9/18/2008:
If you were listening on September 16, you heard of the return of the First North Dakota infantry from the Philippine Insurrection in 1899. The boys arrived in San Francisco at the end of August, but they had a long time to wait before they could begin to come home. They were still exploring the city on this day. They had plenty of time to take in the sights.
The men hadn’t been paid yet since returning, and many had little to no cash, but they did the best they could to take in the city. They were treated well, and got to go to many receptions. Agent Scott of the Northern Pacific, a father to one of the soldiers, went down to see them. He reported that the soldiers’ “reception by the ’Frisco people was a noisy one, and they were given an ovation as they marched down the street to their camp.” There was plenty more entertainment. The paper reported only one man who was drinking a lot, but it was said “he would drink wherever there was liquor.”
John Peterson, one of the soldiers, wrote in a letter home that he “was very glad to get back to the United States.” He and the others were invited to eat with the North Dakota Delegation. He said on the first night there, he slept at the Palace hotel, “but the bed was so soft, (he) could hardly sleep.” In their camp, however, they had plenty of space. Their Sibley tents had enough space for seven men, plus one small stove in the center. Also, their food was “splendid,” he said, with fresh meats and milk and butter.
In a special the Minneapolis Tribune did, the paper reported that, while there, the boys refused to give their opinion on what the government’s policies should be on the matter in Manila until they could be “mustered out.” Moreover, there was an “absence of talk” condemning the affair in the Philippines, as often went on in other camps. Sen. Hansbrough of North Dakota also commented on this, praising the young men for their tight lips and acceptance of their jobs while overseas.
The Minneapolis Tribune surmised that “every officer of the North Dakota regiment thinks the islands are worth having … and that the matter should be pushed to a satisfactory conclusion.”
Listen on September 29 for more on these boys.
Sources:
Bismarck Daily Tribune: Tuesday, September 5, 1899, p.3
Bismarck Daily Tribune: Monday, September 11, 1899
Bismarck Daily Tribune: Thursday, September 7, 1899
Bismarck Daily Tribune: Saturday, September 2, 1899