The Philippine–American War (2 Viewers)

[DeathHand]

The Philippine–American War, also known as the Philippine War of Independence or the Philippine Insurrection (1899–1902), was an armed conflict between the United States and Filipino revolutionaries.

On February 4, 1899, an American soldier, Private William Grayson, shot a Filipino soldier at the bridge of San Juan, Manila. The fatal shot was followed by an immediate U.S. offensive on the Filipino lines.

This marked the beginning of the Philippine-American War, which lasted for three years. Fighting quickly escalated into the 1899 Battle of Manila. On June 2, 1899, the First Philippine Republic officially declared war against the United States. The war officially ended on July 4, 1902.

Note: these are old photos and most were quite small and really shitty to begin with. The photos have been posted in no particular order.

Set 1.

1. Trench of Filipino soldiers killed by US artillery fire.

2. Pvt. Grayson demonstrates the position he held when he fired the first shot of the war.

3. US troops burying their dead.

4. Dead American soldiers on the field.

 

[DeathHand]

After centuries as a Spanish colony, a revolution led in part by Emilio Aguinaldo broke out in 1896 in the Philippine Islands. After fighting a savage guerilla war for two and a half years, the Filipinos suddenly found themselves in a seemingly advantageous position as allies of the United States. In 1898, Spain fought a losing war with the United States in which her colonies of Cuba, Puerto Rico, and Guam were overrun with relative ease by the U.S. Army and her Atlantic Fleet devastated outside of Santiago, Cuba. Similarly, Spain's Pacific Fleet was wiped out in the Battle of Manila Bay, and American troops landed on the outskirts of the capitol city.

Following the surrender of the Spanish colonial government in the Philippines to American military forces in August,1898, tensions developed between U.S. and Filipino forces near Manila. The American government decided to keep the Philippines as a colony, thereby denying independence to the Filipino people. Aguinaldo and his army of nearly 80,000 veteran troops realized that their "allies" in the Spanish War would soon become foes.

Set 2.

5.

6.

7.

8.

 

[DeathHand]

Opposition in the United States to the war inspired the founding of the Anti-Imperialist League on June 15, 1898. The war and occupation by the U.S. would change the cultural landscape of the islands, as the people dealt with an estimated 34,000–1,000,000 casualties, disestablishment of the Catholic Church as the Philippine state religion (as the U.S. allowed freedom of religion), and the introduction of the English language as the primary language of government and most businesses.

In 1916, the U.S. promised some self-government, a limited form of which came in 1935. In 1946, following World War II, the United States gave the territory independence through the Treaty of Manila.

The number of Filipino casualties was at the time, and still is, debated and politicized. It is estimated that some 34,000 Filipino soldiers lost their lives and that as many as 200,000 civilians may have died directly or indirectly as a result of the war, most due to a major cholera epidemic that broke out near its end.

Set 3.

9. US troops holding position beside a dead Filipino soldier.

10.

11.

12.

 

[DeathHand]

In 1908 Manuel Arellano Remondo, in General Geography of the Philippine Islands, wrote: “The population decreased due to the wars, in the five-year period from 1895 to 1900, since, at the start of the first insurrection, the population was estimated at 9,000,000, and at present (1908), the inhabitants of the Archipelago do not exceed 8,000,000 in number.”

In light of the massive casualties suffered by the civilian population, Filipino historian E. San Juan, Jr., alleges that the death of 1.4 million Filipinos constitutes an act of genocide on the part of the United States.

Atrocities were committed on both sides. United States attacks into the countryside often included scorched earth campaigns in which entire villages were burned and destroyed, the use of torture (water cure, or water-boarding) and the concentration of civilians into "protected zones".

In November 1901, the Manila correspondent of the Philadelphia Ledger reported: "The present war is no bloodless, opera bouffe engagement; our men have been relentless, have killed to exterminate men, women, children, prisoners and captives, active insurgents and suspected people from lads of ten up, the idea prevailing that the Filipino as such was little better than a dog...."

Set 4.

13. Filipino soldier killed by shrapnel, 1899.

14.

15.

16.

 

[DeathHand]

Set 5.

17.

18.

19.

20.

 

[DeathHand]

On the Filipino side, information regarding atrocities comes from the eyewitnesses and the participants themselves. In his History of the Filipino People Teodoro Agoncillo writes that the Filipino troops could match and even exceed American brutality on some prisoners of war. Kicking, slapping, and spitting at faces were common.

