The Filipino Army commenced guerilla warfare against U.S. forces.
Aguinaldo retired from Bayambang, through the mountainous to Calasiao, Pangasinan with his wife, son, mother sister, and some Cabinet members
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Showing posts with label Philippine Insurrection. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Philippine Insurrection. Show all posts
Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Tuesday, November 12, 2024
Sunday, November 12, 1899. Ending conventional armed resistance.
A Filipino council of war resolved to end further organized conventional armed resistance in the field.
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Saturday, November 11, 1899. The Battle of San Jacinto
Labels: 1890s, 1899, Army, Filipino Army, Philippine Insurrection, Philippines, Texas National Guard
Monday, November 11, 2024
Saturday, November 11, 1899. The Battle of San Jacinto
The Battle of San Jacinto (Labanan sa San Jacinto, Batalla de San Jacinto) took place between Filipino forces and the United States Army.
Like mosts of these battles, it was an American victory in spite of American forces being no more experienced than Filipino and the fact that they were not fighting on their own ground. The U.S. troops were of the 33d Volunteer Infantry, drawn from Texas.
Last edition:
Thursday, October 12, 1899. Battle of Kraaipan and a Homecoming in Vermont.
Tuesday, October 8, 2024
Sunday, October 8, 1899. Marines take Noveleta, Luzon.
Marines captured Noveleta, Luzon.
The Marines had not yet taken on their modern form, and remained very much attached to the Navy at this point in time. It would not really be until World War One when the Marine Corps as we currently imagine it would start to form.
Last edition:
Monday, October 2, 1899. An action in the Philippines.
Wednesday, October 2, 2024
Monday, October 2, 1899. An action in the Philippines.
Troops under cover in a ditch in a rice field, October 2, 1899. The troops above are from an unidentified unit, but are equipped with obsolescent trapdoor Springfield .45-70 rifles. The ones below are Kansas state troops are are even more antiquated in their equipment, still wearing blue wool shirts, although many troops still did at this time.
Sunday, September 10, 1899. The second Yakutat Bay earthquake.
Thursday, August 29, 2024
Tuesday, August 29, 1899. Volunteers back in the U.S.
Today In Wyoming's History: August 29: 1899 Wyoming volunteers returned from service in the Philippines, via the Port of San Francisco. Attribution: On This Day.
Tuesday, August 20, 2024
Sunday, August 20, 1899. The Bates Treaty.
On this day, the U.S. in the Philippines treated with the Moros.
Agreement Between Brig. General John C. Bates, Representing the United States, and the Sultan of Sulu
Signed at Jolo, August 20, 1899
Between Brigadier-General John C. Bates, representing the United States, of the one part; and his Highness, the Sultan of Jolo, the Dato Rajah Muda, the Dato Attik, The Dato Calbi, and the Dato Joakanain, of the other part: it being understood that this agreement will be in full force only when approved by the Governor-General of the Philippine Islands and confirmed by the President of the United States, and will be subject to future modifications by the mutual consent of the parties in interest.
Article I. The sovereignty of the United States over the whole Archipelago of Jolo, and its dependencies, is declared and acknowledged.
Article II. The United States flag will be used in the Archipelago of Jolo, and its dependencies, on land and sea.
Article III. The rights and dignities of His Highness the Sultan, and his Datos, shall be fully respected; the Moros are not to be interfered with on account of their religion; all religious customs are to be respected, and no one is to be persecuted on account of his religion.
Article IV. While the United States government may occupy and control such points in the Archipelago of Jolo as the public interests demand, encroachment will not be made upon the lands immediately about the residence of His Highness the Sultan, unless military necessity requires such occupation in case of war with a foreign power; and, where the property of individuals is taken, due compensation will be made in each case. Any person can purchase land in the Archipelago of Jolo and hold the same by obtaining the consent of the Sultan and coming to satisfactory agreement with the owner of the land, and such purchase shall immediately be registered in the proper office of the United States Government.
Article V. All trade in domestic products of the Arrchipelago of Jolo, when carried on by the Sultan and his people with any part of the Philippine Islands, and when conducted under the American flag, shall be free, unlimited, and undutiable.
