Battle of Tirad Pass
| Battle of Tirad Pass | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Philippine-American War | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| United States | Philippines | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Major P.C. March | General Gregorio del Pilar† | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 500 | 60 | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 2 dead and 9 wounded | 52 dead and wounded | ||||||
The Battle of Tirad Pass, sometimes referred to as the "Philippine Thermopylae" was a battle in the Philippine-American War fought on December 2, 1899 in northern Luzon in the Philippines, when a 60-man Filipino rearguard commanded by Brigadier General Gregorio del Pilar succumbed to 500 Americans of the 33rd Infantry regiment under Major P.C. March, while trying delaying the American attack to ensure President Aguinaldo's escape.
Background
The retreat of General Aguinaldo through the mountainous terrain of which the pass provided a strategic bottleneck was protected by a rear guard under Gen. Gregorio del Pilar who had advance knowledge of the terrain of Tirad Pass (Pasong Tirad), and hunkered down to defend it while President Emilio Aguinaldo made good his escape through the mountains. The hand-picked force of Filipinos constructed several sets of trenches and stone barricades, all of which dominated the narrow trail that zigzagged up towards the pass.
The battle
At about 0630 on the morning of December 2, the Americans advanced up the trail and were met with a steady volley of fire, leading to several U.S. casualties. The Americans abandoned the idea of a frontal assault, instead sending elements of their force to outflank the determined defenders. Texan sharpshooters stationed themselves on a hill overlooking the trenches, and proceeded to whittle down the Philippine rearguard with measured volleys, who held their ground, utilizing focused volley fire that repelled other advances by the Americans.
With the help of local villager Januario Galut, another group of Americans were led up a trail by which they could emerge to the rear of the Filipinos.
Finally, over five hours after the battle had started, Americans fell upon the flank and rear of the outnumbered defenders, killing or wounding some 52 of the 60 Filipinos. Among the dead was the inspirational General del Pilar, shot through the neck at the height or end of the struggle (depending which eye-witness accounts are to be believed). The Americans lost 2 dead and 9 wounded, most of which coming from the repelled frontal assault. Despite nearly total annihilation, however, the Filipinos held off the Americans long enough for Aguinaldo to make good his escape.
A diary belonging to Gen. Gregorio Del Pilar, who was later to be dismissed as the "boy general of the Filipinos," was recovered, among the possessions appropriated by the victorious Americans, who had stripped him bare of his military decorations, his uniform and his personal belongings, leaving him, as the eyewitness, the correspondent Richard Henry Little wrote, "only his glory." Its poignant final entry, written on the night of 1 December, read:
- "The General has given me the pick of all the men that can be spared and ordered me to defend the Pass. I realize what a terrible task has been given me. And yet I feel that this is the most glorious moment of my life. What I do is done for my beloved country. No sacrifice can be too great."
The body of Gen. del Pilar lay unburied for days. A Lt. Dennis Quinlan later buried his body and left a plaque, "Gen. Gregorio del Pilar, Died December 2, 1899, Commanding Aguinaldo's Rear Guard, An Officer and a Gentleman."
Aftermath
In honor of Gen. Del Pilar's heroism, the Philippine Military Academy was named Fort Del Pilar and a historical marker placed at the site of the battle.