April 25, 1900: Marinduque
April 25, 1900: Soldiers of the 29th US Volunteer Infantry Regiment wading ashore on Marinduque Island
Marinduque was the first island to have American concentration camps. An American, Andrew Birtle, wrote in 1972: "The pacification of Marinduque was characterized by extensive devastation and marked one of the earliest employments of population concentration in the Philippine War, techniques that would eventually be used on a much larger scale in the two most famous campaigns of the war, those of Brigadier Generals J. Franklin Bell in Batangas and Jacob H. Smith in Samar."
Company F, 29th US Volunteer Infantry Regiment
Marinduque is the site of the Battle of Pulang Lupa, where on Sept. 13, 1900, Filipino guerillas under Col. Maximo Abad ambushed a 54-man detachment of Company F, 29th US Volunteer Infantry, led by Capt. Devereaux Shields. Four Americans were killed, while the rest were forced to surrender.
The defeat shocked the American high command. Aside from being one of the worst defeats suffered by the Americans during the war, it was especially significant given its proximity to the upcoming election between President William Mckinley and his anti-imperialist opponent William Jennings Bryan, the outcome of which many believed would determine the ultimate course of the war. Consequently, the defeat triggered a sharp response.
American patrol with Filipino boys at a village. Photo taken in 1900, location not specified
Americans patrol with fixed bayonets. Photo taken in 1900, location not specified
An American patrol routs a Filipino reconnoitering party. Photo taken in 1900, location not specified
April 30, 1900: Battle of Catarman, Samar Province
Catarman is a town on the north coast of Samar island, situated on the Catarman River, 55 miles northeast of Catbalogan.
On April 30, 1900, at about 9:30 p.m., Filipino guerillas sneaked into town and attacked Company F, 43rd Infantry Regiment USV. The Americans, commanded by Capt. John Cooke, were garrisoned in the convent of the church.
The Filipinos, estimated to number between 500 and 600 with 100 rifles, drove in the outposts, wounding one US soldier. The rest of the American sentinels retreated into the convent. The Americans decided to wait until daylight. During the night, there was desultory firing on both sides.
At daybreak, May 1, the Americans saw that the Filipinos had built trenches on three sides of the convent. The fourth side, dense with underbrush and cut by a path leading to the beach, was left open. After the battle, the Americans discovered that the path was full of mantraps.
Original caption: "Did not run fast enough to escape the Crag bullet, P.I." Photo taken in 1900, location not specified.
Captain Cooke, leaving word to keep a rapid fire on the trenches, took 30 men and flanked the trenches on the north side of the convent, driving the Filipinos out and killing 52 of them. He then flanked the trenches on the south side, driving the Filipinos out and killing 57, while having one man wounded.
The Americans then made a general move and the Filipinos were completely driven off.
A total of 154 Filipinos were killed, while the Americans suffered only two men wounded.
On April 30, 1900, at about 9:30 p.m., Filipino guerillas sneaked into town and attacked Company F, 43rd Infantry Regiment USV. The Americans, commanded by Capt. John Cooke, were garrisoned in the convent of the church.
The Filipinos, estimated to number between 500 and 600 with 100 rifles, drove in the outposts, wounding one US soldier. The rest of the American sentinels retreated into the convent. The Americans decided to wait until daylight. During the night, there was desultory firing on both sides.
At daybreak, May 1, the Americans saw that the Filipinos had built trenches on three sides of the convent. The fourth side, dense with underbrush and cut by a path leading to the beach, was left open. After the battle, the Americans discovered that the path was full of mantraps.
Original caption: "Did not run fast enough to escape the Crag bullet, P.I." Photo taken in 1900, location not specified.
Captain Cooke, leaving word to keep a rapid fire on the trenches, took 30 men and flanked the trenches on the north side of the convent, driving the Filipinos out and killing 52 of them. He then flanked the trenches on the south side, driving the Filipinos out and killing 57, while having one man wounded.
The Americans then made a general move and the Filipinos were completely driven off.
A total of 154 Filipinos were killed, while the Americans suffered only two men wounded.
May 5, 1900: General MacArthur becomes VIII Army Corps Commander and Military Governor of the Philippines
General MacArthur (4th from LEFT, 1st Row) and his staff, 1900.
On May 5, 1900 Maj. Gen. Arthur C. MacArthur, Jr. replaced Maj. Gen. Elwell S. Otis as VIII Army Corps Commander and Military Governor of the Philippines.
