The Battle of Zapote River ( fil, Labanan sa Ilog ng Zapote, es, Batalla de Rio de Zapote), also known as the Battle of Zapote Bridge, was fought on the 13 June 1899 between 1,200 Americans and between 4,000~5,000

Filipinos Filipinos ( tl, Mga Pilipino) are the people who are citizens of or native to the Philippines. The majority of Filipinos today come from various Austronesian ethnolinguistic groups, all typically speaking either Filipino, English and/or othe ...

.U.S. War Dept (1900), pg 282. It was the second largest battle of the Philippine–American War after the Battle of Manila five months before in February 1899. Zapote River separates the town of

Las Piñas Las Piñas, officially the City of Las Piñas ( fil, Lungsod ng Las Piñas), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 606,293 people. Las Piñas ...

in what was then

Manila Manila ( , ; fil, Maynila, ), officially the City of Manila ( fil, Lungsod ng Maynila, ), is the capital of the Philippines, and its second-most populous city. It is highly urbanized and, as of 2019, was the world's most densely populate ...

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

from Bacoor in the province of

Cavite Cavite, officially the Province of Cavite ( tl, Lalawigan ng Kabite; Chavacano: ''Provincia de Cavite''), is a province in the Philippines located in the Calabarzon region in Luzon. Located on the southern shores of Manila Bay and southwest ...

. The ruins of

Zapote Bridge Zapote Bridge is a stone arch pedestrian bridge crossing the Zapote River (Philippines), Zapote River in the Philippines. It connects the cities of Las Piñas in Metro Manila and Bacoor in the province of Cavite. The bridge and its surrounding are ...

still stands next to its replacement bridge on

Aguinaldo Highway A thirteenth salary, or end-of-year bonus, is an extra payment given to employees at the end of December. Although the amount of the payment depends on a number of factors, it usually matches an employee's monthly salary and can be paid in o ...

Zapote Bridge

Zapote Bridge was made of masonry, spanning the Zapote River. It connected the towns of Bacoor and Imus to the south and Las Piñas and Manila to the north. It has been witness to two major historical events; the Philippine revolution against Spain in 1897 and the Philippine–American War of 1899. Half of the original Zapote Bridge was destroyed during the battles; thus, the local government of Las Piñas funded the restoration of the other half of the bridge. The reconstructed bridge became a pedestrian promenade, connecting Barangay Zapote, Las Piñas to Barangay Zapote in Bacoor, Cavite. Monument parks were established on both ends of the bridge – one made by sculptor

Eduardo Castrillo Eduardo de los Santos Castrillo (October 31, 1942 – May 18, 2016) was a renowned Filipino sculptor. Early life Eduardo (commonly known as 'Ed') Castrillo was born in Santa Ana, Manila, Philippines, on October 31, 1942, the youngest of five ch ...

in the Las Piñas area and another monument depicting the Battle of Zapote Bridge in Bacoor, Cavite. In February 1997, Villar Foundation, local governments of Bacoor, Cavite and the City of

, the National Centennial Movement, and the

Department of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

organized an event to pay tribute to the centennial year of the Battle of Zapote Bridge. A street drama, based on the events of 1896–1897, was reenacted of the Battle of Zapote Bridge.

Battle

The Battle of Zapote River was part of the armed

reconnaissance In military operations, reconnaissance or scouting is the exploration of an area by military forces to obtain information about enemy forces, terrain, and other activities. Examples of reconnaissance include patrolling by troops (skirmisher ...

by the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

between

Manila Bay Manila Bay ( fil, Look ng Maynila) is a natural harbor that serves the Port of Manila (on Luzon), in the Philippines. Strategically located around the capital city of the Philippines, Manila Bay facilitated commerce and trade between the Phi ...

and Laguna de Bay that commenced on June 9 to rid the countryside of Filipino Army rebelling against the Americans. A fleet of

gunboat A gunboat is a naval watercraft designed for the express purpose of carrying one or more guns to bombard coastal targets, as opposed to those military craft designed for naval warfare, or for ferrying troops or supplies. History Pre-ste ...

s – '' Callao'', ''Manila'' and ''Mosquito'' – led Admiral

George Dewey George Dewey (December 26, 1837January 16, 1917) was Admiral of the Navy, the only person in United States history to have attained that rank. He is best known for his victory at the Battle of Manila Bay during the Spanish–American War, with ...

, were on Manila Bay to provide naval gunfire support. These were soon joined by the '' Helena'', ''

Princeton Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the ni ...

'', ''

Monterey Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bot ...

