Fresh from their victories in previous battles in Cagayan de
Misamis, troops of the 40th Infantry Regiment, Volunteer Corps would
launch another military expedition to an enemy stronghold that was about 14
kilometers to the southern upland area of the town. Their objective was to
capture a fort that served as an advance post to the headquarters of Western
Mindanao Division at Langaon under the command of Colonel Apolinar Velez.
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| Colonel Apolinar Velez |
Unknown to the Americans, the Filipino guerillas were tipped
of the impending military plan. The latter then toiled hard to fortify their
area for an expected battle. They made breastworks around their perimeter and
beyond them were laid on the ground foliage- camouflaged pitfalls with
sharpened woods and bamboos in them. Although not sufficient in armaments, the
guerillas occupied a vantage position which were forested hills flanked by
natural barriers which was a steep precipice along the Cagayan River on the
eastern side and the deep, narrow gorge on the western side.
When the US troops reached Kabula on June 4, 1900, the
Filipino sentry Apolinario Nacalaban, who saw them, hurried d to the fort to
inform its commander Lieutenant Cruz Taal of the enemy’s presence. Meanwhile, the American soldiers, in closing
in on their objective, had to move along a trail so narrow that only one man or
horse could pass at a time. Near the fort, the trail was closer
to the edge of the precipice and the slope of the ground was higher.
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| Lieutenant Cruz Taal |
Lieutenant Cruz Taal gave instruction to his men to hold
their fire until the Americans were at a very close shooting range. When the
leading element of American soldiers under Captain Walter Elliott of “I”
Company was about to reach the entrance of the fort, a soldier shouted “Good
Morning!” Filipino guerillas then quickly answered them with rifle and cannon
fires. The initial salvoes stopped the Americans right on their tracks and
drove them back down. Some of them fell off the high precipice while others stumbled
on the concealed pitfalls on the ground. The sharpened wooden and bamboo arrows
and spears in the pits were deadlier than the gun fires of the Filipino
guerillas. Many of the American soldiers were killed and wounded during the
encounter.
Captain Thomas Millar of Company “H”, 40th
Infantry Regiment made an attempt to ease the pressure put up by the guerillas.
He maneuvered towards the western flank of their stronghold, but to his dismay there
was a deep narrow gorge at it so that attacking the guerillas to that direction
would be very difficult and risky. An attack to the front was the most ideal
course of action. However, Captain Millar had to deal with the thick vegetation
and the pitfalls along the direction of the attack. It would also be difficult
to outdo enemies in gun battle where they were well concealed and covered on a
vantage ground.
Repeated attempts by
the Americans to capture the fort were beaten back by the Filipino Guerillas.
Realizing the futility of their effort because of the difficult terrain around
the Filipinos’ stronghold, the American retreated from the scene leaving behind
their dead and most of the rifles of those who were killed..
The battle resulted to 20 dead and 20 wounded and one
captured American soldiers. On the side of the Filipinos there was only one
killed and 3 wounded guerillas. The battle was the first and only known recorded
victory of the Filipinos over the Americans in the 1900-1901 Philippine-American
War in Mindanao.
Links:
Cagayan de Oro during the Philippine-American War (Part 1- The Battle of Cagayan de Misamis)
Cagayan de Oro during the Philippine-American War (Part 2- The Battle of Agusan Hill)Links:
Cagayan de Oro during the Philippine-American War (Part 1- The Battle of Cagayan de Misamis)
Cagayan de Oro during the Philippine-American War (Part 4- American Victory)
Lieutenant Cruz Taal had a volcano in Batangas named after him the Taal Volcano and the Taal Lake a small waterform inside the volcano as well as the Municipality of Taal, Batangas is named after him as well.
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