and John S. Bowman, of the Fourteenth infantry, succumbed to the same disease.

For several days out from Yokohama the sea was quite rough and many suffered keenly, but after the first squally weather was passed the trip was made in comfort. Every one seemed to improve wonderfully, stimulated by the bracing sea air and the prospect of once again seeing home and friends.

When, on the evening of October 10, the transport Tartar was sighted off Golden Gate, tugs bearing Governor Stanley, State Treasurer Grimes and other distinguished Kansans, and many newspaper correspondents, hastened to greet the returning heroes. A high sea prevailed at the time and the tugs were piloted to the transport under great difficulty. It was at this time, when cheers from a thousand throats were conveying glad welcome, that a pathetic incident occurred which cast a gloom over the happy occasion. William A. Snow, a newspaper correspondent, and son of Chancellor Snow, of the Kansas university, was swept overboard from the deck of the newspaper boat and drowned. He was endeavoring to receive dispatches from the Tartar and died in the performance of his duty.

Quarantine regulations required the regiment to remain on shipboard over night. They landed the next day and marched to the Presidio, where they were to be mustered out of the service. The journey from the wharf to the camp ground was a continuous ovation, and the Kansans received greater evidences of public enthusiasm than any regiment that had preceded them, excepting possibly, the California regiment. The people of the Pacific slope were lavish in their hospitality, and no effort was spared to make the interval before the final muster-out as pleasant as possible.

Colonel Funston’s promotion to be brigadier general was received not only in Kansas but all over the country with expressions of approval. The Kansas colonel, more than any other man identified with the Philippine campaign, filled the role of popular hero. The element both of daring and romance entered into his achievements, and made him as much of an idol as Hobson was after the Santiago campaign.

The greatest honor that can be bestowed upon a soldier is honorable mention by a commanding general and a medal for bravery from congress. Gen. Lloyd Wheaton, who commanded the brigade of which the Kansas regiment was a part, made special mention of several officers and privates of the Twentieth Kansas. It is assumed that the recommendation will carry with it a congressional medal. In his report General Wheaton says: “I respectfully invite attention to the gallant conduct of Col. Frederick Funston, now brigadier general United States volunteers, during these operations; also, the very efficient services and meritorious conduct of Lieut. Col. Robert B. Wallace, commanding First Montana volunteer infantry, and of Maj. Richard W. Young, Utah light artillery, for the courage and skill with which he directed the operations of his guns. The extraordinary and most gallant conduct of Private Edward White, company B, Twentieth Kansas volunteer infantry, and that of W. B. Trembly, same company and regiment, in swimming the Rio Grande in face of the enemy’s fire and fastening a rope to a stake in his occupied works, is worthy of high commendation and reward. The conduct of Lieut. C. H. Ball and of Sergeants Emerson and Barshfield and Corp. A. M. Ferguson, of company E, Twentieth Kansas volunteer infantry, in swimming the Bagbag with Colonel Funston, under the fire of the enemy, is worthy of reward and of great praise.”

The Twentieth Kansas has a most remarkable record in the matter of desertions. Of the 1300 who enlisted in the regiment, only four deserted. Their names, according to the official report, are: Jackson Copeland, John Boyle, Fred Lambers, and Louis Arwood. Probably no other regiment in the world ever had such a record. During the civil war Kansas had just as loyal men in her regiments as any state in the union, yet her desertions ran from four to twenty per gent. By regiments, the desertions in the civil war were: First infantry, 238; Second infantry (three months’ service), 6; Second infantry, 191; Fifth cavalry, 96; Sixth cavalry, 130; Seventh cavalry, 226; Eighth infantry, 128; Ninth cavalry, 89; Tenth infantry, 75; Eleventh cavalry, 24; Twelfth infantry, 38; Thirteenth infantry, 126; Fourteenth cavalry, 157; Fifteenth cavalry, 154; Sixteenth cavalry, 135; First infantry (colored), 62; Second infantry (colored), 63; First battery, 19; Second battery, 13; Third battery, 17; colored battery (independent), 4; total, 1988.

[The following information regarding casualties and death by disease is not an exact transcription but was compiled from data in the “Fighting Twentieth.”]

COMBAT CASUALTIES BY DATE

(Named soldier was wounded unless stated otherwise.)

