The Battle of Pagsanjan was a small skirmish between the 1st Battalion of Sharpshooters, under the command of Brigadier General Charles King, and Philippine Nationalists led by Col. Pedro Caballes during the Laguna Campaign of 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 ...

. On April 11, 1899, upon capturing Santa Cruz, General

Henry W. Lawton Henry Ware Lawton (March 17, 1843 – December 19, 1899) was a U.S. Army officer who served with distinction in the Civil War, the Apache Wars, and the Spanish–American War. He was the only U.S. general officer to be killed during the Philip ...

then sought out to capture the town of Pagsanjan from the Filipinos. The expedition began at 6 a.m. A

battalion A battalion is a military unit, typically consisting of 300 to 1,200 soldiers commanded by a lieutenant colonel, and subdivided into a number of companies (usually each commanded by a major or a captain). In some countries, battalions are ...

of sharpshooters was sent ahead of the command as an advance guard, and as they came within 1.5 miles (2 km) of Pagsanjan, they were fired upon by a small force of Filipinos from hastily built breastworks blocking the road. The sharpshooters returned fire and caused considerable losses to the Filipinos. An

artillery Artillery is a class of heavy military ranged weapons that launch munitions far beyond the range and power of infantry firearms. Early artillery development focused on the ability to breach defensive walls and fortifications during siege ...

piece was then brought up and fired two

shrapnel Shrapnel may refer to: Military * Shrapnel shell, explosive artillery munitions, generally for anti-personnel use * Shrapnel (fragment), a hard loose material Popular culture * ''Shrapnel'' (Radical Comics) * ''Shrapnel'', a game by Adam C ...

rounds into the breastworks, which were soon abandoned by most of the Filipinos. Some Filipinos remained in the breastworks after the bombardment and were driven out as well after the sharpshooters gave the breastworks another heavy volley. General Lawton and his command then went on to capture Pagsanjan with no further resistance. Lawton summarized the events in his Report of An Expedition to the Province of Laguna, Luzon, Philippine Islands, April 8 to April 17, 1899:Report of an expedition to the Province of La Laguna
(archived fro

on 2008-07-24)

"After advancing along the main road about two miles our scouts developed the enemy strongly entrenched across the road and along an adjacent open field. The column promptly deployed, the artillery brought into action, as had been contemplated and directed in General Field Orders No. 3, given above. The enemy fled precipitately as soon as the artillery opened on them. The insurgent loss was reported as eight dead, left on the field. Our casualty was let Lieut. E. E. Southern, 1st Washingtons, severe wound, right arm. The advance was resumed toward Pagsanjan and the town occupied without further resistance. With the exception of two Spaniards who claimed to have escaped from the insurgents, and a few chinese, the town was entirely deserted."

The next day, Lawton's command succeeded in capturing

Paete Paete, officially the Municipality of Paete ( tgl, Bayan ng Paete), is a 4th class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 24,945 people. The town, is located at the north-east ...

and the Laguna Campaign was over and deemed a success, since the Americans now controlled the Pasig river and their gunboats patrolled the lake.Linn, B.M., 2000, The Philippine War, 1899-1902, Lawrence: University Press Kansas,

References

{{coord missing, Philippines Pagsanjan, Battle of Pagsanjan, battle of

Pagsanjan Pagsanjan (pronounced ''PAG-sang-han''), officially the Municipality of Pagsanjan ( tgl, Bayan ng Pagsanjan), is a 3rd class municipality in the province of Laguna, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 44,327 peop ...

1899 in the Philippines April 1899 events