Of bolo rush & bolomen

[migueldiaz]

Still from the same series, we find this painting by Remington, obviously inspired by the bolomen of those days.

[migueldiaz]

Originally Posted by Dimasalang

Definitely heroic people on both sides of the coin thats for sure...

Indeed!

Like on the American side, Prof. Borrinaga in his The Balangiga Conflict Revisited (2003) devotes one chapter to the heroism of Pvt. Adolph Gamlin, a survivor of the encounter.

On a related matter, Jean Wall (Gamlin's daughter) who has visited Balangiga several times described to Borrinaga the profile of the soldiers of Company C. She said that most of the soldiers were actually very young boys from the Midwest who had never been away from home before and did not have the benefit of good education.

[Of course the officers were well educated. Capt. Connell is a West Point graduate. Lt. Bumpus (second-in-command) studied in Harvard. And Maj. Griswold is a surgeon.]

In fact just a few days before the encounter, one soldier committed suicide apparently due to depression, while another deserted.

Just the same, when the surprise attack came, the soldiers fought valiantly, as exemplified by Gamlin's courage.

The survivors apparently also did not take things personally against the Filipinos. Three of the survivors were sergeants. One of them was Frank Betron. After his discharge from the army, he married a Filipina and settled in the Philippines.

Betron was also the only soldier cited by Abanador (the Balangiga police chief who led the attack, and who's also a tournament-caliber arnis master) as having truly learned arnis. Abanador apparently earlier tutored interested American soldiers arnis ...

[KuKulzA28]

Originally Posted by migueldiaz

The survivors apparently also did not take things personally against the Filipinos. Three of the survivors were sergeants. One of them was Frank Betron. After his discharge from the army, he married a Filipina and settled in the Philippines.

Interesting how at the end of war, bloodshed, and oppressive times people can still look at each other and love. It's a very comforting thought.

Originally Posted by migueldiaz

Betron was also the only soldier cited by Abanador (the Balangiga police chief who led the attack, and who's also a tournament-caliber arnis master) as having truly learned arnis. Abanador apparently earlier tutored interested American soldiers arnis ...

Now that is an interesting thing to note. Any examples of other US soldiers learning Filipino/Moro fighting arts?

[migueldiaz]

Originally Posted by KuKulzA28

Interesting how at the end of war, bloodshed, and oppressive times people can still look at each other and love. It's a very comforting thought.

Not to be mushy here, but Sgt. Barton's first love (in PI) was apparently a Balangiga lass. Unfortunately, our lovers were overtaken by events (and in the subsequent punitive expeditions to Samar, that lady's mother was one of the casualties). The sarge's crush died a spinster. These are all in Borrinaga's books.

Originally Posted by KuKulzA28

Now that is an interesting thing to note. Any examples of other US soldiers learning Filipino/Moro fighting arts?

Do the pics below count?

On a more serious note, let me find out if I can dig up info on that. My impression is that the Moro warriors were secretive about their martial arts ..

[migueldiaz]

In imagining the blade the Balangiga bolomen used, the following passage from Borrinaga's The Balangiga Conflict Revisited would be relevant:

He [1st Lt. Bumpus, the second-in-command] noted the "great many coconut trees along the lowlands near the seacoast." He added that the "meat of the coconut and its milk are highly prized by the natives, and they get a good price for the oil." ...

It could be inferred from the above observation that, unlike western Samar towns around Catbalogan and Calbayog that engaged in hemp production [thus abaca instead of coconut would be the main crop], Balangiga in the south was more into coconut oil production for export. [p. 43]

Earlier, we saw that the Leyte-Samar coconut farmers' bolo of choice would be the talibon (also known simply as sundang among the natives).

So that must be it ... the Balangiga encounter would be a talibon vs. Krag encounter, if we may wrap up the type of weapons used in the Balangiga incident.

[migueldiaz]

Capt. Leonard Furlong is part and parcel of the story of the bolomen and the krismen. This morning, I went to the Manila North Cemetery to look for his grave and am pleased to have found it.

After clearing the debris and dirt on Furlong's tombstone from last night's rains, I took the photos below.

From Vic Hurley's Jungle Patrol, on Furlong's last days --

"On detail as Senior Inspector of Lanao, Furlong demonstrated the old fighting genius that had made him one of the most powerful figures of the Constabulary. But his old vitality was gone, and he was gnawed by thoughts of his trial and the attendant publicity. Always a strange, sensitive figure, he broke at last under the strain of the years of jungle campaign. He was sent to Manila for observation and treatment, arriving there on June 21. 1911.On the evening prior to Furlong's death he dined with the officers at the mess, and during the meal gave no sign of depression. At nine o'clock in the evening of July 9 he passed two officers on his way to his quarters. A moment later a shot was heard; and when they entered his room, Furlong was found dying on the bed from a gunshot wound."

