Battle of Manila (1899)

Battle of Manila
Part of the Philippine–American War
U.S. soldiers of the First Nebraska volunteers, Company B, near Manila in 1899.
Date February 4–5, 1899 Location Manila, Philippines Result American victory Beginning of the Philippine-American War
Belligerents
United States United States Military Government of the Philippine Islands	Philippine Republic
Commanders and leaders
Elwell S. Otis Arthur MacArthur Jr. Thomas M. Anderson	Emilio Aguinaldo Antonio Luna Luciano San Miguel
Strength
19,000 U.S. troops 8,000 in Manila 11,000 outer defenses[1]	15,000–40,000 Filipino troops (estimates vary)[1]
Casualties and losses
55 killed 204 wounded[2]	238 killed 306 captured[2]

The Battle of Manila (Filipino: Labanan sa Maynila; Spanish: Batalla de Manila), the first and largest battle of the Philippine–American War, was fought on February 4–5, 1899, between 19,000 American soldiers and 15,000 Filipino armed militiamen. Armed conflict broke out when American troops, under orders to turn away insurgents from their encampment, fired upon an encroaching group of Filipinos. Philippine President Emilio Aguinaldo attempted to broker a ceasefire, but American General Elwell Stephen Otis rejected it, and fighting escalated the next day. It ended in an American victory, although minor skirmishes continued for several days afterward.