Article VI. The Sultan of Jolo shall be allowed to communicate direct with the Governor-General of the Philippine Islands in making complaint against the Commanding Officer of Jolo or against any Naval Commander.
Article VII. The introduction of firearms and war material is forbidden, except under specific authority of the Governor-General of the Philippine Islands.
Article VIII. Piracy must be suppressed and the Sultan and his Datos agree to heartily cooperate with the United States authorities to that end, and to make every possible effort to arrest and bring to justice all persons engaged in piracy.
Article IX. Where crimes and offenses are committed by Moros against Moros, the government of the Sultan will bring to trial and punishment the criminals and offenders, who will be delivered to the government of the Sultan by the United States authorities if in their possession. In all other cases persons charged with crimes or offenses will be delivered to the United States authorities for trial and punishment.
Article X. Any slave in the Archipelago of Jolo shall have the right to purchase freedom by paying to the master the usual market value.
Article XI. In case of any trouble with subjects of the Sultan, the American authorities in the islands will be instructed to make careful investigation before resorting to harsh measures, as in most cases serious trouble can thus be avoided.
Article XII. At present, American or foreigners wishing to go into the country should state their wishes to the Moro authorities and ask for an escort, but it is hoped that this will become unnecessary as we know each other better.
Article XIII. The United States will give full protection to the Sultan and his subjects in case any foreign nation should attempt to impose upon them.
Article XIV. The United States will not sell the island of Jolo or any other island of the Jolo Archipelago to any foreign nation without the consent of the Sultan of Jolo.
Article XV. The United States government will pay the following monthly salaries: To the Sultan $250.00 (Mexican dollars) To Dato Rajah Muda $ 75.00 To Dato Attik $ 60.00 To Dato Calbi $ 75.00 To Dato Joakanain $ 75.00 To Dato Amin Hussin $ 60.00 To Dato Puyo $ 60.00 To Hadji Butu $ 50.00 To Hadji Mura $ 10.00 To Serif Saguin $ 15.00
Signed in triplicate, in English and Sulu, at Jolo, this 20th day of August, A.D. 1899 (13 Arabmil Ahil 1317).
(Signed) John C. Bates, Brigadier General, United States Volunteers
(Signed) Hadji Mohammed Jamalol Kiram Sultan of Jolo
(Signed) Datu Rajah Muda Datu Attik Datu Kalbi Datu Joakanain
(Signed) Dato Raja Muta
(Signed) Dato Attik
(Signed) Dato Calbi
(Signed) Dato Joakanain
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Wednesday, August 16, 1899. Death of Robert Bunsen.
Wednesday, July 31, 2024
Monday, July 31, 1899. Homeward bound.
Today In Wyoming's History: July 31: 1899 The Wyoming Battalion, having been in the Philippines for exactly one year, embarked on the Grant at Manila and started their journey home. Attribution: On This D
Saturday, July 6, 2024
Thursday, July 6, 1899 Ordered home.
Today In Wyoming's History: July 6: 1899 The Wyoming Battalion received its orders in the Philippines to return to the U.S. Attribution: On This Day.
Kansas state infantry, February 1899.
They were undoubtedly mighty glad to receive them as well.
The Philippine Insurrection is all but forgotten by 99% of Americans. Those who do remember it have some particular connection with it or are students of history.
They Wyoming Battalion was a battalion of infantry augmented by a battery of artillery. The infantry was drawn from volunteers from Buffalo, Douglas, Sheridan and Evanston, commanded by Maj. Frank M. Foote of Evanston. The artillery came from Cheyenne. They had volunteered for action in Cuba, not the Philippines, but the U.S. Army was so small, there was no way to exploit the Navy's defeat of the Spanish Navy in the Far East other than through using volunteer troops who had not been committed to Cuba. During their service the unit suffered high causalities, losing 3 men in combat, 12 died of disease, and 75 men became unfit for service due to wounds, illnesses and injuries. As with the remainder of the U.S. Army during the Spanish American War, many more soldiers from Wyoming died of disease and illness caused by poor sanitation and diet and inadequate medical care, and from numerous tropical diseases, than were ever felled by a foe’s bullet.