[Dimasalang]

Awesome! Thank you for taking these photos! Very much appreciated.

[migueldiaz]

dimasalang, glad you liked the pics.

then of course the bolomen's leaders were buried just a few paces away. below are some pics. i'll also upload to flickr the pics of the individual crypts, as well as the separate tomb of gen. pawa -- then i'll send you the link.

[KuKulzA28]

Migueldiaz, thanks for posting these pictures up!

[Dimasalang]

Thanks for those extra photos also. Yes and please post up the pics of Gen Pawa's tomb. I also tracked through Manilas North Cemetery back in 2005. At the time I didn't know Furlong was buried there, and I didn't know about the mousoleum of the revolution...biggest regret not seeing those two. I was also looking for Gregoria de Jesus's tomb as well but ran out of time...let me know if you seen hers! This cemetery is extremely huge!..along with people living there, it can literally be its own separate town. You can spend two days in there and not see everything. Too many famous people buried there.

[Battara]

Wow. Great pictures all. And amazing pictures of the Americans practicing with kampilan and kris.

[Rick]

Originally Posted by Battara

Wow. Great pictures all. And amazing pictures of the Americans practicing with kampilan and kris.

Aye, looks like they've been disencumbered of Western garb .

Shades of Conrad .

[nacho]

Miguel,

Thanks for the pictures of the North Cemetery. I saw the name of my great grand father, Gen. Emiliano Riego de Dios. All the while I assumed he was buried in Maragondon, Cavite, his hometown. He was Aguinaldo's Secretary of War.

[migueldiaz]

thanks everyone, for the comments.

nacho, no wonder the name sounded very familiar (i've heard you mention the name to us before). i'll post then the pic of his crypt.

dimasalang, yes i was also able to take pics of the grave of the wife of andres bonifacio (will also post them here).

[Dimasalang]

Originally Posted by nacho

I saw the name of my great grand father, Gen. Emiliano Riego de Dios. All the while I assumed he was buried in Maragondon, Cavite, his hometown. He was Aguinaldo's Secretary of War.

Wow! Always read about your great-grandfather. Not only Emiliano but his two brothers as well. All three led the revolution out of Maragondon. Mariano was also a general and Vicente was a colonel during the Fil-Am War. Great family history Nacho!
Got any family memorabilia from back in the days?

[migueldiaz]

here's are pics of the tomb of gregoria de jesus, wife of the philippine national hero, andres bonifacio.

bonifacio is always portrayed with a bolo as his prominent weapon. but historians say that his favorite weapon is actually his revolver.

here are the pics of the crypt/tomb of the phil. revolution and phil-am war officers buried at the same cemetery: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13.

[migueldiaz]

if anybody is interested in the pics of the tombs of american 'philippine constabulary' officers buried with leonard furlong at manila north cemetery, please click this link to download the pics.

perhaps somebody can also find out if some of the names figured in hurley's swish of the kris, and jungle patrol

[nacho]

Originally Posted by Dimasalang

Wow! Always read about your great-grandfather. Not only Emiliano but his two brothers as well. All three led the revolution out of Maragondon. Mariano was also a general and Vicente was a colonel during the Fil-Am War. Great family history Nacho!
Got any family memorabilia from back in the days?

wow, Dimasalang, you know your history. Few people know about Vicente and Mariano Riego de Dios. The Riego de Dios ancestral house in Maragondon has been declared a National Heritage site.

No memorabilla. Just funny stories by my grandfather about the Bonifacio trial. According to him, his father was not in there when they voted to arrest Bonifacio. He had a bum stomach -- so he had to go home (which was just a block away).

I asked him once how his father and uncles became top officers of revolution. He said in those days, a person can be a officer if he had a ready "army". They had a ranch and a farm. They gathered their farm hands -- and presto, they had an "army". One of the top officers from Maragondon was a school principal -- he just gathered his former students and was commissioned "Colonel". Interesting.

[Dimasalang]

Originally Posted by migueldiaz

here's are pics of the tomb of gregoria de jesus, wife of the philippine national hero, andres bonifacio.

bonifacio is always portrayed with a bolo as his prominent weapon. but historians say that his favorite weapon is actually his revolver.

here are the pics of the crypt/tomb of the phil. revolution and phil-am war officers buried at the same cemetery: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13.

