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
Collapse, 1901: General Capistrano surrenders in Sumilao, Bukidnon, March 29, 1901 On March 29, 1901, General Nicolas Capistrano, commander of Filipino guerilla forces in northern Mindanao Island, surrendered in Sumilao, Bukidnon Province; the highland town is approximately 62 kilometers from Cagayan de Misamis (now Cagayan de Oro City). He gave up with … Read more
July 26-30, 1899: Capture of Calamba, Laguna Province The “Napindan” towing four casco loads of US troops during the advance against Calamba. On July 26, 1899, an expedition under Brig. Gen. Robert H. Hall, attacked Calamba, an important trading town on the south shore of Lake Laguna de Bay about 30 miles … Read more
Capture of Aguinaldo, March 23, 1901 On Nov. 12, 1899, with his conventional forces shattered, Emilio Aguinaldo ordered a shift to guerilla warfare. Since then, the Americans found it frustrating to crush an enemy who appeared from nowhere, struck at will and slinked back into the shadows. They concluded that the resistance … Read more
Dec. 21, 1898: Mckinley issues “Benevolent Assimilation” Proclamation The US is ranked among one of the most important global economies of the world. Behind this strong position lies a history of various events and traditions that influenced the US’ power and hold over various territories. One of the most important ones is … Read more