Coming before the Dick Act, these units fit into an odd category between the Regular Army, which they were not part of, and existing state militia units, which they were also not part of. State raised, they are regarded as National Guard units today, which makes sense in that their history more closely aligns with the National Guard, and the Guard found itself doing recruiting to fill out its ranks for the Punitive Expedition, World War One, and even in the lead up to World War Two.
The Philippine Insurrection, indeed the US presence in the Philippines in general, was controversial from the onset. A strong anti-colonial impulse in the US, natural for a nation which had once been a foreign colony, had operated against going to war with Spain in the first place, as members of Congress feared that Cuba would be annexed to the US as a colony. Preventing that from occurring had been a condition of the declaration of war, but other Spanish possessions had been omitted as they were completely out of mind. To naval strategists, including the Assistant Secretary of the Navy Theodore Roosevelt, striking at Spanish possession is the Pacific and Far East made perfect sense, but to most Americans it simply wasn't something that was likely to occur. As a result of this, nothing had addressed Spain's Far Eastern territories.
Given this, the war was not universally popular from the start. The use of state troops contributed to that, as the troops had not enlisted for service in a colonial enterprise. To address some of this, the Army, now freed of combat in Cuba, began to replace state units with regular troops. This did not address all the problems, however, particularly as the Army began to increasingly resort to harsh measures, giving rise to atrocities. The war was officially declared over on July 4, 1902, although in reality it continued on at least until 1915.
A good argument can be made that the Spanish American War as the US's first modern war. It came about rapidly and haphazardly, like many wars following it did. The long range implications of the war were not foreseen, including that the war would give rise to a long, unexpected war following it. The initial war was popular, but as the implications of it lingered on, the war succeeding it was not.
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Sunday, June 30, 2024
Friday, June 30, 1899. Safe passage for Spanish troops at Baler.
In a somewhat bizarre episode of the Spanish American War/Philippine Insurrection, on this day in 1899, the Spanish soldiers at Baler, who had held out for a year in a fortified church, were recognized as friend of the Filipino people and granted safe conduct.
A film about this event was earlier reviewed by us here:
1898: Our Last Men In the Philippines
Baler had been under siege from June 26, 1898, until June 2, 1899, which exceeded the period of time during which Spain was at war with the United States. The troops under siege had not realized that Spain had departed, and when informed, they refused to believe it and kept fighting. Ultimately, the besieging Filipinos became concerned for the garrison and began to supply it with food, beverages and cigarettes. An American expedition to relieve the garrison was launched and failed.
Finally, on June 2, 1899, the garrison surrendered.
The surviving Spanish troops upon their return to Spain.
The Spanish troops were lauded by Aguinaldo, but two Franciscan Priests who had been at the church, Fr. Félix Minaya and Fr. Juan López, plus a captured Yorktown seaman, George Arthur Venville, were kept as prisoners. The priests were freed when the US occupied the town on June 3, 1900 but Venville was executed by Filipino tribesmen.
Last edition
Monday, June 26, 1899. Birth of Duchess Maria Nikolaevna of Russia.
Labels: 1890s, 1899, 1910s, 1918, Christianity, Communism, Monarchy, Orthodox, Personalities, Protestant, religion, Russia, Russian Civil War, Russian Revolution
Thursday, June 13, 2024
Tuesday, June 13, 1899. The Battle of Zapote River
The hard fought Battle of Zapote River occured this day seeing the U.S. Army prevail against much larger numbers from the First Philippine Republic, due to superior arms and training, and Naval support.
The loss in the second-biggest engagement of the Philippine Insurrection caused the Philippine forces to resort to guerilla war thereafter.
Cpt. William H. Sage won the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role in the battle.
With 9 men volunteered to hold an advanced position and held it against a terrific fire of the enemy estimated at 1,000 strong. Taking a rifle from a wounded man, and cartridges from the belts of others, Capt. Sage himself killed 5 of the enemy.
Sage would go on to serve in the Border War in Mexico and rose to the rank of major general during World War One. After the war, he commanded Ft. D. A. Russell in Wyoming, where he became fatally ill. He died in 1922 at age 63, just one month away from retirement.