FEBRUARY 1899

William A. Nelson, private, Co. F
Edward Ziebel, private, Co. M
Charles Pratt, private, company E, killed in action
W. E. Milton, private, Co. F
Charles Hammond, private, Co. F
George H. Battersby, private, Co. M
James H. Bennett, private, Co. D
Raymond Clark, private, Co. D
Daniel Conway, private, Co. F
Alfred C. Alford, first lieutenant, company B, killed in action
John Gillilan, private, Co. B
Charles A. Kelson, artificer, Co. B
Daniel S. Hewitt, private, Co. A
William McGrew, private, Co. I
Ernest Fritz, private, Co. I
Jay Sheldon, sergeant, company I, died of wounds
Ivers J. Howard, private, company B, killed in action
Alonzo B. Ricketts, private, company I, killed in action
John O. Morse, sergeant, Co. K
Bert Hanson, corporal, Co. K
David M. Horkman, corporal, Co. H
James S. Mills, private, Co. E
William C. Barker, private, Co. E
Charles M. Christy, captain, Co. E
Edward D. Willing, corporal, Co. B
Elmer Urie, private, Co. B
Harvey S. Harris, private, Co. B
Sidney Morrison, private, Co. M
Charles Bennett, private, Co. M
Alex Mitchell, private, Co. B
Ira Keithley, sergeant, Co. D
Ira Payne, private, Co. A
E. E. Gormley, private, Co. H
George H. Monroe, private, company F, killed in action
Herbert Sands, corporal, Co. F
John M. Webber, private, Co. I
William Wolf, private, Co. L
Trolando Blesh, private, Co. L
R. E. Clark, private, Co. H
Oscar Mallicott, private, company K, died of wounds
Wm. A. Callahan, first lieutenant, Co. L
C. H. Scott, private, Co. H
Larry Jones, private, company D,died of wounds
Orville R. Knight, private, company F, died of wounds
Howard Olds, private, company I, died of wounds
John E. Riley, private, Co. C
David S. Elliott, captain, company G, killed in action

MARCH

Fred Atchison, private, Co. G
Oscar G. Thorne, private, company L, killed in action
William M. Rumbley, corporal, Co. I
Arthur C. Howe, private, Co. C
James W. Kline, private, company L, killed in action
Thomas J. Davidson, private, Co. H
Morris J. Cohen, sergeant, company B, killed in action
Samuel F. Barton, private, Co. E
James E. Histed, artificer, Co. D
Charles M. Pease, private, Co. B
Albert S. Anibal, private, company G, killed in action
John C. Muhr, private, company E, died of wounds
Hiram L. Plummer, private, company E, killed in action
James H. Bryant, private, Co. E
George H. Cravens, private, Co. E
Andrew W. Evans, private, Co. E
Joseph H. Heflin, private, Co. E
Adna G. Clarke, captain, Co. H
Edward R. Hook, private, Co H
Chris Clapp, private, Co. I
William Tull, private, Co. I
Orville Parker, private, Co. G
Wesley I. Mathews, private, Co. G
George Meyer, private, Co. K
T. Jerome Weigant, private, Co. C
George C. Nichols, sergeant, Co. D
Ben Conchman, musician
Curran Craig, private, company E, died of wounds
Troy E. Fairchild, private, company B, killed in action
William Carroll, private, Company D, killed in action
John Sherrer, private, company G, killed in action
Larrance Page, private, Co. H
Fred Recob, corporal, Co. A
Frank Stewart, private, Co. A
William Keeney, private, company I, killed in action
Martin A. Wilcox, private, company E, killed in action
Orlin L. Birlew, musician, company G, killed in action
Alva L. Dix, private, company G, killed in action
James Hammersby, corporal, Co. G
Thad G. Alderman, private, Co. F
Walter Kemp, private, Co. F
William A. Ebert, private, Co. F
Henry Radcliff, private, Co. F
George B. Dailey, private, Co. K
Alvir Allison, private, Co. K
Fred Carter, private, Co. E
Albert Shaughnessy, private, Co. E
William J. Watson, captain, Co. E
Charles A. Waters, private, Co. E
Michael H. Garrity, private, Co. L
Joseph W. Murray, sergeant, Co. L
Harvey G. Kuhns, corporal, Co. L
Lester Sitzer, private, Co. L
Walter A. Wyatt, private, Co. L
W. M. Smith, private, Co. B
Claude Spurlock, corporal, Co. B
Edward Crane, private, Co. B
James F. Rice, private, Co. D
Ernest Criss, corporal, Co. H
Harry L. Johnson, private, Co. C
John E. Ballou, private, Co. I
Courtland Fleming, musician
Wilder S. Metcalf, colonel
Adrian Hatfield, private company I, died of wounds
Jos. Dewald, sergeant, Co. K
Todd L. Wagoner, musician, Co. F
Joseph A. Wahl, private company H, died of wounds

