Battle of Tirad Pass

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Battle of Tirad Pass

Part of the Philippine–American War

General Gregorio del Pilar and his troops, c. 1898.

Date December 2, 1899

Location Tirad Pass, Ilocos Sur, Philippines
Result
Strategic Filipino victory
Tactical American victory

 Death of Gen. Gregorio del Pilar

 Filipino forces successfully delay the
American advance

Belligerents

 United States  Philippine Republic

Commanders and leaders

 Peyton C. March  Gregorio del Pilar †

 Francisco di Palmara †

Strength

300[1] 60[1]

Casualties and losses

 2 killed 52 killed[1]

9 wounded[2][3]

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Malalag River

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Tirad Pass
Location of Tirad Pass.

The Battle of Tirad Pass (Filipino: Labanan sa Pasong Tirad; Ilocano: Gubat ti Paso

Tirad; Spanish: Batalla de Paso Tirad), sometimes referred to as the
"Philippine Thermopylae",[4] was a battle in the Philippine–American War fought on
December 2, 1899, in northern Luzon in the Philippines, in which a 60-man Filipino rear
guard commanded by Brigadier General Gregorio del Pilar succumbed to more than
500 Americans, mostly of the 33rd Volunteer Infantry Regiment under Major Peyton C.
March, while delaying the American advance to ensure that President Emilio
Aguinaldo and his troops escaped.[5]

Contents

 1Background
 2Battle
 3Aftermath
 4Memorials
 5References

Background[edit]
Peyton March, as painted by Nicodemus David Hufford III

The tricolor flag of Gen. Gregorio del Pilar (in the Battle of Pasong Balite, Bulacan & Battle of Tirad Pass, Ilocos
Sur, December 2, 1899, patterned after the Flag of Cuba)

The retreat of Aguinaldo from Bayambang, Pangasinan, through the mountainous

terrain began on November 13, 1899, after he had disbanded the regular Filipino army
into guerrilla units.[2] On November 23, Aguinaldo's party reached the pass, which
provided a strategic bottleneck. It was to be protected by a rear guard under
General Gregorio del Pilar, who noticed the advantageous terrain of Tirad Pass
(Pasong Tirad as it was locally called),[6] and hunkered down to defend it while
Aguinaldo escaped through the mountains.[2] The hand-picked force of Filipinos, which
was the remaining contingent of the late Antonio Luna's army, constructed several sets
of trenches and stone barricades on both shoulders of the pass, as well as on top of its
4,500-foot (1,400 m) height.[2] Meanwhile, during early November, Major March had
been given the task of pursuing Aguinaldo. By November 30, March and his men, in
haste to catch the Philippine president, marched through Candon, Santo Tomas, La
Union and Salcedo, Ilocos Sur.[2] He and his men found out that Aguinaldo had passed
through Salcedo five days previously, and that fueled the Americans' march to
Concepcion (now named Gregorio del Pilar), a town overlooked by the steep pass,
which they reached by December 1. March had no clear idea of the size of Aguinaldo's
rear guard, but he had calculated it to be no more than 150 men. [2]

Battle[edit]
At about 6:30 in the morning of December 2, the Americans advanced up the trail but
were met with a steady volley of fire, enabling them to climb to only around 300 feet.
The Americans abandoned the idea of a frontal assault and took cover in the zigzag
trail. Texan sharpshooters positioned themselves on a hill overlooking the trenches,
whittling down the Philippine rear guard with measured volleys. Nevertheless, the
Filipinos continued to hold their ground, utilizing focused volley fire that repelled other
advances by the Americans.[2] Therefore, March sent elements of their force with an
Igorot villager named Januario Galut to determine the Filipino positions and outflank the
defenders.[2] While the flanking movement was still in progress, three American soldiers
rushed to the battlefield but found themselves receiving Filipino fire. Two died, being the
only Americans killed in the encounter, while the third was badly wounded. [2]
More than five hours after the battle began, the Americans began to feel the scorching
heat of the midday sun and decided to rest for a while amidst the rocks. Later that day,
the search party had succeeded in their task, and the Americans fell upon the rear of
the outnumbered defenders, defeating them. Over the course of the battle, 52 of the 60
Filipinos were killed.[2] Among the dead was General del Pilar, shot through the neck at
the height or end of the struggle (depending upon which eye-witness account is to be
believed[7]).

