The Battle of Makahambus Hill was one of the victories won by the Filipinos over the Americans during the

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War or Filipino–American War ( es, Guerra filipina-estadounidense, tl, Digmaang Pilipino–Amerikano), previously referred to as the Philippine Insurrection or the Tagalog Insurgency by the United States, was an arm ...

. It was fought on June 4, 1900 in Cagayan de Misamis (now

Cagayan de Oro City Cagayan ( ), officially the Province of Cagayan ( ilo, Probinsia ti Cagayan; ibg, Provinsiya na Cagayan; itv, Provinsiya ya Cagayan; fil, Lalawigan ng Cagayan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Cagayan Valley region, covering ...

). The Filipinos were under the command of Colonel

Apolinar Velez Apolinar Velez y Ramos (January 23, 1865 – October 21, 1939) was the Mayor of Cagayan de Misamis From 1928 to 1931 and also the Governor of the Misamis Province from 1906 to 1909. He led the Filipinos during the Battle of Makahambus The Batt ...

of the Maguindanao Battalion. Most of them were volunteers apart from some Filipino army men who joined.

Background

Col. Pablo Tecson's

Bulacan Bulacan, officially the Province of Bulacan ( tl, Lalawigan ng Bulacan), is a province in the Philippines located in the Central Luzon region. Its capital is the city of Malolos. Bulacan was established on August 15, 1578, and part of the Metr ...

guerrillas, which included his brothers Alipio and Simon, had constructed a number of fortresses in the mountains.Linn, B.M., 2000, ''The Philippine War, 1899–1902'', Lawrence: University Press of Kansas, On 25 May, they ambushed Capt. Charles D. Roberts' 6 man patrol, killing 3, and taking the rest prisoner, including Capt. Roberts. However, in a humanitarian act, Tecson released the two wounded prisoners, but kept Capt. Roberts captive. The Americans organized a campaign in an attempt to secure Roberts' release.

Battle

The fort at Makahambus was located on a high and steep hill. The Americans seeing how formidable the fort was tried to negotiate a Filipino surrender. The answer was a volley of cannon and rifle fire that drove the Americans back down the hill. Many were killed not by rifle fire, but by booby-trapped pits bristling with sharpened bamboo spears under a camouflage of foliage. The Americans launched repeated counterattacks, only to be driven back by rifle fire from the defenders. On 4 June, Company E of the 35th was ambushed, followed by Maj. Albert Laws' battalion encountering the fortified hill. Lt. Grover Flint tried to flank the hill but was also ambushed, wounding him and two others. A relief force encountered another concealed trench line, and the Americans realized the fort was impossible to flank, being protected on both sides by gorges. The battalion was

pinned down In military science, suppressive fire is "fire that degrades the performance of an enemy force below the level needed to fulfill its mission". When used to protect exposed friendly troops advancing on the battlefield, it is commonly called cove ...

until the Filipinos withdrew.

Aftermath

The American campaign was able to destroy some supply dumps in the search for Roberts, but failed to recapture him. American losses totaled as many as 20 dead and wounded. There was also one American

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of wa ...

. The Filipinos, however, suffered only 1 kill and 3 wounded, making this battle a one-sided victory for the Filipinos during the war.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Makahambus Hill Conflicts in 1900 1900 in the Philippines Battles of the Philippine–American War Battles involving the United States History of Misamis Oriental Cagayan de Oro June 1900 events

Background

Battle

Aftermath

See also

References