Douglas MacArthur entered the U.S. Military Academy.
Last prior edition:
Friday, June 11, 1899. Pope Leo XIII concecrates the entire human race to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.
Sunday, June 2, 2024
Friday, June 2, 1899. The Wild Bunch Robs the Overland Flyer at Wilcox and the Philippine Republic declares war on the United States.
Today In Wyoming's History: June 2: 1899 The Wild Bunch robbed the Union Pacific Overland Flyer No. 1 near Wilcox, taking between $30,000 and $60,000. This robbery is famous in part for the large amount taken, but also for the destruction of a rail car by explosives which were used to open a safe. This is depicted in the film Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Attribution: On This Day.
The Overland Flyer in 1906.
Longtime Wyoming residents may wonder where on earth Wilcox is. That's because, it isn't. It's a named spot on the railroad just north of Rock River. If this same crime occured today, people would report it as having occured north of Rock River. It occured very near the junction with the Fetterman Road.
I've driven past this spot thousands of time and never realized where it was. This was a bold action, as Rock Rover was more substantial than it now is (the explosion clearly could have been heard from there) and Medicine Bow not all that far to the north.
The First Philippine Republic officially declared war against the United States, although clearly the war, which the US termed an insurrection, had been going on for some time.
To recognize it as a war would have required a declaration of war, which in turn would have recognized the sovereignty of the Philippine Republic, which would have made a mockery of the US position on the islands.
Almost always, when people accuse the US of being involved in "colonial wars", they're full of it. This, however, was a colonial war.
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Saturday, May 18, 2024
Thursday, May 18, 1899. Republic of Zamboanga established
The Republic of Republic of Zamboanga was established in the Philippines. It quickly devolved into being an American protectorate. General Vicente Álvarez, who lead its establishment, fell due to intrigue with the American forces followed by the fall of the remaining Spanish fort.
On the same day, the US took control of Jolo.
Last prior edition:
Wednesday, May 10, 1899. Song and Dance.
1890s, 1899, Dancing, Education, Movies, Music, Nebraska (Omaha), Omaha Nebraska, Personalities, Texas
Tuesday, May 7, 2024
Sunday, May 7, 1899. Aguinaldo moves
Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy, President of the Philippine First Republic which was at war, or from the American prospective, an agent in insurrection against the successor to Spain, the United States, moved his Seat of Government from San Isidro, Nueva Ecija to Angeles, Pampanga as Philippine battefield fortunes were fading.
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Wednesday, May 5, 1899. The station at Khilkovo.
Saturday, May 4, 2024
Thursday, May 4, 1899. The Battle of Santo Tomas and the remarkable Elanor Pray.
The 1st Nebraska advancing during the Battle of Santo Tomas
The Battle of Santo Tomas was found in this day at Santo Tomas, Pampanga. The battle resulted in the complete route of the large Filipino force, its second defeat in recent days, and the wounding of General Antonio Luna, a primary Filipino commander.
Like many battles of the Philippine Insurrection, the battle was fought, on the American side, by state volunteers, who were, for all intents and purposes, National Guardsmen. In this case, the US forces consisted of the 20th Kansas, the 1st Montana, 1st Nebraska and 51st Iowa.
Elanor Pray, an American from Maine who was living in Vladavostock where her husband was posted to the "American store" sent a letter with photographs of some of the local scenes and her observations of them.
I think you will be interested in the photo of our premises here even if it does have to be curved to make the thing come together. Fred took it from the roof of the new P[ost] O[ffice] and the building half completed in front of us belongs also to the P.O."
Little known in the US, Pray's heavily photographed letters have made her well known in Russia, as her long residence there, 1894 to 1930, meant that she's chronicled, and preserved, an entire epic in Russia's history which would otherwise have seen much lost. She apparently liked the region, as she stayed on after the death of her husband in 1923 and only left in 1930 when her employer closed its facility in the area, which was also experiencing hardening Stalinist repression.
From Vladivostok she moved to China and was interned in World War Two by the Japanese, becoming part of a 1943 prisoner exchange which resulted in her return to the US. She smuggled her papers out in the process. She died in 1954 at age 85.
Manuel won the Kentucky Derby.
