Timeline of the Philippine–American War
Key events of the Philippine–American War, 1899–1902.
The Philippine–American War (1899–1902) was an armed conflict between Filipino revolutionaries and the United States, arising from the struggle of the First Philippine Republic for independence after the U.S. acquired the Philippines from Spain. This timeline lists significant events from before, during, and after that war, with links to more detailed articles.
Quick Facts
- Start date
- 4 February 1899
- End date
- 4 July 1902
- First battle
- Battle of Manila (5 February 1899)
- Second largest battle
- Battle of Zapote Bridge (13 June 1899)
- Filipino leader captured
- Emilio Aguinaldo (23 March 1901)
Facts from the source article.
Prewar events
The Philippine Revolution against Spain had been suspended by the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, after which Emilio Aguinaldo, former leader of the Katipunan, went into exile in Hong Kong with other revolutionary leaders. Some revolutionaries remained and continued the struggle. When the Spanish–American War began, American forces sailed for the Philippines and defeated the Spanish Navy. Aguinaldo returned to the Philippines on 19 May aboard an American vessel. On 24 May he issued a proclamation assuming command of all Philippine forces and establishing a dictatorial government with himself as dictator. The Philippine Declaration of Independence was proclaimed on 12 June by Ambrosio Rianzares Bautista on behalf of the Dictatorial Government. Aguinaldo issued a decree on 18 June formally establishing that government, and on 23 June replaced it with a Revolutionary Government, with himself as president. On 8 August, eight American soldiers were killed or wounded by Spanish fire; American officers suspected insurgents were informing the Spaniards, later confirmed by captured documents. The Protocol of Peace was signed on 12 August, and word reached Manila on 16 August. On 13 August, U.S. forces took Manila in the Battle of Manila, after which they controlled the city while Filipino forces remained in the suburbs. On 14 August, Major General Wesley Merritt issued a proclamation establishing a military government, designating himself Governor of the Philippines.
Start and ending dates
Depending on events chosen to mark the beginning and end, several dates can be given. For this article, the war began on 4 February 1899 and ended on 4 July 1902. Armed conflict erupted in Manila between U.S. and Filipino forces on 4 February 1899, when Emilio Aguinaldo issued a proclamation ordering that peace and friendly relations with the Americans be broken and that they be treated as enemies. On 2 June 1899, the Malolos Congress enacted and ratified a Declaration of War on the United States, publicly proclaimed that day by Pedro Paterno. The war's end was not formalized in a treaty. Aguinaldo was captured on 23 March 1901 and swore allegiance to the U.S. on 1 April, appealing for Filipinos to accept U.S. sovereignty. Armed conflict continued until the surrender of the last Filipino general on 13 April 1902. On 4 July 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt proclaimed a full pardon and amnesty to all participants, a date often cited as the war's end. On 9 April 2002, Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo proclaimed the war ended on 16 April 1902 with the surrender of General Miguel Malvar. Despite these proclamations, guerrilla bands and resistance groups continued clashing with American or Philippine Constabulary patrols until 1913; some sources describe post-1902 actions in Mindanao as a separate conflict.
Timeline
On 4 February, general hostilities erupted between U.S. forces inside Manila and Filipino forces surrounding the city, and Aguinaldo proclaimed war on U.S. forces. The Battle of Manila on 5 February, the first and largest battle of the war, drove Filipino forces away from Manila. American forces captured Malolos, the capital of the Philippine Republic on Luzon, on 31 March, driving out Aguinaldo and his government. From 9–10 April, General Henry W. Lawton captured Santa Cruz and pushed into Laguna province. On 11 April, American sharpshooters skirmished with Filipinos outside Pagsanjan, taking the town in the second action of the Laguna Campaign. On 12 April, Lawton's forces dispersed Filipinos blocking the route to Paete, taking it in the last action of the campaign. On 23 April, General Gregorio del Pilar stopped American cavalry scouts at Quingua but was routed after artillery and infantry assault. On 2 June, the Malolos Congress enacted and ratified a Declaration of War on the United States, publicly proclaimed by Pedro Paterno. On 5 June, General Antonio Luna was assassinated by Aguinaldo's men. On 13 June, Lawton's forces routed a larger Philippine force under General Maximo Hizon at Zapote Bridge, the second largest battle. On 11 August, the U.S. ratified the Treaty of Paris and established the Insular Government of the Philippine Islands. On 11 November, General Loyd Wheaton drove Filipinos out of San Jacinto. On 13 November, Aguinaldo decreed guerrilla warfare as the strategy. On 2 December, sixty Filipino soldiers under del Pilar fought off 500 American soldiers for five hours at Tirad Pass before nearly all Filipinos were killed, including del Pilar.
Postwar events
Forty-seven Philippine Constabulary Scouts were ambushed by 1,000 pulajans at the Battle of Dolores River, with nearly all killed. From 5–7 March, 1,000 Moros fortified themselves in an extinct volcanic crater on Mindanao in the First Battle of Bud Dajo, battling a large number of American soldiers before virtually all Moros were killed. Macario Sakay, president of the Tagalog Republic, surrendered on 17 July to Philippine Constabulary Chief Harry Hill Bandholtz. In September, General John J. Pershing ordered the complete disarmament of all Moros. In December, U.S. forces assaulted and captured a Moro-held defensive position in the Second Battle of Bud Dajo. The Battle of Bud Bagsak occurred from 11–15 June.
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