PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



637 



tec-ted. After the beginning of September the 

 tn>op> began to niiiko reconnoissancea in Cavite. 

 \Vlicii re-enforcements came from Mindanao the 

 garrison at San Indro. in Xueva Ecija. was relieved. 

 Tlu> rebels led by Santallano captured the town of 

 San Isidor and made the governor a prisoner. An 

 attempt, to capture a Spanish gunboat in the harbor 

 of Cavite was frustrated by the firing of artillery, 

 which killed some of the 

 attacking party and sank 

 shipping. On Sept. 21 Gen. 

 Blanco issued a decree di- 

 recting that all the property 

 of persons implicated in the 

 rebellion be forfeited for the 

 benefit of the Government. 

 The Madrid Government 

 made preparations to send 

 8,000 additional troops to 

 the Philippine Islands. In 

 October, after the arrival of 

 re-enforcements from Spain, 

 Gen. Blanco set out with 

 3.000 European troops and 

 several thousand natives to 

 clear the inland districts of 

 rebels, preparatory to attack- 

 ing the focus of the rebellion 

 in Cavite. where the insur- 

 gents numbered 12.000. The 

 rebels seized Talisay, defeat- 

 ing a body of troops sent to 

 its relief, and compelled Gen. 

 Blanco to alter his route to 

 meet their advance. Numer- 

 ous engagements were fought 

 in the province of Nueva 

 Ecija, where about 1.000 

 rebels were killed. Gen. 

 Echaluce and other com- 

 manders made prisoners of 

 all persons suspected of sym- 

 pathizing with the rebellion, 

 Vnit the prisoners were all 

 killed instead of being sent 

 to Manila. A large force of 

 Spanish troops made an at- 

 tack on Novaleta on Nov. 8, 

 but could not carry the for- 

 tifications, although they 

 killed 400 rebels. 'They re- 

 peated the assault on Nov. 11, 

 and were repelled with a loss 

 of 200 men. At Santa Cruz 

 de Laguna, Gen. Aguirre 



defeated a force of 4,000 rebels, killing a large 

 number, including Francisco A bad. the commander. 

 The town of San Juan was captured from the 

 rebels at the point of the bayonet. Another victory 

 was won at Angrat. These slight successes did not 

 prevent the rebellion from spreading and the rebel 

 army in Cavite from growing until it numbered 

 50,000, though the revolutionists had no strategic 

 leaders capable of organizing and uniting this force 

 for effective action and were weakened by internal 

 rivalries and dissensions. On Dec. 9 the 150 pris- 

 oners confined in Cavite castle made their escape. 

 Gen. Blanco failed in his advance upon the rebel 

 positions in Cavite province. One column. 3.000 

 strong, was checked and had to retire with a loss of 

 194. Another column carried one of the enemy's 

 intrenchments. and on the next day it was driven 

 out with a loss of 400 men. As the insurgents oc- 

 cupied impregnable positions with an army of 10.- 

 000 men, the operations were suspended. The 

 Spanish troops were withdrawn from this inef- 

 fectual campaign in December, as the country was 



full of sedition and the situation too precarious to 

 have tin-in away from the central stronghold. In 

 Mindanao some of the Spanish troops revolted. A 

 European committee of protection was formed at 

 Manila. The native pries! s began to preach war 

 against Spain. The Madrid (Jovernmcnt recalled 

 Geii. Blanco and sent out Gen. I'olivieja to take 

 command, and he arrived in the middle of Docem- 



IFUGAO INDIAN, PHILIPPINE ISLANDS. 



ber. He formed a plan to hem in the insurgents in 

 Buluyan, Batangas, and Laguna. and finally to sur- 

 round and destroy the main body in Cavite. Re- 

 enforcements numbering 15.000 men were sent out 

 from Spain. The Cavite insurgents had then com- 

 pleted formidable intrenchments at Alfonso Doce, 

 Amadeo. and Narigondon. The new Spanish com- 

 mander initiated vigorous measures for dealing 

 with suspects, ordering that only prominent leaders 

 should be brought to Manila for trial, while all 

 others should be tried by court-martial and sum- 

 marily executed where they were captured. He 

 sent out columns that carried on a vigorous cam- 

 paign. The brigade of Gen. Rios attacked Balinag. 

 on the borders of Bulacan and Nueva Ecija. which 

 was held by a strong rebel force, which was driven 

 out with a loss of 350 killed. Later he attacked the 

 fortified position of Santa Maria, in Bulacan, and 

 after cannonading it drove out the defenders at the 

 point of the bayonet, killing 1,200 rebels, but losing 

 very heavily himself. Among the rebels were a 

 great number of deserters from the army. Another 