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Monday, May 1, 1899. Prisoners of the Philippine Republic.
Wednesday, May 1, 2024
Monday, May 1, 1899. Prisoners of the Philippine Republic.
USS Yorktown.
Admiral George Dewey reported that ten officers and crewmen of the USS Yorktown were taken prisoner by the Philippine Republic, exactly one year after the U.S. Navy's defeat of the Spanish fleet at Manila Bay.
Adm. Dewey.
Last prior edition:
Wednesday, April 28, 1899. Discussions in the Philippines.
Sunday, April 28, 2024
Wednesday, April 28, 1899. Discussions in the Philippines.
The US demanded the unconditional surrender of the Philippine government, which was refused.
Discussions were being had, however.
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Tuesday, April 27, 1899. The Battle of Calumpit
Saturday, April 27, 2024
Tuesday, April 27, 1899. The Battle of Calumpit
The Battle of Calumpit (Filipino: Labanan sa Quingua), alternately known as the Battles of Bagbag and Pampanga Rivers) concluded with U.S. forces under Arthur MacArthur Jr. combating Filipino forces under General Antonio Luna. U.S. forces were comprised completely of state militia units, essentially the equivalent of today's National Guard, somewhat, those being the 20th Kansas Volunteers, the Utah Volunteer Light Artillery, the1st Montana Volunteers, the1st Nebraska Volunteers and the 51st Iowa Volunteers. All were probably mustered to fight against the Spanish in Cuba, and not the Filipino's in their native land.
U.S. forces prevailed with Medals of Honor, under the original standards, going to Colonel Frederick Funston, Private (later First Lieutenant) William B. Trembley, and Private Edward White.
The Filipinos, interestingly enough, grossly over reported American losses.
A terrible tornado struck:
Portrait shows event described in Eleanor Pray's letter of April 27, 1899:
"Yesterday morning I asked Mademoiselle [Lindholm family governess] to go to the bazaar with me to take some photos, and we took Dou Kee with us. I hired a small Korean to stand in front of a stall to be photographed. The Chinese got out like lightning for they say a camera has the evil eye. The Korean wanted also to run away when he found what was up, but the Chinese were quite willing the evil eye should be cast on him so they kept pushing him back and there he stood half scared to death. In a second after I pressed the button, there were Chinese around us ten deep all clamoring to see the picture. When the small Korean found he wasn't killed, and got five kopecks for pay, he was quite in another frame of mind." Another letter, dated May 4, 1899, also mentions this event: "The group of Koreans I took near the Bazaar. They thought I was going to shoot them and the one in the edge of the picture was clearing out for his life but couldn't resist looking back to see what happened to his friends. Before that old man could get up the deed was done and I'll warrant the whole crowd cursed me by all their gods."
A statute of Grant was unveiled in Philadelphia.
Friday, March 1, 2024
Wednesday, September 1, 2021
"America's longest war. . . wasn't"
By now, everyone on the face of the globe has heard that the war in Afghanistan was "America's longest war".
It wasn't.
The long war, regarded as a series of wars, but nonetheless a continual thing involving continual deployment of American troops, ran from 1848 until the tragic end at Wounded Knee in 1890, a total of 42 years. This doesn't represent the totality of combat against Native Americans, however, as I, and others have pointed out. Consider this recent letter to the Wall Street Journal.
America’s real longest war was the conflict against Native Americans, called the American Indian Wars, which most historians characterize as beginning in 1609 and ending in 1924.
Lt. Gen. Michael M. Dunn, Wall Street Journal letter.
Total involvement in the Vietnam War, FWIW, was shorter only by a period of months. That may seem unfair, but if you consider that involvement in Afghanistan has actually been very minimal for a period of years, I'd argue it is a fair comparison.
The point is this. We've fought long wars before. The Indian Wars were epic in length. The Philippine Insurrection was long, 13 years by some measures. What's really notable about Afghanistan. . . and Vietnam, is that in the post television era, the country doesn't endure long wars well. Before we seemingly had them out of sight and mind, most of the time they were being fought.
Oh, and technically the Korean Conflict, which started in 1950, is still on. No final peace has been reached, and it's in a state of armistice.
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