Part VII: US Military Operations in Batangas from 1901-02 during the Fil-American War

[In this article: Batangas Province, Philippine American War, United States Army in the Philippines, Lipa City Batangas, Lobo Batangas, Mount Gonzales, Mount Matado, Mount Sungay, San Juan de Bocboc, San Juan Batangas, Batangas City Batangas]

• The trend of Filipino rebels surrendering to the Americans continued with one Captain Potenciano Escano, who fought in the commands of one Major Buquid and one Gonzales, surrendered in Lipa. With him were an unnamed 1^st Lieutenant, who had with him 13 soldiers and 13 guns; and a 2^nd Lieutenant named Felipe Landiche (probably Landicho), who had with him 13 soldiers and their 9 guns plus 3 bolos.
• The command of Colonel Mariano Lot (Lota?), Major Gregorio Layiste (Leviste?), Captain Simeon Esteagui, 1^st Lieutenant Adriano Laviste (likely Leviste), 2^nd Lieutenant Maximo Mendosa, 2 corporals and 17 privates, all of the Filipino revolutionary army, also surrendered at Lipa bringing with them 15 serviceable and 2 unserviceable rifles, as well 2 revolvers (of which only one was serviceable).

• On 2^nd Lieutenant Obatdo (Obaldo?) Poso of the Filipino rebels, bringing with him one sergeant, one corporal and nine privates, all of them belonging to the command of Gregorio Laviste (likely Leviste), surrendered in Lipa. They brought with them 11 rifles and one pistol
• Philippine Scouts under the command of one 1^st Lieutenant Junius J. Boyle struck a small group of Filipino rebels near the summit of Mt. Gonzales².
• Captured from them were 4 bolos, 1 revolver, 10 rounds of ammunition, 4 ponies and equipment. Also taken were two heads of cattle. One Filipino rebel was killed during the operation.

Image source:  the Greely Collection, United States National Archives.

20 February 1902

• Filipino rebel captains Jose and Juan Pilar surrendered to an American expedition north of Taal Lake. They also surrendered two revolvers and ammunition.
• In Tanauan, one Lt. Colonel Propero Dimayuga, accompanied by one major, one captain and one lieutenant surrendered to the Americans. They brought with them 1 revolver and ammunition.

24 February 1902

• Again in Tanauan, one Captain Vicente and a Gaudencia Macaisa, presumably with the rebel movement, surrendered to the Americans.
• One Captain John J. Lynch is sent from Indang Cavite in command of 25 men to Looc in Nasugbu. There, they had an encounter with some men of one Julian Ramos, presumably an officer of the Filipino rebels, and managed to kill two of them.

28 February 1902

• In Lobo, men of Company G of the 21^st Infantry captured one rebel sergeant, who had in his possession two guns.
• Also in Lobo, Filipino rebels surrendered to the Americans 6 rifles, 2 pistols and numerous bolos.

1 March 1902

• At San Juan de Bocboc, one Filipino rebel captain, bringing with him 3 lieutenants, 2 sergeants, 1 corporal and 8 privates, surrendered to the Americans. The also handed over 6 rifles, 4 revolvers, 6 bolos and 221 cartridges.
• While scouting in the vicinity of Mount Banoi (or Banoy in Lobo), 1^st Lieutenant Roger S. Fitch, commanding a detachment of some 12 Americans as well as some native scouts, captured one Filipino rebel corporal, 3 privates as well as their 4 rifles. They also captured the relatives of one Major Montalbos (probably Montalbo), likely an officer in the Philippine Revolutionary Army.

2 March 1902

• Bargos (likely Burgos), presumably an Filipino rebel officer, surrendered to the Americans in Lipa. With him were one captain, one lieutenant and 37 soldiers. They also handed over 7 Mausers, 14 Remingtons, 1 pistol and some ammunition.
• United States Volunteers soldiers commanded by 1^st Lieutenant Alexander E. Williams captured two Filipino rebels in the vicinity of Lipa. The had with them 1 Mauser and 80 rounds of ammunition. The group also had a skirmish with another group of rebels in the same area, destroying a cuartel and capturing 1 Mauser, 7 shotguns and 7 bolos. Twenty of the rebels surrendered to the Americans.

8 March 1902

Two officers and 14 soldiers of Tomas Ruides, presumably the commanding officer, surrendered to the Americans at San Juan de Bocboc. They also handed over 2 revolvers and 152 cartridges.

13 March 1902

• 20 men of the 7^th Company, working with native scouts in the vicinity of Mount Matado³ captured one Geronimo Harnilla (probably Hornilla), a Captain Rosino Macorega (Macaraeg?), one lieutenant, one surgeon, one corporal and four privates who had with them 2 rifles, 150 rounds of ammunition, one revolver and 15 bolos.
• In the vicinity of Mt. Gonzales, 1^st Lieutenant Junius J. Boyle, with a detachment of scouts, surprised a small party of Filipino rebels. They killed 3 of the rebels and captured one, along with 4 bolos, one shotgun, 1 Mauser rifle and two ponies.

15 March 1902

• In the town of Batangas, Major Cayetano Cantos, Major Juan Cantos Captain Pedro Manalo (alias Bancos), Lieutenant Victor Delagardia (likely Delaguardia), Lieutenant Filimon Casañas, Lieutenant Doroten Castillo, Liutenant Modesto Gutierrez, Lieutenant Rafael Pabul, Lieutenant Bernardo Salva, Lieutenant Placido Frani and 32 other Filipino rebels surrendered to the Americans.
• Six soldiers of the command of one Major Martinez, surrendered to the Americans at San Juan de Bocboc. They brought with them 5 rifles, one shotgun and 265 rounds of ammunition.
• Near the southern end of the Lipa Mountains (likely Mt. Malepunyo), 1^st Lieutenant Lucio Bautista of the Filipino rebels and four soldiers under his command were killed by an American detachment under the command of 1^st Lieutenant Chase Doster. Another rebel was wounded while captured were four shotguns and one revolver.

Notes and references:

¹ “Annual Reports of the War Department for the Fiscal Year Ended June 30, 1902,” report of the Lieutenant-General Commanding the Army and Department Commanders, published 1902 in the United States, online at HathiTrust.
² Mt. Sungay is also alternatively called Mt. Gonzales. “Mount Sungay,” Wikipedia.
³ Batangas History is unable to locate a mountain of this name in the present day, but the document said that this was in Batangas.