Today in Labor History September 13, 1900: Filipino insurgents defeated an American column in the Battle of Pulang Lupa, during the Philippine–American War. Captain Devereux Shields led a 54 Infantrymen into the mountains of Torrijos to combat Abad and his guerrillas. Local guerrillas informed Abad of Shields' movements. In response, he assembled a force of 180-250 regular Filipino soldiers and 1,000-2,000 bolomen. The regular Philippine soldiers were well armed with bolos, pistols, and Spanish Mausers. The bolomen only had machetes. They dressed as farmers by day and ambushed the Americans by night. Shields' defeat was one of the worst defeats for the Americans during the war. It was especially significant given the upcoming election between the hawkish President William McKinley and his anti-imperialist opponent William Jennings Bryan.
The Philippine–American War, and the Moro Uprising (Philippine liberation war) against the U.S. occupation, lasted from 1899-1913. Estimates of Philippine deaths from battle range from 10,000-20,000. However, estimates of civilian deaths range from 250,000 to well over 1 million, mostly from the famine and disease brought on by the brutal U.S. occupation.
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