Item Description
Original Items: Only One Group Available. This is a lovely grouping attributed to Private Thomas G. Donall of the 44th US Volunteer Infantry (Kansas) during the Philippine-American War. The men of the 44th were mustered in September 1899 at Fort Leavenworth. The regiment participated in 144 skirmishes and battles between 1899 and 1901 during the war.
We have not been able to learn much about his time in service, but there is however a handwritten letter, possibly from an officer he served under written in 1952. The letter is difficult to read but we were able to transcribe it as best that we could:
“ Dear Tom,
Senator Chavez from New Mexico is going to introduce a bill in Congress to give me the Congressional Medal for going up the hill in the fight at Caridad.
I thought you might like to help out a little. I am sending you a telegram to send to the senator, after you make any changes in that you think will help it, send it as a night letter to cut down expense. Send me the bill and i will repay you.
After you do that, write it the senator a letter describing the Caridad fight a little more fully and emphasizing the going up the hill in single file in a storm of bullets and rocks as big as wash tubs coming down the hill. We went up in the following order; Caldwell, Coston, Buchanan, Falawn, Connelly, Jackson, Cuthberson.
You might as well tell him something about the scrap at Dolores when I persuaded that bad boy to quit prodding you with that bolo.
The Senator was going to introduce the bill the other day, but I told him to wait till he heard from some of the boys.
Your friend and comrade,
H. Caldwell”
There was a few key takeaway points just from that short letter. We are uncertain as to who this Caldwell is, a possible squad leader or officer, but he talks about two different key battles of note, one which is strange because it occurred in 1904 and with the Philippine Constabulary. The first battle noted was the Battle of Caridad, which is actually a lesser known battle and isn’t exactly known as this. So this skirmish was during the broader Battle of the Visayas, which was to capture the Visayas region in the Philippine Islands by the Americans. Coston that is mentioned in the letter is actually a recipient of the Distinguished Service Cross as a result of this battle. Donall is not mentioned in the citation but he was with Coston during the battle and the citation does not name the “five other men”. The citation reads as: The Distinguished Service Cross is presented to Tony Coston, Private, U.S. Army, for extraordinary heroism in action against insurgent forces near Caridad, Leyte, Philippine Islands, April 9, 1901. Private Coston, accompanied by five other men, with utter disregard for his personal safety, gallantly ascended a steep, narrow, rocky trail under a direct fire of both cannon and rifles, and a hail of huge boulders hurled down upon him, and succeeded in driving the insurgents from their strongly entrenched position and captured 12 cannon and a quantity of supplies.
This is a grouping that is in dire need of further research as his story needs to be told!
The uniform itself is an excellent example of a Theater-Made cotton summer khaki Model 1898/1899 field blouse. Most likely made in the Philippines during the Philippine Insurrection by a local tailor to the specifications of the soldier who had it commissioned.
Of note is the fact it mimics the model 1899 Coat, but retains the standing collar of the Model 1898. Coat shows signs of use in a hot, humid, tropical environment. There are numerous stains, and some period repairs. The original owner’s name is nowhere to be found, however there are some extremely illegible markings present on the interior backside of the coat.
A lovely example that comes more than ready for further research and display.
Approximate Measurements:
Collar to shoulder: 9"
Shoulder to sleeve: 23.5”
Shoulder to shoulder: 15.5”
Chest width: 17.5"
Waist width: 17.5"
Hip width: 19”
Front length: 28.5"
- This product is available for international shipping.
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