Malacañan Palace fronting on the Pasig River. Photo taken in 1899.
He moved into the Malacañan Palace, a Moorish edifice by the Pasig river which had served as the residence of the Spanish governors-general. His military command, the Division of the Philippines, the largest in the Army at the time, included 71,727 enlisted men and 2,367 officers in 502 garrisons throughout the country.
Americans and Filipinos drinking beer by the Pasig river. Photo was taken in 1900.
U.S. soldiers marching on Calle Concordia in Manila. Photo was taken in 1900.
June 15, 1900: General Francisco Makabulos surrenders
On June
15, 1900, General Francisco Makabulos y Soliman surrendered to Colonel
Emerson H. Liscum (SEE PHOTO BELOW) of the 9th US Regular Infantry in a
barrio in Camiling, Tarlac. He gave up with 9 officers and 124 men; he
turned over 124 firearms. He was the last general in Central Luzon to
surrender to the Americans, doing so mainly due to lack of arms and
ammunition. A family emergency might have played a big factor, too,
in his decision to give up. His wife, Dorotea Pascual, had a difficult
childbirth where she nearly lost her life. She pleaded with him to stay
by her side and their newborn.He turned over the large amount of Mexican currency which he had captured from the Spaniards. He need not have to, and nobody would been the wiser, but Makabulos apparently was a man of high integrity.
His surname means "one who prefers to be free." Born in La Paz, Tarlac, on Sept. 17, 1871, he was the son of Alejandro Makabulos, a native of Lubao, Pampanga, and Gregoria Soliman, a native of Tondo, Manila. His mother was a descendant of Rajah Soliman, hero of the 1571 battle of Bangkusay, Manila.
He had no formal education; he learned to write and speak Spanish from his mother. He had an excellent penmanship and served as parish clerk for the town priest for many years.
With the help of Don Valentin Diaz, one of the founders of the Katipunan,
he propagated the tenets of the secret revolutionary society throughout
Tarlac Province. Makabulos organized his friends and kin into arnis ("fighting stick") and bolo
brigades. He started with 70 men, which soon grew in number as people
from the nearby towns of Tarlac, Capas, Bamban and Victoria rallied
under his banner. On Jan. 24, 1897, Makabulos and his bolo brigades
raised the "Cry of Tarlac" and took over the municipal hall of La Paz
during the town fiesta celebration.
In June 1897, in Mt. Puray, Montalban, Morong (now
Rizal Province), General Emilio Aguinaldo promoted Makabulos to
General of all revolutionary forces in Pampanga, Tarlac, and Pangasinan.
He set up his encampment in sitio Kamansi on the slopes of
Mt. Arayat. In November 1897, an assault by a massive Spanish force
commanded by General Ricardo Monet dislodged him from his Sinukuan
sanctuary.
The Revolution temporarily ceased following the
Dec. 14, 1897 Truce of Biyak-na-Bato. His fellow rebel leaders went on
exile in Hong Kong but Makabulos distrusted Spanish intentions; he made
preparations for the resumption of the revolution. On April 17, 1898, in
Lomboy, La Paz, he set up his Central Directive Committee of Central
and Northern Luzon, often referred to as the Makabulos Provisional
Government. It functioned under a constitution, the "Makabulos
Constitution", which he himself drafted.
He rallied to General Emilio Aguinaldo when the
latter returned and renewed the struggle on May 19, 1898. On July 10,
1898, he liberated Tarlac Province from Spanish rule. On July 22, 1898,
he liberated Pangasinan Province. He was appointed to the Malolos
Congress which opened on Sept. 15, 1898, representing the province of
Cebu.
Photo taken in 1900. The 12th Infantry Regiment
(Regulars) occupied 9 towns in Tarlac Province (Badoc, Capas,
Concepcion, Gerona, La Paz, Paniqui, San Nicolas, Tarlac and
Victoria), and 2 towns in Nueva Ecija Province (Cuyapo and Guimba).
The 12th Infantry fording the river near Tarlac Province.
The Filipino-American War saw General Makabulos as
politico-military governor of Tarlac Province. He struck a close
friendship with General 
Antonio
Luna. On the latter's order, he presided over the execution of General
Pedro Pedroche on the grounds of the Camiling Catholic Church (PHOTO,
LEFT). Luna had charged Pedroche with rebellion. When Aguinaldo summoned
Luna to come to Cabanatuan for a conference, Luna asked Makabulos to
accompany him, but the latter said he was indisposed at the moment but
he was going to follow the next day. Makabulos was preparing to go to
Cabanatuan when he received news that Luna had been assassinated on June
5, 1899.