APRIL

Resil Manahan, private, company A, killed in action
Henry H. Morrison, private, company M, died of wounds
Albert H. Terry, private, company L, died of wounds
Colin H. Ball, second lieutenant, Co. E
Jos. Dewald, sergeant, Co. K
Oscar Nesbitt, private, Co. K
Arthur C. Snow, sergeant, Co. K
Ernest Kincaid, corporal, Co. K
Walter A. Hubbard, private, Co. K
Edward H. Harris, private, Co. K
James W. Kershner, sergeant, Co. A
Charles A. Woodworth, sergeant, Co. A
William H. Bishop, captain, Co. M
Joseph Scott, private, Co. I
Lyle L. Knox, private, Co. I
Losson Whitaker, private, Co. B

MAY

William C. Albright, captain, Co. C
William A. McTaggart, second lieutenant, company G, killed in action
Samuel M. Wilson, private, company M, killed in action
Frederick Funston, brigadier-general
Arthur K. Moore, private, Co. H
William Sullivan, private, company A, killed in action
Arthur Hollingshead, private, Co. E
Elmer H. Ashcraft, private, Co. E
Albert Dooley, corporal, Co. M
Robert Parker, second lieutenant, Co. K
Peter M. Sorensen, private, Co. B
Charles W. Tozier, sergeant, Co. L
Ernest Ryan, private, company L, died of wounds

JUNE

William Eckworth, private, Co. M

NO DATE GIVEN:

Frank C. Sample, corporal, Co. C.
Beniamin Oliver, private, Co. F.
William McDougal, private, Co. F.
William Laudenschlager, private, Co. C.
Louis J. Rouse, private, Co. B.
James A Robison, sergeant, Co. D
Cassius E.Warner, sergeant major, field and staff.
George W. Stephens, private, Co. G.

Roll of Honor

Died of disease
1898:
Albert Fergus, private company E, Yates Center; died June 17, 1898.
Clifford H. Greenough, private company L, Bennington; died June 24, 1898.
Louis Moon, private company __, Kansas City, Kan.; died June 24, 1898.
Wilson H. McAllister, corporal company M, Salina; died June 24, 1898.
Harry Pepper, private company I, Topeka; died June 26, 1898.
John H. Bartlett, private company F, Watson; died July 14, 1898.
Cecil Flowers, private company I, Kansas City, Kan.; died July 22, 1898.
Elmer McIntyre, private company E, Neosho Falls; died August 24, 1898.
Dallas Day, private company I, Topeka; died November 2, 1898.
Raymond B. Dawes, private company C, Leavenworth; died at Honolulu, November 22, 1898.
Charles Graves, private company C, Centralia; died November 25, 1898.
William Vancil, private company I, Fort Scott; died on transport Indiana, December 7,1898.
Louis Ferguson, private company B, Kansas City, Kan.; died December 24, 1898.

1899:
Bert Cornett, private, company E, Toronto; died January 3, 1899.
William H. Bash, private, company F, Fort Scott; died January 6, 1899.
Edward A. Rethemeyer, private, company A, Topeka; died January 8, 1899.
Powhattan Hackett, private, company F, Fort Scott; died January 9, 1899.
Lewis R. Badger, private, company F, Kansas City, Kan.; died January 10, 1899.
Etoyl P. Blair, private, company A, Topeka; died January ll, 1899.
Benjamin W. Squires, private, company I, Junction City; died January 14, 1899.
John D. Young, private, company A, Wamego; died January 15, 1899.
Norman E. Hand, private, company __, Abilene; died January 18, 1899.
David L. Campbell, private, company I, Junction City; died January 19, 1899.
Isaac G. Cooper, corporal, company B, Kansas City, Kan.; died February 1, 1899.
Fred Maxweli, private, company K, Richmond; died February 2, 1899.
Charles B. Snodgrass, private, company B, Winters, California; died February 2, 1899.
Sim F. Barber, private, company I, Abilene; died March 27, 1899.
Guy Nebegall, private, company I, Newton; died May 3, 1899.
Fred Maxfield, private, company B, Kansas City, Kan.; died June 13, 1899.
Edsvard R. Hook, private, company H, Lawrence; died September 13, 1899.
Robert M. Lee, private, company F, Manhattan; died on transport Tartar between Manila and Hong Kong.
John M. Ingenthron, private, company L, Wakeeney; died at Yokohama on way home.
James Wardick, private, company E; died at military hospital, San Francisco, October 10, 1899.

[The preceding was taken from: “Fighting Twentieth.” History and Official Souvenir, Topeka: W. Y. Morgan (1899). Edited by Staff Sergeant Bryce Benedict, 102d Military History Detachment, Kansas Army National Guard, and proofread by Diedre Blick, whose grandfather Joseph Miller and great-uncle Wilbur Miller fought with the Twentieth.]