Gregorio del Pilar y Sempio

Gregorio del Pilar y Sempio 

(November 14, 1875—December 2, 1899)

He was one of the youngest generals in the Philippine Revolutionary Forces during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-American War. He is most known for his role and death at the Battle of Tirad Pass. Because of his youth, he was called the "Boy General."

On December 28, 1896, he participated in an attack in Kakarong de Sili - Pandi-Bulacan on a town inimical to the Katipunan. On January 1, 1897, he was among the defenders when a Spanish counterattack retook the town, receiving a slight wound when a bullet grazed his forehead. His courage and bravery in that action won him recognition and a promotion to the rank of Lieutenant.In August 1897, then a Captain, he met with Emilio Aguinaldo in his Biak-na-Bato headquarters and proposed an attack on a Spanish garrison in Paombong,Laguna.

 Aguinaldo approved his plan and the attack was successfully carried out with the capture of 14 Mauser rifles. Shortly thereafter, Aguinaldo raised him to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. After the Pact of Biak-na-Bato, he went into exile in Hong Kong with Aguinaldo and other revolutionary leaders. After the Battle of Manila Bay which brought the Spanish-American War to the Philippines, Aguinaldo and other exiled leaders, including del Pilar, returned to the Philippines to resume hostilities against Spain. Aguinaldo named del Pilar Dictator of Bulacan and Nueva Ecija provinces. On June 24, 1898, he accepted the Spanish surrender of his home town of Bulacan. Shortly thereafter, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General.
When the Philippine-American War broke-out on February 1899, del Pilar led his troops to a short victory over Major Franklin Bell in the first phase of the Battle of Quingua (also known as Plaridel) on April 23, 1899, in which his forces repelled a cavalry charge and killed the highly respected Colonel  Battle of Quingua after whom Clark Air Base was originally named (Fort Stotsenburg).

 The Battle of Tirad Pass, sometimes referred to as the "Philippine Thermopylae"
  was a battle in the Philippine-American War fought on December 2, 1899, in northern Luzon in the Philippines, in which a 60-man Filipino rearguard commanded by Brigadier General Gregorio del Pilar succumbed to around 300 Americans of the 33rd Infantry Regiment under Major Peyton C. March , while delaying the American advance to ensure Emilio Aguinaldo's escape.
 On December 2, 1899, del Pilar early in the morning at 6:30am led 60 Filipino soldiers of Aguinaldo's rear guard in the Battle of Tirad Pass against the "Texas Regiment", the 33rd Infantry Regiment of the United States led by Peyton C. March.  A delaying action to cover Aguinaldo's retreat, the five-hour standoff resulted in Del Pilar's death due to a shot to the neck (at the height or end of the fighting, depending on eyewitness accounts). Del Pilar's body was later despoiled and robbed by the victorious American soldiers.
Del Pilar's body lay unburied for days, exposed to the elements. While retracing the trail, an American officer, Lt. Dennis P. Quinlan, gave the body a traditional U.S. military burial. Upon del Pilar's tombstone, Quinlan inscribed, "An Officer and a Gentleman".
In 1930, del Pilar's body was exhumed and was identified by the gold tooth and braces he had installed while in exile in Hong Kong.

 n honor of Del Pilar's heroism, the philippine Military Academy was named Fort Del Pilar and a historical marker placed at the site of the battle.
The Battle of Tirad Pass and the death of Del Pilar was also commemorated during World War 2 when the Japanese-backed government of PresidentJose P. Laurel sought to re-kindle anti-American sentiment by reviving memories of the Philippine-American War with the creation of the Tirad Pass Medal. The design of the obverse (front) of the medal included a bust of Del Pilar and a view of Tirad Pass. The design of the reverse (back) includes the date 1944. The Tirad Pass Medal was the only military medal or decoration issued by the Laurel government during the Japanese occupation.

Sources :

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gregorio_del_Pilar

 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Tirad_Pass