'' and '' Monadnock'' gunboats. The battle started around 6:15 am after three shots were fired by the Filipinos at the American outpost from a 1-pounder Hotchkiss gun. In retaliation, the Sixth artillery under Lieutenant Benjamin M. Koehler fired back six shrapnel shells from two guns.U.S. War Dept. (1900), pg. 365. At the portion of the river between the river and

, Companies F and I of the 21st Infantry Regiment were scouting the area when they were

ambush An ambush is a long-established military tactic in which a combatant uses an advantage of concealment or the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbrush or behind mo ...

ed by about 1,000 Filipinos after crossing the bamboo pole bridge to Bacoor.U.S. War Dept. (1900), pg. 347. Fierce fighting ensued against Filipinos armed with

Remington Remington may refer to: Organizations * Remington Arms, American firearms manufacturer * Remington Rand, American computer manufacturer * Remington Products, American manufacturer of shavers and haircare products * Remington College, American c ...

and Mauser rifles. Two of the officers of the two companies were wounded. Later, running low on ammunition, the Americans headed to the beach for safety. They were relieved by a battalion from the Ninth Infantry led by Major Clarence R. Edwards. Major Starr signaled the gunboats for support, which responded with men and ammunition from the ''Helena'' and ''Monadnock''. Near the Zapote Bridge, General

Samuel Ovenshine Samuel Ovenshine (April 2, 1843 – July 5, 1932) was a United States Army officer who served as a brigadier general during the Philippine–American War. Biography Ovenshine was born on April 2, 1843 in Philadelphia. He was studying to become ...

moved his artillery on the road, flanked by his infantry. Upon moving on to the enemy, the fire opened furiously to-and-fro the Filipino

trenches A trench is a type of excavation or in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a wider gully, or ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or pit). In geology, trenches result from erosi ...

and

breastworks A breastwork is a temporary fortification, often an earthwork thrown up to breast height to provide protection to defenders firing over it from a standing position. A more permanent structure, normally in stone, would be described as a parapet o ...

south of the bridge.U.S. War Dept. (1900), pg. 281. Artillery fire were exchanged between a Filipino battery, firing from

smoothbore A smoothbore weapon is one that has a barrel without rifling. Smoothbores range from handheld firearms to powerful tank guns and large artillery mortars. History Early firearms had smoothly bored barrels that fired projectiles without signi ...

cannon A cannon is a large- caliber gun classified as a type of artillery, which usually launches a projectile using explosive chemical propellant. Gunpowder ("black powder") was the primary propellant before the invention of smokeless powder ...

and 1-pounder Hotchkiss guns, and Battery D with a 3.2-inch field gun, 3-inch and 1.65-inch Hotchkiss guns.U.S. War Dept. (1900), pg. 366. Soon, the battery led by

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a ...

William L. Kenly William Lacy Kenly (February 18, 1864 – January 10, 1928) was a Major general (United States), major general in the United States Army. During World War I, he was a leader of the United States Army Air Service, the progenitor of the United Stat ...

moved forward, without cover and under terrific fire, to the bridge ramp about from the enemy battery, where they successfully took the enemy with precision shots. At this point, the bridge was not fordable as one span had been removed and its wooden replacement had burned down.U.S. War Dept. (1900), pg. 382. The rest of both armies soon joined the fighting which expanded to cover the stretch from the beach to beyond the bridge. Eventually, it became obvious that the greater number of Filipino soldiers had not been a decisive advantage. The American gunboats also shelled the shores in front of the Americans troops, which devastated the Filipino positions. Battle of Zapote River, 1899 - smooth-bore cannon

Battle of Zapote River, 1899 - smooth-bore cannon

Initially, the army under General Guillermo Masangkay has engaged the U.S. forces and has gained advantage. However, the lack of better arms and ammunition subjected the soldiers to retreat. General Guillermo Masangkay was wounded in the skirmish After hours of heavy fighting, between 4 and 4:40 pm, the Filipinos gave way, abandoning their positions and began falling back. The bridge was temporarily repaired with wooden stringers. General

Loyd Wheaton Loyd Wheaton (July 15, 1838 – September 17, 1918) was a United States general who fought in the Philippine–American War and in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Early life Wheaton was born in Pennfield, Michigan on July 15, 1838. ...

and his men began crossing the bridge as ordered by Major-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 ...

. He sent forward a company from the 21st Infantry headed by First Lieutenant William M. Morrow to ascertain the positions of the enemies and found them 1 mile south of the bridge.U.S. War Dept. (1900), pg. 332. After more fighting, they drove the defenders out of their lines who fled towards

Imus Imus, officially the City of Imus ( fil, Lungsod ng Imus), is a 3rd class component city and ''de jure'' capital of the province of Cavite, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 496,794 people. It is the ''de jure ...

and San Nicolas, Bacoor. A Filipino rearguard held off the Americans long enough for the main Filipino force to withdraw inland.

Aftermath

Both sides suffered heavily: the Americans suffered 75

casualties A casualty, as a term in military usage, is a person in military service, combatant or non-combatant, who becomes unavailable for duty due to any of several circumstances, including death, injury, illness, capture or desertion. In civilian usag ...

with 15 killed, and the Filipinos suffered 150 deaths and 375 wounded.U.S. War Dept. (1900), pg. 283. Capt. William H. Sage earned the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valo ...

for his actions. Consequently, the Philippine Army began using tactics of guerrilla warfare, avoiding a decisive battle and reverting to harassment.

Post-Battle of Zapote River

The bridge was designated as a national historical landmark by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines on September 9, 2013.

References

Sources

* U.S. War Department (1900-06-30)
"Annual Reports of the War Department, Part 3 of 7"
Government Printing Office, Washington. {{DEFAULTSORT:Zapote River Battle of Zapote River Battle of Zapote River Battles of the Philippine–American War Battle of Zapote River Battle of Zapote River Battles involving the United States Naval battles of the Philippine–American War Las Piñas Bacoor June 1899 events