WOW!!! Maraming-maraming salamat for these photos! Awesome to see these graves since they are never really visited or photographed. I swear, Manilas North Cemetery is an unknown spot...to me, it is a must see location for anyone who is in to Philippine history. So many heroes buried there, many of them can have their own shrine, monument, or memorial park! Can't believe Gregoria de Jesus's tomb..how could I have missed that! Wish I saw it in person...and not just for her, the Nakpil-Bautista family as well. I visited their ancestral house in Quiapo. Amazes me.
Gen Pawa's tomb is also very interesting, being it is not extravagant or some huge monument. Most Chinese tombs are huge off the wall architectural structure. And most well known famous people of the Philippines are buried around marble...Pawa's looks to be ordinary slabs of concrete like the average common citizen...interesting. Was he buried in a regular location?..I know there was a chinese section of the cemetery. Gen Pawa was the only non-native full blooded Chinese general of Aguinaldo. He was also known for being one of the arresting officers of Andres Bonifacio...it is said he was the one who stabbed Bonifacio in the neck with a dagger. Maybe Gen Pawa was buried with that dagger.
Thanks again for sharing!

[Dimasalang]

Originally Posted by nacho

wow, Dimasalang, you know your history. Few people know about Vicente and Mariano Riego de Dios. The Riego de Dios ancestral house in Maragondon has been declared a National Heritage site.

No memorabilla. Just funny stories by my grandfather about the Bonifacio trial. According to him, his father was not in there when they voted to arrest Bonifacio. He had a bum stomach -- so he had to go home (which was just a block away).

I asked him once how his father and uncles became top officers of revolution. He said in those days, a person can be a officer if he had a ready "army". They had a ranch and a farm. They gathered their farm hands -- and presto, they had an "army". One of the top officers from Maragondon was a school principal -- he just gathered his former students and was commissioned "Colonel". Interesting.

Thanks Nacho. Reading and researching Philippine History is a personal hobby of mine. When I am doing nothing else, I am reading our history. My favorite section being the Revolution, the Philippine-American War, and up to the end of the Moro rebellion. Thanks for sharing those family stories. Funny, your family stories are actual apart of Philippine history! Not to many Filipinos can say that. And what you shared brings a new perspective to the table...never knew that was how most officers came to be, farmers with the most property and ranch-hands most likely meant a higher rank during the revolution.

I attached a document from the annual War Report of 1901 sent to the US President. It states the capture of your great-grand uncle Col Vicente Riego de Dios, which took place at your ancestral house in Maragondon. Hope you don't mind me sharing this. hehe Just thought it was interesting and funny at the same time. Again, not to many people can say their family was once at war with America and US Soldiers came and attacked my family's house.

[Dimasalang]

Originally Posted by migueldiaz

if anybody is interested in the pics of the tombs of american 'philippine constabulary' officers buried with leonard furlong at manila north cemetery, please click this link to download the pics.

perhaps somebody can also find out if some of the names figured in hurley's swish of the kris, and jungle patrol

Glad you posted the link to these extra pics too.
Two of the men are really worth a mention.
William Harris was killed at an engagment at Corral Na Bato, which is located in Mariquina(name and spelling changed to Marikina). This was actually the first engagement with General Luciano San Miguel and his force in Rizal province. San Miguel was one of the few generals that never gave up to American forces, and at the time was now #1 on the US Military's Most Wanted List. Interesting enough, Inspector "Geronimo" of the PC was also present along side Harris at this battle...this is the same Licerio Geronimo who was a General of Aguinaldos and whos filipino force was accredited with the killing of US Gen Henry Lawton at the Battle of San Mateo. Geronimo later became a PC inspector, his jurisdiction being his home province. Only two PCs were killed in this engagement, Lt Harris being one, the other being a private. A second battle occurred at Corral Na Bato a month later on March 28, which resulted in the death of the young Gen San Miguel.

Capt Thomas Hayson was killed at Siasi, Sulu where he was stationed. Reports state he was killed in his sleep by one of his own men who was a Moro PC. 7 were later apprehended with the death of Harris. 5 being PC officers, 2 were Moros...all were said to be associated with Pala. Two were sentenced to death by hanging, and the other 5 were jailed up to 10 years.

[nacho]

Dimasalang, thanks. I heard of this story about a grand uncle escaping arrest by American soldiers by hiding under a pile of bananas. All the while we thought it was a joke.

[migueldiaz]

dimasalang, am glad you liked the pics. and thanks too for making these people come 'alive' once again via those stories behind them!

nacho, there's a 'camp riego de dios' in cavite. maybe they have a small museum there or perhaps a nook where some memorabilia are kept? and that was a nice try, attempting to hide under a pile of bananas

[migueldiaz]

Forgot to mention that Gen. Pawa's [Paua's] tomb is outside the veterans' mausoleum. But the general's tomb is right outside the mausoleum.