Battle of Pulang Lupa
Battle of Pulang Lupa | |||||||
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Part of Philippine–American War | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
Philippine Republic | United States | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Maximo Abad |
Luther Hare Devereux Shields | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
1,180–2,250 total 180–250 riflemen 1,000–2,000 bolomen[1] : 278 | 54 29th U.S. Infantryman | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | 4 killed, 50 captured, 6 of which wounded. |
The Battle of Pulang Lupa (Filipino: Labanan sa Pulang Lupa, Spanish: Batalla de Tierra Roja) was an engagement fought on September 13, 1900, during the Philippine–American War, between the forces of Colonel Maximo Abad and Devereux Shields, in which Abad's men defeated the American force.
"The severity with which the inhabitants have been dealt would not look well if a complete history of it were written out." —Governor-General of the Philippines William Howard Taft, concerning the U.S. Army campaign on the island of Marinduque during the Philippine–American War of 1899–1902 [1]
Background
On September 11, Captain Devereux Shields led a detachment of 54 29th U.S. Volunteer Infantrymen into the mountains of Torrijos to combat the elusive Abad and his guerrillas.[1]: 278 They experienced little success, except for the dispersing of 20 guerrillas, in which no casualties were inflicted on either side.
Abad had excellent intelligence and was informed of Shields' movements by the local guerrillas ahead of time. In response, he assembled his entire force of around 180–250 regular Filipino soldiers and 1,000–2,000
Battle
On September 13, Abad positioned his men along a steep ridge overlooking the trail which Shields would soon cross. Both Shields and his men had little combat experience and easily fell into the trap. Abad and his 250 soldiers opened fire on the column, which led to a fire-fight that lasted for several hours. Meanwhile, as the Americans and Philippine riflemen exchanged fire, the large force of Filipino bolomen began maneuvering to surround the Americans.
Shields, seeing that he was almost completely surrounded, ordered a withdrawal, which soon turned into a full-blown retreat, as Abad's much larger force poured over the ridge after Shields and his men. The Filipino soldiers harassed Shields for nearly 4 miles (6 km) before cornering them in a small rice field; their escape to Santa Cruz was cut off by the large force of Filipino bolomen. Abad's men again opened fire, forcing the Americans to take cover behind some paddy dikes. Shields, wounded and recognizing the futility of the situation, raised the white flag in order to surrender.[1]: 278
After months of hiding, Abad in only a few hours eliminated nearly one third of the American garrison on Marinduque.
Aftermath
Shields' defeat sent shock waves through the American high command.[1]: 278 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.
These new tactics led to the surrender of Abad in April 1901.[1]: 280
See also
- Campaigns of the Philippine-American War
References
- ^ ISBN 0700612254
Note
- ISBN 0-7812-4908-2.
External links
- Sol Jose Vanzi, "Fil-Am War Mural Honors Marinduque Heroes" Archived 2005-05-02 at the Wayback Machine. Philippine Headline News, March 20, 2003