Monday, February 16, 2009

An American Revolutionary in the Philippines

by George M. Hizon

The densely forested area around the Rio de la Pampanga River was a scene of great bloodshed as dozens of Filipinos lay dead massacred by the advancing U.S. forces. It was August, 1899, when Filipino Insurrectos under General Maximino Hizon were making a futile stand against the vastly superior American army.

In a few weeks, General Hizon would be captured. He would be replaced by another Pampango general, Jose Alejandrino. General Alejandrino regroups his almost decimated forces and heads towards Mount Arayat, for, another bloody confrontation with the Americans. In the lull of the battle, Alejandrino meets a “black” American defector, Corporal David Fagen. A highly skilled guerilla fighter (he was a veteran in Cuba during the Spanish-American War of 1898), Fagen would raise havoc with his former comrades in the U.S. army. For the next two years, his actions would give hope to the losing “Filipino cause”.

An incredible story?Yes. And it all happened during the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902. Actually, Corporal David Fagen was one of the 7,000 “black” soldiers sent here in the Philippines to secure the islands for the United States of America. Originally, called “Buffalo Soldiers”, a monicker given by the American-Indians because of their combat prowess and bravery, 4 regiments of “black” soldiers were sent here: they were the 9th and 10th cavalry, and the 23rd and 24th infantry regiments. Corporal Fagan belonged to the 24th. On June, 1899, Fagen’s regiment was sent to Central Luzon to fight the Insurrectos.

During the course of the battle, two factors would change Fagen’s perspective of the war. First, his constant quarrel with his superiors, and second, the “racist” manner in which the Americans conducted the war, oftentimes calling Filipino soldiers racial slurs like “niggers”, “black devils” and “gugus”.

On November 17, 1899, Fagen defected to the side of the Insurrectos. On September 6, 1900, he was promoted from corporal to captain by his commanding officer, General Alejandrino. “Captain Fagen” would clash with the American army at least eight times, from August 30, 1900 to January 12, 1901 (two against Frederick Funston, the fabled general who captured Aguinaldo). His most famous action was the daring capture of an American steam launch on the Rio Grande de la Pampanga River. Along with 150 of his men, Fagen seized its cargo of guns and disappeared swiftly into the dense forest before the American reinforcements could arrive. It was after this episode that he was referred to as “General Fagen”, by the New York Times.

As Fagen’s “legendary” exploits in the battlefield continued prolonging the war, it also brought along countless miseries to the people of Central Luzon. The tragic loss of lives of many Filipinos, both combatants and non-combatants was a fact General Alejandrino found quite unacceptable. On April 29, 1901, Alejandrino turned himself in to the American army (his decision to surrender was also hastened by Aguinaldo’s capture in March, 1901). On May 16, 1901, General Urbano Lacuna, Alejandino’s successor, also surrendered to the American forces, ending with finality, Central Luzon’s involvement in the Philippine-American War.

With the “revolutionary option” already out of the question,
David Fagen had no other recourse but to “run and hide” as he would meet certain death at the hands of his American captors. Together with his Filipina wife and another Filipino soldier, Fagen took refuge in the nearby mountains of Nueva Ecija.

In the following months, Fagen would become an object of a relentless manhunt by the U.S. army. Branded as a bandit, he would carry a $600 price for his capture, dead or alive. Posters of him both written in Spanish and Tagalog were spread all over the towns of Nueva Ecija.

On December 5, 1901, Anastacio Bartolome, a Tagalog hunter, delivered to U.S. authorities a sack containing a partially decomposed head of a “negro”, who he would claim to be that of Fagen’s. At first, Bartolome’s statements regarding the circumstances surrounding Fagen’s death(Fagen was supposedly hacked to death)proved consistent with the evidences he brought along: some weapons and clothing, a pair of field glasses, Fagen’s commission, and a Westpoint class ring of one of Fagen’s former captives, Lieutenant Frederick Alstaetter ( Alstaetter was earlier released unharmed by Fagen ). Further investigation by 24th regiment, however, gave doubt to Bartolme’s claim that the head inside the sack was that of Fagen’s, “as it was too small”, according to one officer. He further commented “it could be that of an “Aeta”, one of Fagen’s many companions inside the “Insurrecto” camp. Could it be possible that Fagen faked his own death by colluding with Anastacio Bartolome to avoid capture? Adding credence to this speculation was Bartolome’s prior confession to the U.S. authorities that he was a former “Insurrecto”.

A year later, the U.S. army would close the files of David Fagen naming it “the supposed killing of David Fagen”. There would be no record of payment of a reward to Bartolome.

What would have become of David Fagen? I am sure, he is dead by now. He, however, deserves a place in our history just like our other foreign heroes: General Juan Cailles (French), General Jose Ignacio Paua (Chinese), General Manuel Sityar and Colonel Jose Torres Bugallon, (Spaniards).

Final note: Reduced to insignificance because of our close ties with the United States of America, the Philippine-American War of 1899-1902, is the least mentioned historical event in our newspapers today. Despite its “insignificance”, the war claimed more than 200,000 Filipino civilian lives. Add to this, the number of combatants killed: 20,000 Filipino soldiers paling in comparison to 4,390 American soldiers. The war was condemned by famous personalities like Mark Twain, Andrew Carnegie and Senator Benjamin Tillman of South Carolina. It was also condemned by a few American soldiers as about 20 of them defected to the side of the Filipinos.6 of them were “blacks”. 2 of them were hanged (both “blacks”). They were Privates Edmond Dubose and Lewis Russell, of the 9th cavalry regiment. The most celebrated was probably Corporal David Fagen of the 24th infantry regiment.

The author, George M. Hizon is a great-grandnephew of “Insurrecto” general Maximino Hizon. He currently writes for Ateneo’s Blue-blood magazine.

Sources:

Michael C. Robinson and Frank N. Schubert, “David Fagen: An Afro-American Rebel in the Philippines, 1899-1901”.The Pacific Historical Review. Vol.44, Nov.1, (Feb. 1975), pp. 68-83

National Historical Institute: Eminent Filipinos, T.M.Kalaw St., Ermita, Manila, 1965, Maximino Hizon. Page 128

National Historical Institute: Filipinos in History vol.3, T.M.Kalaw st., Manila, Philippines.1990, Jose Alejandrino. Pages 9-11

Arnaldo Dumindin, “Philippine-American War, 1899-1902: A Pictorial History of the Philippine American War”- Internet

Vicente Rafael, David Fagen (1875-?)/ Black Past Reclaimed and Remembered: University of Washington, Seattle, U.S.A.-Internet


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