Balangiga massacre

Balangiga massacre
Part of Philippine–American War
Gen. Jacob Smith and his staff inspect the ruins of Balangiga in October 1901, a few weeks after the US punitive mission by Capt. Bookmiller and his troops
Date September 28, 1901 Location Balangiga, Samar, Philippines Result Filipino victory
Belligerents
Filipino civilians	United States
Commanders and leaders
Valeriano Abanador Eugenio Daza	Thomas W. Connell †
Units involved
	Company C 9th Infantry Regiment
Strength
500 civilian bolomen in seven attack units	Philippine attack: 74 men American attack: 400 men
Casualties and losses
28 killed 22 wounded	54 deaths and 18 wounded

Philippine attack: 74 men

The Balangiga massacre was an incident in 1901 in the town of the same name during the Philippine–American War. It initially referred to the killing of about 48 members of the US 9th Infantry by the townspeople allegedly augmented by guerrillas in the town of Balangiga on Samar Island during an attack on September 28 of that year. This incident was described as the United States Army's worst defeat since the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. Filipinos regard the attack as one of their bravest acts in the war.

There has been much heated discussion regarding the number of Filipino casualties, for which there are no reliable documentary records. Gen. Jacob H. Smith, who ordered the killing of every male over ten years old during the retaliatory campaign, was subject to court-martial for "conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline". Reprimanded but not formally punished, Smith was forced into retirement from the service because of his conduct.

The attack and the subsequent retaliation remains one of the longest-running and most controversial issues between the Philippines and the United States. Conflicting records from American and Filipino historians have confused the issue. Demands for the return of the bells of the church at Balangiga, taken by the Americans as war booty and collectively known as the Balangiga bells, remain an outstanding issue of contention related to the war. One church bell remains in the possession of the 9th Infantry Regiment at their base in Camp Red Cloud, South Korea, while two others are on a former base of the 11th Infantry Regiment at F.E. Warren Air Force Base in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

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Wikipedia