Battery Knoll

Malolos fell on March 31, 1899, then Quingua. U.S. forces advanced on Calumpit under General Arthur MacArthur Jr. on April 25. After nearly three months of continual fighting, the Montana and Kansas regiments crossed the Bagbag River[1] on a footbridge we built from the wreckage of a demolished trestle. We had to move fast.

We advanced in deployed lines. When the enemy retreated we took their abandoned trenches, moving forward until we were within six hundred yards of the Rio Grande. On the far bank Filipino troops outnumbered us more than three to one. The distance between us was less than a stone’s throw. Our machine guns and artillery inflicted heavy damage. A bullet hole tore through the rim of my hat on the first day of the advance and a bad feeling came over me.

The next morning, the Kansas Volunteers suppressed enemy fire enough for the Montanans to crawl across what little remained of the bridge.

Later, marching beside J.H. Alexander, I showed him the hole in my hat and said, “I have a feeling the next will be my finish.”[2]

We secured the far bank so the main body could follow, then ordered to hold position along the embankment and rest. The sun was brutal. A few yards away a small rise offered thin shade beneath a clutch of trees. We took turns crossing the open ground to reach it—volley, silence, then a sprint. If you made it to the shade you could cool off for a spell.

Alexander had just returned when Phil Greenan and I made for the shade. Elwell was ten feet away. We hunkered down beneath the trees. We’d been there five minutes when a shot cracked through the air.

After all that fury crossing the Bagbag, the Montanans lost just one man.

Me.

I was shot in the lower left abdomen. The bullet didn’t pass through me entirely. Lieutenant Greenan was at my side in a second. He lifted me, risking his life to carry me to a stretcher. I didn’t die right away. I was paralyzed—aware but unable to speak a last word. I died within the half hour. Captain Chaplain George Stull was with me when I passed.

Five days later Colonel Harry O. Kessler, Guy H. Preston (Captain, 1st Montana Infantry U.S.V.), W.J. Bradshaw (1st Lieutenant) and Fred S. Yaeger (2nd Lieutenant) comprised the Council of Administration[3] certifing the following “effects of Private James A. Callahan, deceased.” They were sold at public auction to the highest bidder in Cavite, P.I., on August 1, 1899, at 10:30 A.M.:

2 blue shirts – $0.23

1 pair woolen socks – $0.20

1 pair suspenders – $0.10

Emery cloths, 1 comfort bag – $0.10

U.S. blanket – $0.50

1 box (1 pair woolen socks) – $0.80

1 pair blue trousers, 1 blue blouse, 2 overshirts, 5 white blouses, 2 pairs white trousers, 1 canvas suit – $0.30

1 pair drawers – $0.10

My worldly goods totaled $2.35.

Colonel Kessler approved an additional $33.73 from my unspent clothing allowance to be added to my estate.

My final military record reads:

Private James A. Callahan.


Age at enlistment: 43 years.


Height: 5' 5⅞".


Ruddy complexion, blue eyes, gray hair.


Occupation: painter.


Character: excellent.


Service: honorable and faithful.

After the war ended in 1902, my body was disinterred and shipped to California.

My final resting place is San Francisco National Cemetery, Section E.S., Site 675.[4]

NOTES

[1] Bagbag and Rio Grande Rivers.The Bagbag River and the Rio Grande de Pampanga (often just called the Rio Grande) were key defensive lines held by Filipino forces north of Manila. Crossing them in April 1899 opened the way to Calumpit, one of Emilio Aguinaldo’s last strongholds.

[2] J.H. Alexander recalled the last days of James Callahan’s life in a letter he wrote to James Callahan’s daughter , Alta which is included in Chapter Twelve - A Daughter’s Search.

[3] Council of Administration: After a soldier’s death, a board of officers was convened to inventory and sell his belongings, with proceeds (along with any remaining pay or allowances) forwarded to his estate or next of kin.

[4] San Francisco National Cemetery: Established in 1884 within the Presidio, the cemetery became the resting place for U.S. service members from the Civil War through the 20th century.