Antonio
Luna. On the latter's order, he presided over the execution of General
Pedro Pedroche on the grounds of the Camiling Catholic Church (PHOTO,
LEFT). Luna had charged Pedroche with rebellion. When Aguinaldo summoned
Luna to come to Cabanatuan for a conference, Luna asked Makabulos to
accompany him, but the latter said he was indisposed at the moment but
he was going to follow the next day. Makabulos was preparing to go to
Cabanatuan when he received news that Luna had been assassinated on June
5, 1899.
Makabulos was a founding member of the pro-American Partido Federal when it was organized on Dec. 23, 1900.
He was elected municipal president of La Paz in 1908, and later served as councilor of Tarlac, Tarlac.
Makabulos became locally famous as a writer of zarzuelas (plays that alternate between spoken and sung scenes). Among his works were "Uldarico" and "Rosaura." He also wrote a zarzuela out of Balagtas’ "Florante at Laura." He translated the opera "Aida" into Tagalog.
He died of pneumonia in Tarlac on April 30, 1922 at the age of 51.
Col. Emerson H. Liscum of the US 9th Regular
Infantry Regiment in San Fernando, Pampanga Province, on Aug. 1, 1899. A
month after accepting General Makabulos' surrender, Col. Liscum was
killed in Tientsin, China on July 13, 1900 during the Boxer Rebellion
Sept. 17, 1900: Filipino victory at Mabitac. Laguna
Mabitac is a municipality situated on the eastern side of the province of Laguna.
On Sept. 17, 1900, about 800 Filipinos under General Juan Cailles (LEFT) defeated 145 soldiers of the 37th and 15th Infantry regiments commanded by Colonel Benjamin F. Cheatham, Jr.
The
battle began when the Americans came under intense fire some 400 yards
from the Filipino trenches. Eight troopers sent ahead to scout the
Filipino positions were all killed. One of the last to fall was 2nd
Lieutenant George Cooper. General Cailles, in an honorable gesture,
allowed Cheatham to retrieve the bodies of his men.
The main body of the
U.S. Infantry got pinned down in waist-deep mud, still several hundred
yards from the Filipino trenches. Captain John E. Moran was later
awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for trying to rally his
demoralized comrades.
Supporting fire from a US Navy gunboat (some 1,300 yards distant) and a flank attack by 60 Americans failed to dislodge the Filipinos from their positions.
Photo was taken in 1900, somewhere in Luzon Island
Cheatham withdrew, re-consolidated his forces and prepared to launch another offensive.
General
Cailles ordered a withdrawal in order to avoid envelopment, and by the
next day, his entire command had made good its escape.
The
Americans lost 21 killed and 23 wounded; the Filipinos suffered 11
killed and 20 wounded. Among the Filipino dead was Lieutenant Colonel
Fidel Sario.
American Major-General John
C. Bates later said of this battle: "It is deemed charitable as well as
politic to drop a veil over this matter rather than to give any
publicity that can be avoided."
Oct. 14, 1900: Battle of Ormoc, Leyte Island
On Oct. 14, 1900, Company D of the 44th
Infantry Regiment USV, commanded by 1Lt Richard W. Buchanan, clashed
with Filipino guerillas in Ormoc, Leyte Island. The Americans suffered
no casualties, while 116 Filipinos were killed.
Oct. 24, 1900: Ambush at Cosocos, Ilocos Sur Province
Soldiers of Company K, 33rd Volunteer Infantry Regiment, at Narvacan, Ilocos Sur Province. PHOTO was taken in 1900.
On Oct. 24, 1900, an American force consisting of 40 men of Company H, 33rd Infantry Regiment USV, and 2Lt. Grayson Heidt, with 60 men of Troop L, 3rd Cavalry, left Narvacan, Ilocos Sur Province, under the command of 1Lt. George Febiger, 33rd Infantry, to attack the Filipinos at barrio Cosocos, Nagbukel town, Ilocos Sur, about 22 kilometers away.
American soldiers find the bodies of 3 dead comrades lying by the roadside. Photo was taken in 1900, location not specified.
