In 1899, Philippine-American War began. This war was fought between the Filipino revolutionaries and the U.S. army. The Filipino revolutionaries wanted independence for the Philippines while the U.S. army was tasked with imposing a colonial rule on the country.
The U.S. army was victorious in most of the battles, thanks to better trained soldiers with more efficient weapons. By 1902, the war was over in most parts of Philippines. But in one corner of the Philippines which was occupied by the ethnic Moro people, the war continued long after it was over everywhere else. The Battle of Bud Bagsak was one of the battles fought between the Moro and the Americans.
In the areas where Moro population lived, American army followed the twin policies of fighting as well as political reconciliation. General John J. Pershing of the U.S. army tried to make peace with as many Moro people as possible so that peace could be attained quickly.
Due to these efforts, a large group of Moro fighters under Datu Amil agreed to stop fighting and lay down their arms in March, 1913. But in May, 1913, Datu Amil and his army retreated to Bud Bagsak and decided to fight the Americans.
The Battle of Bug Bagsak took place at Bud Bagsak in the Philippines. It was fought from June 11, 1913 to June 15, 1913.
In this battle, the American army was commanded by General John J. Pershing. The total strength of the American army numbered at around 1200 and included not only American soldiers but also Philippine Scouts. The Moro side was led by Datu Amil and Datu Sahipa. They commanded a force which numbered at around 500.
The Moro fighters had retreated into five forts located on a hillock. This fortified position gave them a good advantage. On June 11, 1913, the American army, under General John J. Pershing, made use of the superior artillery to batter the Moro forts. Then the army attacked the forts and by the end of the day, was able to gain complete control of two of them.
On June 12, the American army repeated the same tactic and was able to take over two more Moro forts. During the fighting, the Moro commander Datu Amil was killed. On June 15, the American forces launched the final attack. The Moro fighters tried to rally for a counterattack but they didn’t succeed. By the end of the day, the final Moro fort was in American hands and the battle was over.
The Battle of Bud Bagsak was a decisive victory for the American forces. The casualties were quite high on the Moro side because they had their children and women staying in the forts as well. The Moro suffered 200 to 400 casualties. The American army suffered around 35 casualties with 14 dead. The victory at Bud Bagsak further dented the Moro resistance and strengthened the American position in the region.
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