be carried upon the muster roll as provisional recruits, to be
discharged in case their services are not needed for field
service."

On the 25th of April the adjutant general issued the following order:

"In obedience to orders this day received from the honorable
secretary of war, calling upon the State of Minnesota for three
regiments of infantry as volunteers of the United States, to
serve two years or less, and as the three national guard
regiments have signified their desire of entering the service of
the United States as volunteers, the First, Second, and Third
Regiments of Infantry of the national guard of the State of
Minnesota will immediately make preparations to report to these
headquarters upon receipt of telegraphic orders, which will be
issued later."

This commendable action on the part of our military authorities resulted
in the Minnesota troops being the first to be mustered into the service
of the United States in the war with Spain, thus repeating the proud
distinction gained by the state in 1861, when Minnesota was the first
state to offer troops for the defense of the Union in the Civil War. It
is a curious as well as interesting coincidence, that the First
Minnesota Regiment for the Civil War was mustered in on April 29, 1861,
and the first three regiments for the Spanish War were mobilized at St.
Paul on April 29, 1898.

The mustering in of the three regiments was completed on the eighth day
of May, 1898, and they were designated as the Twelfth, Thirteenth and
Fourteenth Regiments of Infantry, Minnesota Volunteers. This
classification was made because the state had furnished eleven full
regiments of infantry for the Civil War, and it was decided to number
them consecutively.

The Twelfth and Fourteenth left Camp Ramsey on the sixteenth day of May
for Camp George H. Thomas in Georgia, and the Thirteenth departed for
San Francisco on the same day. The Thirteenth was afterwards ordered to
Manila. The others did not leave the country, and were subsequently
mustered out. The Thirteenth did gallant service in the Philippines, in
many battles, was mustered out in San Francisco, and, on Oct. 12, 1899,
returned to our state. A warm welcome was given it in Minnesota, where
it will always be regarded with the same pride and affection formerly
bestowed upon the old First, of patriotic memory.

President McKinley and several of his cabinet arrived in St