Today in history: The Filipino-American War begins
Even if you record it as it happens your record can have discrepancies
Two entries for today, on the anniversary of the outbreak of the Filipino-American War.
The first is the Filipino point of view, as recorded by a member of President Aguinaldo’s staff, Santiago Barcelona (he would represent Butuan as an appointed delegate to the Malolos Congress and accompanied Aguinaldo until his capture) on February 4, 1899:
It was a beautiful day, Saturday, February 4, 1899.[1] There was peace and happiness everywhere in Malolos because on this day the (peace) Commissioners were to read before Congress the results of the conferences held with the American emissaries of McKinley to reach an agreement between the two nations. Happiness, because the Filipino nation had high hopes that at the end of the conference an agreement favorable to the aspirations of our people would be reached.
In the afternoon, Congress began its session; a numerous public invaded the temple of laws to listen to the outcome of the conferences. Almost all the representatives were at their posts. The session began. Gracio Gonzaga, Secretary of Fomento, representing our government, read the results of the conferences held with the American envoys headed by Schurman,[2] and the Filipinos headed by Florentino Torres.
It was clear that the envoys of the Imperialist Party were not invested with the powers needed to pass any resolution; thus, messages were telegraphed to the McKinley cabinet. In short, nothing was accomplished during the conferences except wasting our time and dampening the spirit of our people.
Coincidence, fatality, Machiavellian stratagem, or concerted action between the American Army and their envoys—the truth is that on that same day, Saturday, February 4, the last groups of soldiers sent by McKinley disembarked at the plains of Santa Mesa with their cannons facing San Juan del Monte, where the advance forces of the Filipinos were stationed. On that day, the talks were terminated without coming to any agreement. Our fears did not take long to come to a head.
The evening was quiet with a silver moon shining; Malolos was happy; a dance was being held in the house of Mrs. Concha del Rosario, widow of Mapúa. Gen. Artemio Ricarte and Col. Luciano San Miguel, commanders of the Santa Ana line in Manila, were paying homage to Terpsichore. While Malolos was in deep slumber without any suspicion of an unrest, between midnight and 1 o’clock in the morning, an unusual noise woke the unsuspecting inhabitants. The cry of “War” reverberated everywhere. The hostilities had begun!
We woke up at 1 o’clock and went to the Central Postal Station, where we met the Honorable President of the Philippine Republic issuing orders. All the prominent members of the government were also there: Gen. Ricarte, Col. San Miguel, [Teodoro] Sandico, and others.
About 3 o’clock, Gen. Ricarte and Col. San Miguel boarded a train for Sta. Ana; Moreno and I accompanied them. At 5 a.m. we reached the station at Caloocan and continued on foot to Maypajo. Before reaching it, Ricarte and San Miguel separated from our group and took the road to La Loma; Moreno and I proceeded to the trenches at Maypajo and reached them at 5:30 a.m. Here we learned of the impossibility of reaching Manila; Moreno has been appointed chief of the volunteers from Manila.
After a while some soldiers from detachments in Solis arrived informing us that they were leaving because they had no longer any cartridges. I left Moreno at 6 o’clock to be in Caloocan with the intention of establishing an emergency field hospital while waiting for the military health unit to take some action. A few steps away sounds of guns and cannons rent the air while shots whistled by, instilling in me the fear that the end was near. During intervals, I made my way and reached unscathed the municipal building where I intended to attend to the wounded. I had hardly gone upstairs when I saw a warship in the bay opposite the building. I left for the railroad station; but barely twenty meters away a grenade fell. I entered the station and saw a wounded man, but as I did not have anything with me to help him, and knowing the impossibility of requesting medicines from Malabon, I departed and took the train for Malolos.
When I arrived home, Choling[3] told me that I was a coward because I had abandoned the fighting. I explained to her that I had come to get bandages and medicines because there were none there. I went to the drug store and requested everything needed for first aid. When I inquired for the cost, the pharmacist refused to collect. At 1 in the afternoon of the 5th, after lunch, I returned to Caloocan bringing my surgery satchel. I found [Antonio] Luna, José, [Leon Ma.] Guerrero and [Anastacio] Francisco, Inspector General of Military Health.
At 4 p.m. a stretcher arrived bringing [José] Torres Bugallon, Major of the General Staff, with a broken right thigh; he was very pale, looking almost bloodless owing to profuse hemorrhage. He stretched his hand upon seeing me, relating at the same time how he had been wounded.
He said, “I was leading the troops when I felt I was wounded, but continued marching about fifty meters farther; then I fell. I felt I was being dragged and then I lapsed into unconsciousness. I did not know anything more until I found myself here today. Bitter and endless fighting continued on both sides.” I asked him to stop talking and he kept silent.
Luna and I applied first aid to him then he was transferred to the Lolomboy Hospital at Bocaue. He died, however, on the way. The body was taken to Malolos, where it was buried. I was left in Bocaue, where I intended to establish a hospital; but with the presence of De Jesus and Cordero of the medical corps, I proceeded to Meycauayan, where I spent the night…
An American soldier, Chriss Bell, a Corporal in the Second Oregon Volunteer Infantry state militia, wrote an interesting entry dated February 3, 1899:
Nothing out of ordinary happened today. In evening Carr, Frank Holbart & I played billiards. James during day played Shorty 3 games chess Holbart [won or lost] in every game James [Then] in evening about 9 we were all [done for] today [and] we walked out [to] Whalleys when we heard the call to arms played at California quarters just across the river.
We started to quarters notifying the boys we saw. Just a few minutes after our arrival the boys came from the circus & told us they had heard firing in the outposts. Some [Soon] we could hear the firing it was general although the [in our] bones we were just ready to go. Slept with clothes on. I was Corporal of Guard. Firing continued all night. Several shots coming very near in the Buttels were found in the morning. In early morning Dewey opened on woods with some of his guns. Cannot yet tell results but believe found all that can be learned [that] the insurgents were driven back all along the line. We went [and] lost some men. Dont [Don’t] know how many. There has been no general uprising in town but wounded men returning from front & policeman & others etc. have been set upon by 8 to 10 natives, 7 in several instances badly wounded or killed. The beets in position as now being cause as to prevent this. One of own sentries was shot at. It came from river probably from Ciscos attack the [we] are learning something about fighting. With proposal, [we] fire across, which they did not before know if we have call. Question as to final outcome but we may have some severe fighting. Tomorrow we will know something of todays fighting.
As you will see when you read our comprehensive summary of the first month of the Filipino-American War, Diaries describe the start of the Filipino-American War, February 4-28, 1899, it’s interesting because the events he records actually occured from February 3 to 4. The Philippine Diary Project features several diaries not only covering the outbreak of the war, but which illustrate the atmosphere in American-occupied Manila and its environs from the American conquest of the city in August, 1898, to the immediate prelude to the war. On this page, we have supplemented out material with links to the site, the Philippine-American War 1899-1902, which provides an exhaustive overview from a Filipino perspective of events. Read the special page to discover more.