The Battle of the Malala River was fought between the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
and the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
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 ...
which resulted in the death of
Datu Ali, who had eluded the Americans longer than any other Moro leader.
[Arnold, J.R., 2011, The Moro War, New York: Bloomsbury Press, ]
Background
Datu Ali was the cousin of
Datu Uto
Datu Utto (reigned: 1875–1888) was also known as Sultan Anwarud-din Utto or Sultan Utto Anwaruddin, was the 18th Sultan of Buayan, one of the minor sultanates of Mindanao. As a military leader he distinguished himself in many battles against t ...
, ruler of Mindanao in the 1880s, and the son-in-law of Datu Piang.
[ ]Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
controlled the export of rice, beeswax, coffee, and products extracted from Almaciga and Gutta-percha
Gutta-percha is a tree of the genus ''Palaquium'' in the family Sapotaceae. The name also refers to the rigid, naturally biologically inert, resilient, electrically nonconductive, thermoplastic latex derived from the tree, particularly from ' ...
trees.[ ]Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
held a grudge against the Americans when they refused to let him travel to the US.[ ]Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
retreated deep into the Cotabato
Cotabato or North Cotabato ( hil, Aminhan Cotabato; ceb, Amihanang Cotabato; Maguindanaon: ''Pangutaran Kutawatu'', Jawi: ڤڠوترن كوتاواتو; fil, Hilagang Cotabato), officially the Province of Cotabato, is a landlocked province in ...
Valley.[
]
Engagement
General James Buchanan's force started to march inland as a decoy from the west, while the main American effort under McCoy moved inland from the east.[ McCoy, and Lt. Johnston, led 100 men from the 22nd Infantry, 10 ]Philippine Scouts
The Philippine Scouts (Filipino: ''Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'' or ''Hukbong Maghahanap ng Pilipinas'') was a military organization of the United States Army from 1901 until after the end of World War II. These troops were generally Filipinos an ...
, and 140 Filipino bearers.[ Buchanan departed on October 13, 1905, while McCoy reached the Malala River on October 22, having left behind his scouts, bearers and 13 soldiers on the way from ]Digos
Digos, officially the City of Digos ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Digos; fil, Lungsod ng Digos), is a 2nd class component city and capital of the province of Davao del Sur, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 188,376 people.
...
.[
Surrounding Ali's residence beside Malala River, McCoy's men overpowered four guards, each armed with a ]Bolo knife
A bolo ( tl, iták, ilo, bunéng, pag, baráng, ceb, súndang, hil, binangon) is a general term for traditional pre-colonial small to medium-sized single-edged swords or large knives of the Philippines that function as both tools and weapons ...
.[ Ali fired a Mauser rifle which killed an American private, but Lt. Philip Remington's pistol shot wounded ]Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
, who fled inside his house and out the rear where an American squad put fifteen more shots into Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
, killing him.[
]
Aftermath
The merchants of Zamboanga City
Zamboanga City, officially the City of Zamboanga (Chavacano and es, Ciudad de Zamboanga, Tausug language, Tausūg: ''Dāira sin Sambuangan'', fil, Lungsod ng Zamboanga, ceb, Dakbayan sa Zamboanga), is a city in the Zamboanga Peninsula region ...
gave a public celebration, and McCoy received praise from Leonard Wood and President Theodore Roosevelt
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Malalag River, Battle Of
Conflicts in 1902
1902 in the Philippines
Battles involving the United States
Battles of the Philippine–American War
Naval battles of the Philippine–American War
Naval battles involving the Philippines
History of Davao del Sur
October 1905 events