Manila Captured
August 20, 1898
Summary
The United States announces victory after troops capture the capitol of the Philippines.
Transcription
Short bombardment and quick advance by our infantry.
The fight of Augusti.
Spanish commander escapes to Hong Kong on a German ship.
Olympia fired the first shot.
And the First Colorado Regiment was the first to charge the Spaniards in the trenches—Admiral Dewey has probably ere this forced the surrender of two other Philippine ports and captured several steamers—Captain General Augusti leaves Hong Kong for Madrid.
London, Aug. 17. —The Manila correspondent of the Daily Telegraph says:
Nothing could be more humane than the American capture of this town. General Merritt’s and General Dewey’s plan was to spare every object but the defenses and the trenches. Apparently, the American losses were extremely small. The Spanish entrenchments varied in point of distance from two to four miles from the center of old Manila.
Defending this long line of at least ten miles were not over 5,000 Spanish regular troops, volunteers and natives. About half that number were in the hospital. The attacking force numbered from 10,000 to 20,000 natives and 10,000 Americans, on shore and abroad the fleet. In every respect, the advantage was on the side of the attack. The American field guns threw heavier metal and had longer ranges than the Spanish, the marksmanship of the United States gunners was much superior to that of the Spaniards, and the men were stronger and in better condition. The Spaniards are a small race compared with their stalwart opponents, and, worn out by a hundred days’ siege and disappointed by the failure to arrive of the promised Spanish relief squadron, they had lost heart. It was a hopeless struggle.
Looking over the bay it was curious to notice how the foreign fleets arranged themselves according to their sympathies. The English and Japanese were near the Americans and the Germans and French on the opposite sides of the bay, north of the Pasig river. The British cruiser Immortalite and her consorts kept fairly near the American line. The attacking squadron formed in lines between Malate and old Manila, with the Concord watched the fort at the mouth of the Pasig. The American fleet lays outside the breakwater.
The Olympia fired the first shot at 9:40, and a fairly continuous but by no mean furious cannonade was kept up until 11:20. By that time, the Malate fort was silenced, and the American troops then stormed the entrenchments. The Spaniards who were in the earthworks say that the quick firing gun were of little gunboat Rapido, which lay close to the shore, were far more terrible in their effects than was the raking fire of the ships.
Resistance to the American attack was impossible. The Frist Colorado regiment was the earliest to charge the Spaniards, who retired to the second line, but, soon outnumbered, they were forced into the old city. A part of Malate suffered severely from the bombardment. The vaunted intramurals defenses were not tried.
The Spanish commander, convinced that further resistance was hopeless, hoisted a white flag at 1:30 and the order to cease firing was immediately issued in the center of the town, but in the outskirts street fighting continued for some time afterwards between the rebels and Spaniards. The only fear felt in the city is in regard to the conduct of the insurgents.
As the white flag was hoisted General Augusti and his family were taken on board the German cruiser, and the Kaiserin Augusta steamed off immediately for Hong Kong.
The fight of Augusti.
Spanish commander escapes to Hong Kong on a German ship.
Olympia fired the first shot.
And the First Colorado Regiment was the first to charge the Spaniards in the trenches—Admiral Dewey has probably ere this forced the surrender of two other Philippine ports and captured several steamers—Captain General Augusti leaves Hong Kong for Madrid.
London, Aug. 17. —The Manila correspondent of the Daily Telegraph says:
Nothing could be more humane than the American capture of this town. General Merritt’s and General Dewey’s plan was to spare every object but the defenses and the trenches. Apparently, the American losses were extremely small. The Spanish entrenchments varied in point of distance from two to four miles from the center of old Manila.
Defending this long line of at least ten miles were not over 5,000 Spanish regular troops, volunteers and natives. About half that number were in the hospital. The attacking force numbered from 10,000 to 20,000 natives and 10,000 Americans, on shore and abroad the fleet. In every respect, the advantage was on the side of the attack. The American field guns threw heavier metal and had longer ranges than the Spanish, the marksmanship of the United States gunners was much superior to that of the Spaniards, and the men were stronger and in better condition. The Spaniards are a small race compared with their stalwart opponents, and, worn out by a hundred days’ siege and disappointed by the failure to arrive of the promised Spanish relief squadron, they had lost heart. It was a hopeless struggle.
Looking over the bay it was curious to notice how the foreign fleets arranged themselves according to their sympathies. The English and Japanese were near the Americans and the Germans and French on the opposite sides of the bay, north of the Pasig river. The British cruiser Immortalite and her consorts kept fairly near the American line. The attacking squadron formed in lines between Malate and old Manila, with the Concord watched the fort at the mouth of the Pasig. The American fleet lays outside the breakwater.
The Olympia fired the first shot at 9:40, and a fairly continuous but by no mean furious cannonade was kept up until 11:20. By that time, the Malate fort was silenced, and the American troops then stormed the entrenchments. The Spaniards who were in the earthworks say that the quick firing gun were of little gunboat Rapido, which lay close to the shore, were far more terrible in their effects than was the raking fire of the ships.
Resistance to the American attack was impossible. The Frist Colorado regiment was the earliest to charge the Spaniards, who retired to the second line, but, soon outnumbered, they were forced into the old city. A part of Malate suffered severely from the bombardment. The vaunted intramurals defenses were not tried.
The Spanish commander, convinced that further resistance was hopeless, hoisted a white flag at 1:30 and the order to cease firing was immediately issued in the center of the town, but in the outskirts street fighting continued for some time afterwards between the rebels and Spaniards. The only fear felt in the city is in regard to the conduct of the insurgents.
As the white flag was hoisted General Augusti and his family were taken on board the German cruiser, and the Kaiserin Augusta steamed off immediately for Hong Kong.
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Upper Left Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Cali Hughes
Citation
“Manila Captured,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed October 9, 2026, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/1558.