The Battle of Mabitac was an engagement in the Philippine-American War, when on September 17, 1900, Filipinos under General Juan Cailles defeated an American force commanded by Colonel Benjamin F. Cheatham. The Philippine-American War was a war between the armed forces of the United States and the Philippines from 1899 through 1913. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 1900 is a common year starting on Monday. ... For other uses, see Laguna (disambiguation). ... Born in Nasugbu, Batangas, on November 10, 1871. ... The Philippine-American War was a war between the armed forces of the United States and the Philippines from 1899 through 1913. ... September 17 is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years). ... 1900 is a common year starting on Monday. ... Born in Nasugbu, Batangas, on November 10, 1871. ...

Mabitac was linked to the garrison town of Similoan by a causeway which, on the day of the battle, was flooded with water (in many parts waist-deep). The water in the flanking rice fields was even deeper, making it impossible to properly deploy off the narrow road. Trenches occupied by Filipinos under Cailles cut across this causeway, blocking the path into Mabitac. Mabitac is a municipality in the province of Laguna in the Philippines. ...

The battle began when elements of the 37th and 15th U.S. Infantry regiments, advancing from Siniloan, came under intense fire some 400 yards from the enemy trenches. Eight troops sent ahead to scout the enemy postions died to the last man as they closed to within 50 yards of the Filipinos. One of the last to fall was the intrepid 2nd Lieutenant George Cooper. However General Cailles being an honorable soldier, let the defeated Cheatham recover the bodies of the eight slain soldiers after the battle.

Meanwhile, the main body of U.S. Infantry had become pinned down in the waist-deep mud, still several hundred yards from the Filipino trenches. Unable to properly deploy, and in a dangerously exposed position, they engaged in a firefight with Philippine forces for nearly 90 minutes. Despite the bravery of one Captain John E. Moran, later awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role in the battle, the Americans were badly mauled, sustaining scores of casualties.

Even supporting fire from a U.S. Navy gunboat (some 1,300 yards distant) and an attempted flank attack by 60 Americans, who had not participated in the costly frontal assault, could not dent the Filipino position, and soon after, Cheatem withdrew. Eventually, General Cailles managed a skillful withdrawal in order to avoid envelopment, and by the next day his entire command had made good their escape.

The Americans lost some 21 killed and 23 wounded in the battle, an effective loss of 33% of their strength (termed a "profoundly impressive loss" by General Arthur MacArthur, Jr. in an effort to decrease the shock potential for U.S. servicemen). The Filipinos, in their turn, suffered 11 killed and 20 wounded. Numbered among their dead was one Lieutenant Colonel Fidel. Arthur MacArthur, Jr. ...

Major-General J.C. Bates later said of this battle: "It is deemed charitable as well as politic to drop a veil over this matter rather than to give any publicity that can be avoided."