The last 3 kilometers of the road is through a canyon with precipitous walls. Within 300 meters of barrio Cosocos, the point man discovered and opened fire on the Filipinos, estimated to number 400 and commanded by Juan Villamor. They were in position on both sides of the canyon and entrenched in front. After half an hour's engagement, seeing the Filipinos had the advantage in numbers and position, the precipitous sides of the canyon preventing a flanking movement, Lieutenant Febiger ordered a retreat. The Americans were compelled to fight their way out of the canyon, Lieutenant Febiger taking the advance and Lieutenant Heidt the rearguard.
SAME scene as in preceding photo. Original caption: "'Tis sad to leave them but they died bravely in the front ranks of the battle, P.I.".
Within 800 meters outside the mouth of the canyon, Lieutenant Febiger was killed; an attempt was made to carry his body along, but owing to the aggressiveness of the Filipinos his body had to be left on the field.
As the firing was at close range for most of the time, the Americans estimated Filipino losses in killed and wounded at over 100. [Maj. Gen. Adnan R. Chaffee reported that 50 Filipinos were killed and 100 wounded.]
Total American losses were 5 killed, 14 wounded and 8 captured (released the following day by Juan Villamor). The Americans also lost 9 rifles, 1 carbine and 24 horses.
Feb. 2, 1901: General Martin Delgado surrenders
Feb. 2, 1901: General Martin Delgado formally surrenders to Brig. Gen. Robert P. Hughes with 30 officers and 140 men in Jaro, Iloilo
An American historian wrote, "As a result of this surrender, 41,000 inhabitants of the Province of Iloilo took the oath of allegiance."
March 8, 1901: Massacre at Lonoy, Bohol
Lonoy was a hilly barrio of Jagna town, Bohol Island. It was about 10 kilometers from the poblacion.
There were two Filipino guerilla encampments on Mt. Verde in Barrio Lonoy. Miguel Valmoria's campsite was in the upper part of Lonoy, while Gregorio "Goyo" Caseñas' was in the lower part of the village.
On March 5, 1901 Valmoria received a communication from the general headquarters of Bohol guerilla leader, Pedro Samson, that the Americans had started moving towards his (Valmoria's) camp.
Valmoria warned Caseñas that his camp (Caseñas') will be first to be attacked. Believing that the American troops will pass through Lonoy via a narrow path, Caseñas and his men dug trenches and foxholes on both sides of the path, covered and camouflaged. Waiting in the trenches and foxholes were 413 guerillas, nearly all armed only with daggers, bolos and spears.
Unknown to them, the Americans had learned of the ambush plan from a pro-American native, Francisco Salas, who led the Americans to the rear of the Filipino defenses.
On March 8, 1901, the Americans struck from behind, catching the would-be ambushers totally offguard; they shot and bayoneted the guerillas to death in their trenches; the Americans had received orders not to take prisoners and any Filipinos attempting to surrender were gunned down
When the smoke cleared, 406 of the Bohol natives lay dead on the ground, including Caseñas, and only 7 survived.
The Americans suffered 3 killed and 10 wounded.
There were two Filipino guerilla encampments on Mt. Verde in Barrio Lonoy. Miguel Valmoria's campsite was in the upper part of Lonoy, while Gregorio "Goyo" Caseñas' was in the lower part of the village.
On March 5, 1901 Valmoria received a communication from the general headquarters of Bohol guerilla leader, Pedro Samson, that the Americans had started moving towards his (Valmoria's) camp.
Valmoria warned Caseñas that his camp (Caseñas') will be first to be attacked. Believing that the American troops will pass through Lonoy via a narrow path, Caseñas and his men dug trenches and foxholes on both sides of the path, covered and camouflaged. Waiting in the trenches and foxholes were 413 guerillas, nearly all armed only with daggers, bolos and spears.
Unknown to them, the Americans had learned of the ambush plan from a pro-American native, Francisco Salas, who led the Americans to the rear of the Filipino defenses.
On March 8, 1901, the Americans struck from behind, catching the would-be ambushers totally offguard; they shot and bayoneted the guerillas to death in their trenches; the Americans had received orders not to take prisoners and any Filipinos attempting to surrender were gunned down
When the smoke cleared, 406 of the Bohol natives lay dead on the ground, including Caseñas, and only 7 survived.
The Americans suffered 3 killed and 10 wounded.
March 10, 1901: General Mariano Riego de Dios surrenders
On March 10, 1901, General Mariano
Riego de Dios surrendered to Col. Walter S. Schuyler (RIGHT) of the 46th
Regular Infantry in Naik, 
Cavite. He brought with him 5 officers, 57 enlisted men and 62 firearms.