In some cases, ears and noses were cut off and salt applied to the wounds. In other cases, captives were buried alive. These atrocities occurred regardless of Aguinaldo's orders and circulars concerning the good treatment of prisoners.

Set 6.

21. Filipino rifle squad.

22. Posed photo of US soldiers.

23. US gatling gun at work.

24. US hanging a Filipino.

 

[DeathHand]

Worcester (a US War Commision member) recounts two specific Filipino atrocities as follows:
"A detachment, marching through Leyte, found an American who had disappeared a short time before crucified, head down. His abdominal wall had been carefully opened so that his intestines might hang down in his face.

Another American prisoner, found on the same trip, had been buried in the ground with only his head projecting. His mouth had been propped open with a stick, a trail of sugar laid to it through the forest, and a handful thrown into it.

"Millions of ants had done the rest."

Set 7.

25. Coffins for KIA American soldiers.

26.

27.

28.

29.

 

[DeathHand]

Eventually General Aguinaldo and the other republican military leaders were captured or surrendered, and the United States annexed the Philippines (as well as Guam and Puerto Rico) as a territory. Though it must be noted that they brought a much more democratic style of education to the islands, they also controlled the writing of history, and the story of the Philippine Republic and its desperate struggle to survive was suppressed.

Generations of Filipinos grew up without knowing of the role of their own countrymen in the fight for independence.

Never comfortable with the identity or responsibilities of imperialism, Americans also were taught little of the war, and it remains one of the least known and dramatized (especially in movies) conflicts in U.S. history.

Set 8.

30. Us soldiers 'water-boarding' a Filipino prisoner.

31. The USS Oregon heads out for Manila, Oct. 12, 1898.

32. American soldiers at what was known as "Bloody Lane.'

33. US soldiers picking their targets on a skirmish line. c1899.

34. US soldiers taking a breather by the bodies of 2 KIA Filipino soldiers.

 

[Dany56]

Great post thank you..

 

[ALLCAPS]

Great work sir.

 

[Ole Sparky]

Top shelf as per usual. Nicely done.

 

[McM]

Very good post !

 

[aptlyNamed]

now i'm interested in finding out more about this conflict. the idea of an overtly imperialistic US is a strange idea to me, but for a short time, it seems we were going in that direction. it's funny that most Americans today have no idea that the Philippines were once a colony. even i didn't know until a few minutes ago. very interesting post

 

[Jayme408]

What is "water boarding" ?

 

[ater]

What is "water boarding" ?

is a not letal torture utilized in abu graib also

very good set tanks!

 

[aptlyNamed]

What is "water boarding" ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterboarding

 

[Jayme408]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Waterboarding

Thank you

 

[von_Hagens_PhD]

21. Filipino rifle squad.
View attachment 88946

Anyone know what type of rifle that is? They look awesome!
Great thread BTW.

 

[Mr_Blonde]

now i'm interested in finding out more about this conflict. the idea of an overtly imperialistic US is a strange idea to me, but for a short time, it seems we were going in that direction. it's funny that most Americans today have no idea that the Philippines were once a colony. even i didn't know until a few minutes ago. very interesting post

It wasn't for any real time. The Philippines were a prize in the Spanish-American war like Haiti. One of the primary reasons to get involved was the brutal treatment the Filipinos and the Haitians were enduring from the Spanish --- then it was all moral outrage, "we can't let this thing stand" etc., etc., what's Spain doing in our hemisphere etc., etc., etc. As soon as we essentially kicked them out of the western hemisphere, we won these former colonies. The dumb fucks of Haiti and the Philippines didn't realize we were the good guys and saw us as the aggressors. Guerrilla style tactics, kidnapping, murder, sniping etc., etc., ensued, and found ourselves embroiled in the exact same situation the Spanish were in, until the war "officially" kicked off.

 

[Mr_Blonde]

Anyone know what type of rifle that is? They look awesome!
Great thread BTW.

Given the date and time period and considering most Fillipino weapons fielded were captured from either the Spanish or US I would presume they would be a model similar to this:

Spanish 1857 rifled musket.
Picture quality is too poor to be certain. It's an educated guess.

The US army at the time was using

Model 1898 Krag bolt action magazine rifle. (I believe they were licensed for manufacture by Springfield)