Chapter 6, Civilizing with a Krag Summary

The actual war is triggered over a small skirmish on February 4, 1899. It quickly escalates and within hours the Filipino positions in Manila come under heavy fire by U.S. warships. Much of the town is destroyed as U.S. troops charge forward. By the end of the day, some three thousand Filipinos are dead in what is later described as a massacre. Otis rebuffs talk of a truce with Aguinaldo. He states, "The fight must go on to the grim end." Americans overwhelm the nearby village of Caloocan and burn it to the ground. Northern and southern offensives are mostly successful in defeating superior numbered Filipino forces, but the U.S. commanders quickly realize they lack the manpower to hold ground. The insurgent forces gradually switch from a policy of direct confrontation to guerrilla tactics...