Questions on the Philippine–American War

[Karolus Rex]

Now after seeing the amazing Heneral Luna, for those that don't know this is a Philippine movie about Antonio Luna and his leadership during the Philippine–American War (PAW), I got interested on the man and begun to read somethings about him and I came up with this questions:

-What if he had managed to convince Aguinaldo to allow the Philippine soldiers to enter Intramuros, at the time the core of Manilla and the Philippines? How would the PAW go if the city had been under joint occupation?

-What if he is successful in organizing and imposing stronger discipline on the Philippine army? During the PAW the army units had their loyalties to their clans and regions and not to the nation.

-What if his plan to engage in guerrilla warfare is followed from the begging and his plan to create a fortress in northern Luzon is successful?

-What if during the Second Battle of Caloocan the Kawit Brigade follows Luna's orders like up with Pamapanga and attack the Americans in La Loma? Given that Luna and Flores latter said that their refusal was what denied the Philippine army the victory on the battle, what would happen if they win?

-What if on the Battle of Calumpit, General Tomás Mascardo sends his troops to Guagua instead of going to Arayat? Now I know that there are two versions of why he went to Arayat. One is that he went to visit is girlfriend (what Luna heard was this version) and the other (Mascardo's version) was that he went there to inspect the troops.

-What if the Kawit Brigade isn't reamed as the Presidential Guard? Given that this was one of the main reasons for Luna to resign, without this and with Luno as commander would the Philippines avoid the constant defeats that marked the three weeks in which Luna was out of the field?

-The greatest what if is this one. What if he wasn't murdered and managed to finish the Luna Defense Line, that was planned to go from Caloocan to Angeles and constructs his planned guerrilla base in the Mountain Province? How would the war go on?

 

[Tredecimus]

Hard to say. The revolutionaries are in a very delicate situation. One event will make or break them.

Reading from Nick Joaquin's A Question of Heroes, he (and Luna) claims that securing Manila first will get them a leverage in negotiating with the Yanks. There won't be a joint occupation. It's either the Americans play by home rules or not. I should point out that Luna is one of the people of the time who knew the strategic importance of his country.

 

[caloysky]

the Katipunan needs a more unified front compared to what they have OTL. Either make Bonifacio a more credible field commander with a few successful skirmishes against the Spanish Colonial Government in Manila or make/replace him to follow the clique in cavite. This is during the 1896 revolt. btw.

During the time of Luna Katipunan/Philippine Revolutionary Government is a fractured force consisting of people that doesn't want to follow the Aguinaldo Clique based in Cavite. For better or for worst for the Katipunan to really succeed, the need to work together...

 

[Tredecimus]

How about Boni getting a copy of the Art of War?

 

[caloysky]

Boni is by definition a self made man. He came from a well off family, but his parents died early living him and his siblings to fend off for themselves. He is in every way has the potential to lead the katipunan to victory against spanish Intramuros, but his luck sucks really bad...

Anyway going back to topic. Luna needs more traction inside the Aguinaldo clique, maybe he becomes friends with Emilio Jacinto (close friend of AB) and Mariano Alvarez (Mag-diwang). These are two generals who are loyal to Bonifacio and refused to follow Aguinaldo who they see usurped and killed their friend Andres. With this two sticking around to support him Luna might get a province and a half to help him fight the Americans. But, this would make him a prime target of Aguinaldo who wants to keep himself in power...

 

[Joseph Solis in Australia]

You need to take Emilio Aguinaldo out of the scene as the leader of the revolution and let somebody else (preferably civilian) who are amicable with either Americans, Filipinos, or Spaniards to lead the revolutionary government and capable to negotiate with Americans and Spaniards in Paris in exchange for favorable terms for Filipinos.

 

[Karolus Rex]

Thank you all for your answers.

So for Luna to get his away we have to take out Aguinaldo or make Luna befriends Jacinto and Alvarez as caloysky suggested.

So what would happen if Aguinaldo fails on getting the Bonifacio brothers killed?

If he makes a failed attempt then he would turn the Bonifacio faction against him, could we expect some kind of civil war between the Bonifacio and the Aguinaldo factons?

On the other side what would be the effects of Luna gaining the Bonifacio faction to his side after the murder of the Bonifacio brothers? Would Aguinaldo try to kill him asap or would he consider Luna a target too powerful and waits for him to make a mistake to destroy him?

 

[caloysky]

If Aguinaldo fails to kill Bonifacio and Co. he will have a harder time controlling the other Katipunan cells around Manila. While it would be bad for the revolution, I'm certain if Boni can kill E.Aguinaldo fairly quickly it will lessen the future backstabbing in the ranks. So there would be a certain short but brutal culling in the ranks of the katipunan, traitors will not be tolerated?

Well the question is where do you want to stir the story? Bonifacio survives wrecking the revolution? Germany help propaganda movement to get more asiatic territories? Luna forces a stalemate during the PH-US war?

 

[Tredecimus]

On the other side what would be the effects of Luna gaining the Bonifacio faction to his side after the murder of the Bonifacio brothers? Would Aguinaldo try to kill him asap or would he consider Luna a target too powerful and waits for him to make a mistake to destroy him?

This requires Luna to join the Katipunan earlier. Before the revolution. And that POD's going to have massive butterflies.

 

[xsander17]

^ Nick Joaquin further claimed (A Question of Heroes) that Luna was distrusted simply because he wasn't part of the Kawit clique, the group of Katipuneros under Aguinaldo who came from Kawit, Cavite. The Katipuneros who killed him in Cabanatuan argued that he must be killed to preserve the unity of the tottering regime already fleeing for its life.

 

[Timaeus]

^ Nick Joaquin further claimed (A Question of Heroes) that Luna was distrusted simply because he wasn't part of the Kawit clique, the group of Katipuneros under Aguinaldo who came from Kawit, Cavite. The Katipuneros who killed him in Cabanatuan argued that he must be killed to preserve the unity of the tottering regime already fleeing for its life.

You could say Luna was a failed Napoleon to the Cavite regime's Girondins and the Katipunan's Jacobins.

 

[caloysky]

I'm looking for research materials for Andres Bonifacio and the people surrounding him. Care to point me where to start?

 

[xsander17]

You could say Luna was a failed Napoleon to the Cavite regime's Girondins and the Katipunan's Jacobins.

True

He was also planning to turn the Mountain Province into a stronghold, and then send representatives of the Aguinaldo regime to ask for help from other countries. However, by that time, the regime already alienated every class (the indios, the ilustrados and the creoles). A group of Kapampangan mercenaries, the Macabebe Scouts, even went with the Americans on their quest to capture Aguinaldo. A road that eventually led to Palanan, Isabela.

What's fascinating with A Question of Heroes is that it challenges the prevailing opinion that the ilustrados betrayed the revolution. Whereas the actions of the revolutionaries themselves (principally the Sublime Paralytic, Mabini) did all the work in alienating everyone.