One of the bloodiest battles in the Philippines involving US
forces and the Filipinos during the
Philippine-American war happened in the
small municipality of
Balangiga in Samar. Early in the 20
th century,
General Vicente Lukban was sent to Samar by President Emilio Aguinaldo, the
first President of the
Philippine Republic. To deal with the insurgents, the
Americans sent troops to the municipalities of Balangiga, Basey and Guiwan to
control its ports with the aim of preventing foods and other supplies to reach
the hinterlands of Samar where Filipino guerillas were hiding. In addition, the
occupation of those places could give the Americans the control of the Manila
hemp trade which at that time was a commodity needed in the navy and the US cotton
industry.
Charlie Company of the US 9
th Infantry Regiment arrived
in Balangiga on August 11, 1901. At first the local residents and the soldiers
developed friendly relationship. Together, they enjoyed engaging in pastime
activities such as drinking
tuba, a local palm wine, playing baseball and watching
arnis demonstration.When an Army Inspector General was scheduled to visit the company,
the commander, Captain Thomas W. Connell required the locals to clean up the
surroundings of the town for the planned inspection. However, the communal
workers inadvertently cut off vegetation with food value. Reacting to what was happening
in the town, General Lukban sent Captain Eugenio Daza, with 400 guerillas to
secretly communicate with some of the townspeople to remind and warn them on food
security policy violations and on fraternizing with the American troops.
The amicable relationship between the townspeople and the
soldiers made a sudden turn around when Captain Connell confiscated the
bolos of
80 local men and the rice that was intended for their families. In addition he
detained them in two
Sibley tents and left unfed overnight. This incident
sparked anger to the townspeople so that they need no agitation from the
guerillas to fan their resentment even more.
Amid the brewing situation, Captain Eugenio Daza, a staff of
General Lukban, met with Valeriano Abanador, the chief of police of the town,
so that they could hatch a plan to attack the Americans with the use of the
guerillas that had infiltrated the labor force that cleaned up the town plaza.
That force was to be augmented by prisoners who would disguise as members of
the work force. The planned visit by a ranking US military officer which
coincided with the holding of the town fiesta made a good opportune time to stage
an attack. Hours before the attack women and children would stay away from the
town, and to mask the absence of women in the church service some of the
guerillas would be dressed as women.
In the early morning of September 28, 1901, a group of people
bearing coffins was at the town plaza. Private Scharer, a sentry, opened the first
coffin with his bayonet, and saw in it a dead child. The bearers said that he
died in the cholera epidemic. He then let the procession through, but unknown
to him and the other sentries the other coffins contained bolos. The group
proceeded to the church as some of the townspeople continued with their cleaning
up activity.
At breakfast time Valeriano Abanador who was supervising the
prisoners at the plaza gave a blow to the head of the unwary Pvt Adolph Gamlin
and grabbed his rifle. Abanador then gave a shout and fired towards the Sibley
tents where the American soldiers were having their breakfast. Then there were
peals of church bell followed by sounds of conch shells which were signals for
the execution of a simultaneous attack.
As some of Abanador’s men overpowered the sentries posted at
the plaza, the others who were armed with bolos made a simultaneous lightning
quick attack to the tents of the unwary soldiers where they were eating their
breakfast. The guerillas who were hidden in the church also rushed out to join
the fight. The men who were detained in the tent broke out and also helped the
guerillas. The soldiers who were totally taken by surprise had to use all means
and objects to fend off the attack, they had to use kitchen utensils such as
fork, steak knives, table and chairs and baseball bat to defend themselves as
the guerillas were hacking many of them to death. Although some of them managed
to get their rifles and shot some of the attackers, it was too late since the
guerillas had almost completely overrun them with the use of bladed weapons.
The result of the battle was a massacre to the American
soldiers. Of the 74 men of the Charlie Company 44 were killed, 22 were wounded
and 4 were missing and only 4 escaped unscathed. In addition 100 rifles and
25,000 rounds of ammunition were taken from them. Those killed included all of
the officers who were Captain Thomas W. Connell, the company commander, First
Lt Edward A. Bumpus and a Major Edward A. Griswold. On the side of the
guerillas 28 were killed and 22 were wounded. After the battle the guerillas and
their conspirators buried their dead and told the townspeople to abandon the
town. On the following day, Captain Edwin Victor Bookmiller of “G” company 9th
Infantry Regiment stationed in Basey sailed to Balangiga. Shortly after his
arrival he buried the dead soldiers and burned the town.
When report of the incident reached US President Theodore
Roosevelt, he then ordered Major General Adna R. Chaffee, the American military
governor of the Philippines to pacify Samar. The latter ordered Brigadier
General Jacob Smith to make retaliatory measures against the perpetrators of
the attack. In Samar General Smith organized the different military units to
carry out the punitive campaign. He primarily tasked Major Littleton Waller,
the battalion commander of 315 US marine to go after the attackers. “I want no
prisoners. I wish you kill and burn. The more you kill and burn, the more it
will please me. The interior of Samar must be made into a howling wilderness”,
he said. He also told him to kill males with age 10 years old and above.
The American soldiers went on a rampage in carrying out
General Jacob Smith’s orders. They indiscriminately killed people to include
their animals such as carabaos and burned their houses. Only the good sense and
restraint of some officers in the execution of the general’s order had reduced
the possible very high number of casualties on the local populace. Some
observers put the range of casualties on the guerillas and the civilians from
2,000 to 2,500. Others put it as high as 50,000 which is obviously an
exaggeration.
There was an outrage by the American anti-imperialist groups
in the US when they heard the news of the battle and the killings and the
destruction of properties that were done by the US troops that followed. In
connection with the Samar incidents, US President Theodore Roosevelt through
the Secretary of War ordered for an investigation. General Jacob Smith, Major
Littleton Waller and Captain Edwin Glenn were subjected to a trial by a court
martial for the heavy-handed treatment of Filipinos. Waller was acquitted
while Captain Glenn and General Jacob Smith were found guilty by the court.
General Smith was reprimanded and forced to retire from the service.
When troops of “G” Company, 9
th Infantry Regiment
left Balangiga they were replaced by the “K” Company of the 11
th Infantry
Regiment. And when troops of that unit were relieved there on October 18, 1901,
they took with them three of
the church’s bells and one 1557 cannon as war
booties. These objects were brought by the troops with them when they returned
to the United States. Two of the bells are now in museum of 2
nd
Infantry Division at Francis Warren Air Force Base. The third and the smallest
bell is in the possession of the 9
th Infantry Regiment at Camp Red
Cloud in South Korea.
 |
| The bells of Balangiga |
Filipinos have moved on with that sad and bitter episode of
that distant past when the Philippines was held by the United States as one of
its unincorporated territories. Both countries now are staunch allies. But the happenings
or events that shaped their storied relationship must forever be embedded in
their history. The bells of Balangiga are some of the historical relics that
symbolize the bravery and aspiration of the Filipinos for freedom and independence.
Philippine government officials since the time of President
Fidel Ramos have long asked for the return of the bells to the Philippines.
However, US officials said that they are US property and that it requires an
act of congress to transfer them to other country. Follow up official letters by
the Philippine government and the Catholic Church as well as personal representations
have been sent and made to the US Presidents and the US congress to convince
them to grant the Philippines’ request.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte during his second State of the Nation Address on 2017 made an appeal to the United States for the return of the Balangiga bells to the country. With the help of other organizations in the US and the Philippines such as the veterans groups, the long repeated requests to have the bells back in the Philippines is at last granted by the US through President Donald Trump. The bells are finally returned to the country on December 11, 2018.
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