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, in which 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 delaying the American advance to ensure Emilio Aguinaldo's escape. Combatants United States First Philippine Republic several groups post-1902 Commanders William McKinley Theodore Roosevelt Wesley Merritt Elwell Stephen Otis J. Franklin Bell Henry Ware Lawton† John J. Pershing Joseph Wheeler Emilio Aguinaldo Miguel Malvar Pio del Pilar Manuel Tinio Gregorio del Pilar† Licerio Geronimo Vicente Lukban Juan Cailles Maximino... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Gregorio del Pilar c. ... Combatants United States First Philippine Republic several groups post-1902 Commanders William McKinley Theodore Roosevelt Wesley Merritt Elwell Stephen Otis J. Franklin Bell Henry Ware Lawton† John J. Pershing Joseph Wheeler Emilio Aguinaldo Miguel Malvar Pio del Pilar Manuel Tinio Gregorio del Pilar† Licerio Geronimo Vicente Lukban Juan Cailles Maximino... For the Spanish-American War battle of the same name, see: Battle of Manila (1898) Combatants United States Philippines Commanders Elwell S. Otis Emilio Aguinaldo Strength 12,000 15,000 Casualties 50-60 killed, 225 wounded, 2 artillery pieces captured 2000 killed, wounded, or captured The Battle of Manila was... The Battle of Santa Cruz was a battle fought in the early stages of the Philippine Insurrection during General Henry W. Lawtons Laguna de Bay Campaign. ... Combatants United States Philippines Commanders Charles King  ? Strength 140 soldiers 25-30 soldiers Casualties 5 wounded 6-8 killed The Battle of Pagsanjan was a small skirmish between the 1st Battalion of Sharpshooters, under the command of Brigadier General Charles King, and Philippine Nationalists during the Laguna Campaign of the... The Battle of Paete was a small battle fought between American forces under General Henry W. Lawton and Philippine Insurgents on April 12, 1899 during the Philippine American War. ... Combatants United States Philippines Commanders Major James Franklin Bell Colonel Stotsenberg General Hale Gregorio del Pilar Strength 4th Cavalry 1st Nebraskan Infantry 51st Iowa Infanry 1000 Filipino Rifleman Casualties ~45 dead or wounded around 100 killed or wounded The Battle of Quingua was fought on April 23, 1899 in Quingua... Combatants United States Philippines Commanders Henry W. Lawton General Pio Del Pilar Strength 3,000 5,000 Casualties 15 killed, 60 wounded estimated 150 killed, 375 wounded The Battle of Zapote Bridge also known as the Battle of Zapote River was fought on June 13, 1899 between 3,000 American... Battle San Jacinto Conflict Philippine-American War Date November 11, 1899 Place Luzon, Philippines Result U.S. victory The Battle of San Jacinto was a battle during the Philippine-American War. ... Combatants  Philippines Commanders General Licerio Geronimo General Henry W. Lawton Strength *200 Filipino riflemen 140 15th U S infantrymen Casualties unknown 14 killed, 15 wounded The Battle of Paye was a battle during the Philippine-American War between the United States and the Philippines. ... The Siege of Catubig was a long, and bloody engagement fought during the Philippine-American War, where Filipino guerillas launched a surprise attack against a detachment of U.S. infantry, and then forced them to abandon the town after a 4 day siege. ... Combatants Marinduque Revolutionary Forces United States of America Commanders Colonel Maximo Abad Captain Devereux Shields Strength 250 Filipino soldiers and 1000 Bolomen 55 29th U.S. Infantryman Casualties unknown 5 killed, 50 captured, 6 of which wounded. ... Combatants Samareno Rebels United States Commanders General Vicente Lukban Captain Thomas W. Connell Strength 180-200 Samareno bolomen 78 Company C. 9th U.S. Infanty Casualties 20-25 killed, 22 wounded; plus thousands of Samar civilians killed in reprisals 54 killed, 18 wounded 100 rifles and 25,000 rounds of... 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 Moro Rebellion was the second phase of the Philippine-American War, following the so-called Philippine Insurrection phase. ... The Lonoy massacre in 1901 was a bloody American surprise attack launched on Filipino insurgents that killed over 400 in the Philippine-American War. ... In the summer of 1904, 38th Scouts were on patrol along the Dolores River, hoping to link up with the 37th Scouts and another Constable Company led by Lieutenant Hendryx. ... Combatants United States Moro rebels Commanders J. W. Duncan (Leonard Wood senior officer present) Datu Uti[citation needed] Strength 790 est. ... Battle of Bud Bagsak was a battle during the Philippine-American war fought on June 11-15, 1913. ... Combatants Greek city-states Achaemenid Persia Commanders Leonidas â€  Xerxes the Great Strength 300 Spartans 700 Thespians[1] 6,000 other Greek allies1 200,000 to 300,000+ (Estimates vary) (See below) Casualties 299 Spartans 700 Thespians[1] 1,400 other Greek allies 20,000 (Herodotus)[2] 1 Out of the... Combatants United States First Philippine Republic several groups post-1902 Commanders William McKinley Theodore Roosevelt Wesley Merritt Elwell Stephen Otis J. Franklin Bell Henry Ware Lawton† John J. Pershing Joseph Wheeler Emilio Aguinaldo Miguel Malvar Pio del Pilar Manuel Tinio Gregorio del Pilar† Licerio Geronimo Vicente Lukban Juan Cailles Maximino... is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1899 (MDCCCXCIX) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Friday [1] of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Map of the Philippines showing the island groups of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao. ... Gregorio del Pilar c. ... Emilio Aguinaldo y Famy (March 22, 1869 – February 6, 1964) was a Filipino general, politician, and independence leader. ...

Background

The retreat of 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 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. Gregorio del Pilar c. ...

Battle

At about 0630 on 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. is the 336th day of the year (337th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... “Flanking” redirects here. ...

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. Known as a Tingguian mercenary or merely a local villager, Januario Galut was the man who led U.S. troops to a position where they could surround and defeat the forces of Gen. ...

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 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 escape.

Aftermath

A diary belonging to Gen. del Pilar, who was known 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 December 1, read: is the 335th day of the year (336th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

The body of Gen. del Pilar lay unburied for days. 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."

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.

The Battle of Tirad Pass and the death of General Del Pilar was also commemorated during World War II when the Philippine government of President Jose Laurel sought to kindle anti-American sentiment by reviving memories of the Philippine War of Independence with the creation of the Tirad Pass Medal. The design of the obverse (front) of the medal included a bust of General Del Pilar and a view of Tirad Pass. The design of the reverse (back) includes the date 1944. The Tirad Pass Medal is the only military medal or decoration issued by the Laurel government during the Japanese occupation. [See: Basso, Aldo P., Coins, Medals and Tokens of the Philippines 1728-1974, 2nd edition, Bookman Printing House, Quezon City, the Philippines, 1975]