Aftermath[edit]
The Americans lost 2 dead and 9 wounded, most of which resulted from the repelled
frontal assault. Despite nearly total annihilation, however, the Filipinos under Del Pilar
held off the Americans long enough for Aguinaldo to escape. [2] Upon receiving word of
the battle outcome in nearby Cervantes, Ilocos Sur, Aguinaldo and his party resumed
their retreat into the mountains of what was then Bontoc province, pursued by March
and his men. March broke off the pursuit on March 7. [8] On September 6, 1900,
Aguinaldo reached Palanan, Isabela, where he would continue to lead the guerrilla
campaign he had begun on November 13, 1899. He was captured there on March 23,
1901 by men of General Frederick Funston.[6]
According to Filipino writer and historian Nick Joaquin however, the main objective of
the Americans was not to pursue Aguinaldo but to keep him away from linking up with
the elite Tinio Brigade, which was under the command of Manuel Tinio. In his critical
book of essays "A Question of Heroes" he notes that Tirad Pass was an "exercise in
futility" in that it only allowed Aguinaldo to "run to nowhere". [9]
Del Pilar's diary was recovered among the possessions looted by the victorious
Americans, who had stripped him bare of his military decorations, his uniform and his
personal belongings, leaving him, as the eyewitness, correspondent Richard Henry
Little wrote, "We carved not a line and we raised not a stone, But we left him alone with
his glory". The exact wording of its poignant final entry, written on the night of December
1, differs somewhat between sources quoting it. Two versions are:
The General has given me the pick of all the men that can be spared and ordered me to
defend the Pass. I realize what a terrible task has been given me. And yet I feel that this
is the most glorious moment of my life. What I do is done for my beloved country. No
sacrifice can be too great.[10][11][12]
The General has given me a Platoon of available men and has ordered me to defend
this Pass. I am aware what a difficult task has been given me. Nevertheless, I feel that
this is the most glorious moment of my life. I am doing everything for my beloved
country. There is no greater sacrifice.[13]
Del Pilar's corpse lay unburied for three days. American officer Lieutenant Dennis
Quinlan, with a group of Igorots, later buried his body and left a plaque, "Gen. Gregorio
del Pilar, Died December 2, 1899, Commanding Aguinaldo's Rear Guard, An Officer
and a Gentleman."[2]

Memorials[edit]

Gregorio del Pilar's statue (Bulacan Provincial Capitol plaza)

In honor of Del Pilar's heroism, the Philippine Military Academy was named Fort Del
Pilar and a historical marker placed at the site of the battle. [1]
The Battle of Tirad Pass and the death of Del Pilar was also commemorated
during World War II when the Japanese-backed government of President José P.
Laurel sought to re-kindle anti-American sentiment by reviving memories of the
Philippine–American War with the creation of the Tirad Pass Medal. The design of the
obverse (front) of the medal included a bust of Del Pilar and a view of Tirad Pass. The
design of the reverse (back) includes the date 1944. The Tirad Pass Medal was the only
military medal or decoration issued by the Laurel government during the Japanese
occupation.[14]
 In 1955, the town where the battle happened was renamed Gregorio del Pilar, Ilocos
Sur.[15]

References[edit]
1. ^ Jump up to:a b c d Dumindin, Arnaldo. "Dec. 2, 1899: General Gregorio Del Pilar dies at Tirad
Pass". Retrieved 12 September  2012.
2. ^ Jump up to:a b c d e f g h i j k l Agoncillo, Teodoro  (1960). Malolos: Crisis of the Republic. pp. 543–
552.
3. ^ Tucker, Spencer (2009). The Encyclopedia of the Spanish–American and Philippine–
American Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History. ABC-CLIO. p.  643. ISBN 978-1-85109-951-1.
4. ^ Jerry Keenan (2001), Encyclopedia of the Spanish–American & Philippine–American Wars,
ABC-CLIO, p.  311, ISBN 978-1-57607-093-2
5. ^ Tucker, Spencer C. (2009),  Encyclopedia of the Spanish–American and Philippine–
American Wars: A Political, Social, and Military History, ABC-CLIO, p.  "500"+"80" 643, ISBN 978-1-
85109-952-8
6. ^ Jump up to:a b Agoncillo, Teodoro (1974). Introduction to Filipino History.
7. ^ A number of eyewitness accounts are quoted in Kalaw, Teodoro Manguiat (1974). "XVII
Battle of Tirad and the Death of del Pilar".  An Acceptable Holocaust: Life and Death of a Boy-
General. National Historical Commission. pp. 55–61.
8. ^ Gregg Jones (2012). Honor in the Dust: Theodore Roosevelt, War in the Philippines, and
the Rise and Fall of America's Imperial Dream. Penguin Publishing Group. pp. 135–136. ISBN 978-1-
101-57512-3.
9. ^ Joaquin, Nick.  A Question of Heroes.
10. ^ Moorfield Storey; Marcial Primitivo Lichauco (1926).  The Conquest of the Philippines by the
United States, 1898–1925. G. P. Putnam's sons. p. 109.
11. ^ Louis Freeland Post; Alice Thatcher Post; Stoughton Cooley (1899).  "The Death of
Gregorio Del Pilar". The Public. Louis F. Post. 2–11.
12. ^ Raymond Landon Bridgman (1903). Loyal Traitors: A Story of Friendship for the Filipinos.
J.H. West. (Full text, from the library of the University of California)
13. ^ Teodoro Manguiat Kala (1974),  An Acceptable Holocaust: Life and Death of a Boy-general,
National Historical Commission of the Philippines, p. 61
14. ^ Basso, Aldo P. (1975). Coins, Medals and Tokens of the Philippines 1728–1974, 2nd
Edition. Bookman Printing House.
15. ^ "Republic Act No. 1246". Official Gazette. Government of the Philippines. June 10, 1955.

Coordinates:  17°09′00″N 120°38′00″E
Categories: 
 Conflicts in 1899
 1899 in the Philippines
 Battles of the Philippine–American War