Riego de Dios was born on Sept. 12, 1875 in Maragondon, Cavite. He became a member of the Katipunan on July 12, 1896. He was among the first Caviteños to join the revolutionary society. In October 1896, he was among the Katipuneros who attacked the Spanish garrison in Lian, Batangas. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General after the triumphant defense of Noveleta, Cavite in 1896.
He was member of the council of war that tried and convicted the Bonifacio brothers (Andres and Procorpio) of sedition and treason against the revolutionary government of Emilio Aguinaldo. The brothers were sentenced to death but Riego de Dios believed the sentence was harsh and abstained from signing the death verdict.
He died on Feb. 17, 1935. Camp General Mariano Riego de Dios in Tanza, Cavite was named in his honor.
Cavite. He brought with him 5 officers, 57 enlisted men and 62 firearms.Riego de Dios was born on Sept. 12, 1875 in Maragondon, Cavite. He became a member of the Katipunan on July 12, 1896. He was among the first Caviteños to join the revolutionary society. In October 1896, he was among the Katipuneros who attacked the Spanish garrison in Lian, Batangas. He was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General after the triumphant defense of Noveleta, Cavite in 1896.
He was member of the council of war that tried and convicted the Bonifacio brothers (Andres and Procorpio) of sedition and treason against the revolutionary government of Emilio Aguinaldo. The brothers were sentenced to death but Riego de Dios believed the sentence was harsh and abstained from signing the death verdict.
He died on Feb. 17, 1935. Camp General Mariano Riego de Dios in Tanza, Cavite was named in his honor.
March 15, 1901: General Mariano Trias surrenders
General
Mariano Trias was born on Oct. 12, 1868 in San Francisco de Malabon
(now General Trias), Cavite province. He went to Manila and enrolled at
the Colegio de San Juan de Letran for his Bachelor of Arts, then to the Universidad de Santo Tomas for his course in Medicine, which he was unable to finish as he returned home to help his parents manage the farm holdings.He joined the Katipunan before the revolution broke out on Aug. 30, 1896 and became an active propagandist of the society against the ruling Spaniards in the towns of Silang and Kawit.
On Nov. 1, 1897, the Biak-na-Bato Republic was established. Emilio Aguinaldo was president and Trías was vice president.
On Jan. 23, 1899, with the establishment of the Philippine republic, he was appointed as Secretary of Finance. He later held the post of Secretary of War. After Filipino forces were practically dispersed in Central Luzon by the US army, he was named commanding general of Southern Luzon. He directed guerrilla offensive moves in Cavite province.
He figured in a series of furious skirmishes with the troops of Brig. Gen. Lloyd Wheaton in January 1900 when he defended Cavite until his men were finally dispersed.
General Trías set free all the Spanish prisoners under his command in May 1900.
On March 15, 1901, he surrendered to Colonel (later Major General) Frank Dwight Baldwin (RIGHT, as Major General) at San Francisco de Malabon, accompanied by Severino de las Alas, former Secretary of the Interior, Ladislao Diwa, ex-governor of Cavite, 9 army officers and 199 enlisted men.
Brig. Gen. Arthur C. MacArthur, Jr., viewed this as "a most auspicious event, indicating the final stage of armed insurrection. The prestige of Trias in southern Luzon was equal to that of Aguinaldo."
With the establishment of the civil government by the Americans, Civil Governor William Howard Taft appointed him the first Civil Governor of Cavite on June 11, 1901 and he served until 1905.
A street in Cavite, photo taken in January 1904
In late January 1905, Julian Montalan, one of Macario Sakay's generals, raided San Francisco de Malabon. The guerillas overcame the constabulary force and captured their weapons. In departing, they kidnapped the wife and two small children of Governor Trias.This action was taken in response to Trias's collaborationist policies and his arrest of those suspected of aiding the guerillas. Trias was the actual target but he managed to escape by jumping through a window and submerging himself in a canal, which flowed in the rear of his premises. His wife was reportedly abused and one of her ribs broken by the butt of a gun. The family was recovered shortly thereafter by the Constabulary.
Trias organized the first chapter of the Nacionalista Party in Cavite. He was a member of the honorary board of Filipino commissioners to the Louisiana Purchase Exposition in 1904. He was acting governor of Cavite when he died of appendicitis at the Philippine General Hospital on Feb. 22, 1914.
