Synopses & Reviews
This year begins the centennial of the Philippine War, one of the most controversial and poorly understood events in American history. The war thrust the U.S. into the center of Pacific and Asian politics, with important and sometimes tragic consequences. It kept the Filipinos under colonial overlordship for another five decades and subjected them to American political, cultural, and economic domination.
In the first comprehensive study in over six decades, Linn provides a definitive treatment of military operations in the Philippines. From the pitched battles of the early war to the final campaigns against guerrillas, Linn traces the entire course of the conflict. More than an overview of Filipino resistance and American pacification, this is a detailed study of the fighting in the "boondocks."
In addition to presenting a detailed military history of the war, Linn challenges previous interpretations. Rather than being a clash of armies or societies, the war was a series of regional struggles that differed greatly from island to island. By shifting away from the narrow focus on one or two provinces to encompass the entire archipelago, Linn offers a more thorough understanding of the entire war.
Linn also dispels many of the misunderstandings and historical inaccuracies surrounding the Philippine War. He repudiates the commonly held view of American soldiers "civilizing with a Krag" and clarifies such controversial incidents as the Balangiga Massacre and the Waller Affair.
Exhaustively researched and engagingly written, The Philippine War will become the standard reference on America's forgotten conflict and a major contribution to the study of guerrilla warfare.
Table of Contents
List of Illustrations
Preface
Acknowledgments
Part One: Conventional Operations, 1899
1. The Americans Arrive
2. A Difficult Situation
3. The Battle of Manila
4. The Visayas
5. The Spring Campaign
6. Summer Stalemate
7. The Northern Offensive
8. The Occupation of the Archipelago
Part Two: The Archipelago, 1900-1902
9. The Guerilla War
10. Moroland and the Eastern Visayas
11. Panay
12. Northern Luzon
13. Southern Luzon
14. Samar
15. Conclusion
Notes
Bibliography
Index