War in the Philippines
The Spanish-American War, the Philippine-American War, and the Presidio
On April 21, 1898, the United States declared war against Spain. The immediate causes were America’s support of Cuba’s ongoing struggle against Spanish rule and the mysterious explosion of the USS Maine in Havana Harbor. This was the first overseas war fought by the United States, with campaigns in Cuba, Puerto Rico, and the Philippines.
On May 18, 1898, the Spanish fleet guarding the Philippine Islands was defeated by the U.S. Navy under the command of Commodore George Dewey. Unaware of Dewey’s success, President McKinley authorized the assembling of troops to mount a campaign against the capital of Manila. The military base best suited the as a staging point for these troops was the Presidio of San Francisco. From 1898 through 1900, 80,000 soldiers passed through the post on their way to the Philippines.
After the was against Spain ended, United States leaders decided to give Cuba its independence but keep the Philippines. In 1899, this led to fighting against Philippine “Insurrectos” who wanted their independence. The fighting diminished after the capture of the nationalist leader Emilio Aguinaldo. The conflict officially ended on July 4, 1902. With its new overseas possessions (the Philippines, Guam, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico), the United States emerged as a world power.
Signs of the brief war with Spain and the longer conflict with the Filipinos are evident throughout the Presidio today: the large brick Montgomery Street barracks, and the original portion of Letterman Hospital built during that period, are now important parts of the historic scene. Major Generals Frederick Funston, who captured Aguinaldo, and William R. Shafter, commander of U.S. Army forces in Cuba during the war, are buried in the San Francisco National Cemetery on the Presidio.
Marker can be reached from Graham Street.
Courtesy hmdb.org
