Combats between Manila and Lake Laguna de Bay With fresh troops from the U.S. mainland, Maj. Gen. Elwell S. Otis ordered the clearing of the country between Manila and Lake Laguna de Bay, and a push to the north and capture Aguinaldo. He believed that this move will stretch a line of … Read more
Sept. 15, 1898: The Malolos Congress Following the declaration of independence from Spain on June 12, 1898 by the Revolutionary Government, a congress was opened in Malolos, Bulacan Province on Sept. 15, 1898 to draw up a constitution for the First Philippine Republic. The basilica at Barasoain was filled with delegates and … Read more
Dec. 10, 1899: Apolinario Mabini Is Captured When the Filipino-American war broke out and Aguinaldo’s government became disorganized, the paralytic Apolinario Mabini, who headed Aguinaldo’s cabinet until May 7, 1899, when he was replaced by Pedro Paterno, fled to Cuyapo, Nueva Ecija Province, carried in a hammock. He was captured there by … Read more
June 5, 1899: Assassination of Gen. Antonio Luna Gen. Antonio Luna (LEFT, in 1898) was born in Urbiztondo, Binondo district, Manila on Oct. 29, 1866. He was the youngest of seven children of Ilocano parents; his father, Joaqu�n Luna, hailed from Badoc, Ilocos Norte Province, and his mother, Spanish mestiza Laureana Novicio, … Read more
April 9-12, 1899: Lawton’s Lake Laguna de Bay Expedition After the capture of Malolos, the U.S. 2nd Division under Maj. Gen. Henry W. Lawton was sent by Maj. Gen. Elwell S. Otis to the south into Laguna province, via Lake Laguna de Bay, to take the Filipino stronghold located in Santa Cruz, … Read more
The Schurman Commission and “Ilustrado” Collaborators, July 24, 1899 When Gen. Emilio Aguinaldo declared Philippine independence on June 12, 1898, he appointed Filipino “ilustrados” (men from the upper social classes) to draft the Philippine Constitution in the Malolos Congress. The constitution they crafted was intended to show the Americans that Filipinos were fully … Read more
Nov. 26 – Dec. 17, 1899: Americans Invade the Ilocos When the Philippine-American War broke out on Feb. 4, 1899, General Manuel Tinio, military governor of the Ilocos provinces and commanding general of all Filipino forces in Northern Luzon, had 1,904 men (the “Tinio Brigade” ), consisting of 68 officers, 1,106 riflemen, 200 sandatahanes or … Read more
Nov. 12, 1899: Aguinaldo shifts to Guerilla Warfare By the closing months of 1899, the army of the Philippine Republic was no longer a regular fighting force. President Emilio Aguinaldo himself was under siege in Pangasinan Province from three pursuing American generals, from the north by Brig. Gen. Loyd Wheaton, from the … Read more
Dec. 19, 1899: General Henry Lawton dies at San Mateo Maj. Gen. Henry W. Lawton was the highest-ranking U.S. military officer to be killed in action in the Philippine-American War. He was the only general awarded the Medal of Honor during the American Civil War to die in combat and the first … Read more
May 22-23, 1899: Filipinos negotiate with the Schurman Commission The Anaconda Standard, Anaconda, Montana, issue of Aug. 29, 1899, page 15. With the Philippine army unable to contain the American offensive, President Emilio Aguinaldo created a peace commission to negotiate an armistice. He appointed 23-year-old General Gregorio del Pilar to head the … Read more
First Shot of the War, Feb. 4, 1899 On Saturday night, Feb. 4, 1899, Privates William W. Grayson and Orville H. Miller of Company D, 1st Nebraska Volunteers, while doing sentry duty, encountered 3 Filipino soldiers on Sociego Street in Santa Mesa, Manila, between Blockhouse 7 (Manila City boundary) and Barrio Santol (Sampaloc district). … Read more
May 19, 1898: Emilio Aguinaldo Returns In the run up to the Spanish-American War, several American Consuls – in Hong Kong, Singapore and Manila – sought Emilio Aguinaldo’s support. None of them spoke Tagalog, Aguinaldo’s own language, and Aguinaldo himself spoke poor Spanish. A British businessman who spoke Tagalog, Howard W. Bray, … Read more
