the first to enter Malolos and thence marching on to San Fernando, constantly harassed by the enemy and suffering much from sickness and the excessive heat. When they returned to Manila on June 10, General McArthur said, "The record of the South Dakota regiment in the Philippines has no equal in military history, so far as I know."
On August 12, 1899, the regiment embarked at Manila for home. It arrived in San Francisco in September, whither a large number of our prominent citizens had gone to welcome the boys back to the states. The regiment was mustered out at San Francisco. The citizens of South Dakota had provided transportation for the return of the men to their homes. They came by the northern route, and President McKinley met them at Aberdeen on the morning of October 14. That was a day of universal rejoicing in South Dakota. All along the way from Aberdeen to Yankton celebrations were prepared, and the President so timed his journey as to be present at several of them. The fête terminated at Yankton that evening, where an immense multitude had assembled from all over the state, and President McKinley there made one of his memorable addresses, in which he highly extolled the record which the regiment had made in the Philippines.
The total loss of the regiment during the war was: twenty-three killed in action; one drowned; thirty-two deaths from disease; sixty wounded.
In addition to this First Regiment South Dakota furnished five troops of cavalry, officially known as the Third
