08/04/2025
125 years ago, in the early morning of 7 April 1900, Philippine Republican Army forces under the command of General Nicolas Capistrano staged a lightning attack against the 40th US Volunteer Infantry Regiment garrisoning the town of Cagayan de Misamis (present day Cagayan de Oro City).
Cagayan de Misamis had already been liberated from Spanish control since December 1898 when the Spanish government in Northern Mindanao relinquished control over the province of Misamis and the town of Cagayan to Jose Roa y Casas and Toribio Chavez, the governor and municipal chief executive for province and the town respectively. They were appointed directly by President Aguinaldo as the head of the Revolutionary Government that proclaimed the independence of the whole archipelago on 12 June 1898. The people of Cagayan de Misamis recognized their independence with massed celebrations on 10-11 January 1899 which saw the Philippine Flag hoisted over a town in Mindanao only for the second time.
However, in less than a month after these celebrations, the first shots of what would become the Philippine-American War would be fired in Manila on 4 February 1899. The Philippine flag would fly proudly over Cagayan de Misamis peacefully for more than a year until 30 March 1900 when US Forces landed on the shores of Misamis Province. The 40th US Volunteer Infantry Regiment soon arrived and garrisoned Cagayan de Misamis under the command of Col. Edward A. Godwin. While their initial occupation proved relatively peaceful, the Americans would soon find out that the Kagay-anons will fight fiercely for the independence of their motherland.
The Philippine Republic’s forces in Northern Mindanao soon began to organize a surprise attack against the US garrison at Cagayan de Misamis. Its commander, Nicolas Capistrano, gathered forces from the Christian and Lumad communities of Northern Mindanao. An unlikely commander, Capistrano was actually from Bulacan but settled in Cagayan de Misamis with his wife where they operated a hacienda near the coast. With more than a hundred men armed with a multitude of armaments, including rifles, spears, and bolos, the Kagay-anon force broke the early morning calm of 7 April 1900 with a rush towards the overnight American sentries. With their courageous war cries echoing into the dawn, the Filipino forces rushed towards the main plaza of Cagayan de Misamis (present day Gaston Park) to close the distance to the awakening US soldiers. However, the Americans were also quick to react and managed to repulse the Filipino attack, losing only 4 killed. With more than 50 casualties, Capistrano ordered his remaining forces to pull back into the surrounding mountains.
The Battle of Cagayan de Misamis will kick-off a series of historic engagements between the Filipino Army and the invading US forces that will endure until April 1901, outlasting the First Philippine Republic which ended with the capture of President Aguinaldo in March 1901. The Northern Mindanao campaign of the Philippine-American War would be recognized as one of the most successful resistance campaigns by Filipino forces during the conflict. In recognition of its historical significance, a Historical Marker was installed by the NHCP at the Gaston Park, Cagayan de Oro City in 2000.
🖌️: "Battle of Cagayan de Misamis" by Derrick C. Macutay (2024). Part of the NHCP's travelling exhibit "Battles Across: The Philippine Revolution and Philippine-American War in the Visayas and Mindanao."
