1903

The Moros continue to carry on slave trading openly on Sulu. 10,000 Moros are prepared to resist to the death the Americans; the reign of Juramentado Moro terror begins again. 1). When a survey party failed to return in time the Gov. of Jolo called Datu Hassan to Jolo to account-he brought 4,000 armed men. Gov. (Major) Scott called for help and that brought Gen. Wood from his Mindanao campaign against the Moros to Jolo. They called Hassan to account, he replied, “that if the Americans wanted him, they could come out and get him.” Hassan then withdrew. General Wood led his troops in pursuit to Lake Seit and fought a battle that resulted in 60 Moro deaths. Hassan retreated fighting a rear guard action for fifty miles. The Americans assaulted cotta after cotta killing 500 Moros and capturing Hassan.

As the Americans were about to enter the Jolo fort a group of Kris men attacked the column, under Scott’s command, from concealment in a nearby hut so fast and unexpected that they drove through the Americans and released Hassan.

1904

2). Scott, after recovering from wounds which resulted in the loss of several fingers, unable to hold a weapon led the forces against Hassan the following March. Scott pursued Hassan for weeks. Multiple charges of Kris men into the face of determined American infantry resulted in terrible losses to Hassan’s forces. They retreated to the Moro fortress of Pang-Pang, Hassan arriving with only 80 surviving men. The cotta walls were reduced by artillery fire that also killed or wounded all but Hassan and two other of his men. They made their last stand at the crater of an extinct volcano. As riflemen killed his last two men, Hassan charged the Americans and died before reaching them, riddled by bullets.

3). Out post at Taraca, Mindanao

The 28th Infantry on Mindanao fought Moros under similar conditions. A Sgt. Stevens and three privates (Bowser, Burke and Kiethly) were sent to an outpost near Taraca. They cleared an area in the jungle and settled down to sentry duty. In the early morning hours 20 Kris men attacked killing all but Kiethly who was wounded. He gathered all the rifles and fell back firing to keep the Moros at bay. For ¾ of a mile he kept them at a distance only to die just outside the main post from determined Kris men. This was the typical Moro attack-out of the thick jungle, just about dawn, screaming and yelling before anyone has time to react the Americans are slashed to death.

4). A wild boar errrr boer?? hunting party sets out from an old Spanish concrete blockhouse located on a rocky peninsula extending some hundreds of yards out to sea. The party, composed of Sgt. DeWolf, four privates and a small crowd of natives, sails down the coast several miles and camps on a hilltop. About dark Private Mygalt went down to the sea for a swim. Moments later the natives attack those in camp and then go searching for the private-he hears the screams from camp and swims out into the water. The natives give up the search and depart. Mygalt returns to camp in the early morning. He finds DeWolf lying in the ashes of the campfire dead of a Kris neck wound. One private had a severed left hand, a gash in the head in addition to 44 other wounds. The other two privates were lying in pools of blood alive but slashed with Kris wounds. Mygalt took the two dead and two wounded back to the blockhouse by boat, he was the only survivor. 5). Forty-five men from the blockhouse pursued the 10 murderers and captured them at Bilimbing. The murderers were tied to stakes for the night. The next day as the party was about to return the ten murderers attempted to escape, they were all shot.

1906

6). Orders

Colonel Duncan

I wish you would get two of your companies together and go to Jolo at once. Nothing but blanket rolls, field mess outfit, 200 rounds per man, seven days field rations, in haste. Regular orders will reach you later.

Leonard Wood

Companies K and M of the 6th Infantry departed for Jolo on the transport Wright. With Duncan and his 272 men from the 6th were 211 of the 4th Cavalry, 68 men from the 28th Artillery Battalion, 51 Sulu Constabulary, 110 men of the 19th Infantry and 6 sailors from the gunboat Pampanga-a total of 790 men and officers took place in the assault on Bud Dajo.

The Moros were under attack because they refused to give up their slave trading, cattle raiding and women stealing. The Moros retreated to Bud Dajo, an extinct volcano at an altitude of 2100 feet. The crater at the summit is 1800 yards in circumference and flanked by rocky promontories. 1000 Moros took refuge here six miles from Jolo.

Mountain guns fired 40 rounds of shrapnel into the crater. Three columns were formed for the assault to advance up three narrow trails to the crater commanded by Major Bundy and Captains Rivers and Lawton.

At 7am Bundy encountered a barricade manned by 200 Moros. Sharpshooters, artillery and rifle grenades took their toll, and then the infantry charged with fixed bayonets while the Moros fought with Kris and spear. Captain Rivers encountered a similar situation. Captain Lawton advanced along a poor trail, assaulted by Moros hurling huge stones on the troops.

In some places the troops had to crawl, the Moros also attacked with Kris. Lawton reached the summit where he took the trenches by assault. That night the heavy guns were hauled into a commanding position (apparently there were two quick-fire guns) - from the Pampanga. At dawn the barrage began, some desperate Moros crawled to the crater edge and attempted to charge the trenches but where cut down. The Moros made hand grenades from powder and sea shells and made ready to resist the final American bayonet charge. When it was all over all but six Moros were dead and the Americans lost 21 KIA and 75 WIA.

7). Battle of Bud Bagsak (sounds like Howard Whitehouse made up these names).

In order to keep Moro women and children from taking refuge with their outlaw men. Captain Pershing snuck into Jolo harbor aboard the Wright with the 51st and 52nd Scout Companies. By 5am the Scouts and American troops began their advance toward Bud Bagsak. The point of attack was the stone fortress of Bagsak situated on a mountain crest surrounded by cottas each giving supporting fire.

The Americans were divided into two forces-the right wing under Major Shaw the 8th Infantry and 40th Company Mountain guns, left wing 51st and 52nd Scouts with a mountain gun detachment under Van Natta. Each wing was to attack two cottas (right wing-Languasan and Matunkup, left wing Pujacabao and Bunga) leaving one cotta and the fortress (Pujagan and Bagsak) for last. The 24th and 31st Companies of Scouts were sent to the south slope under Captain Moylan to cut off retreat of the Moros. The following becomes somewhat confusing since the wings mix their orders. Captain Nicholls, climbing vines in the face of heavy fire at Matunkup, led his company up a sheer cliff, losing eight men. Meanwhile the mountain guns fired on Pujacabao causing the Moros to retreat to Pujagan. After Captain Nicholls captured Matunkup he went on to capture Pujacabo. Languasan was easily captured with only the loss of one man, but took eight more casualties during the Moro counter-attacks.

The next day the Americans fired into Bunga and Pajagan with rifles and mountain guns. The Moros counter-attacked the Americans at Languasan in groups of 10 to 20 across 300 yards of open area to fight hand-to-hand with the Americans. The Moros never reached the Americans; however, a bullet through the heart killed Captain Nicholls.

Those holding Languasan were under fire from Bunga all day. The next day captain Moylan was ordered to capture Bunga from which the fortress could be shelled. It took Moylan five hours to capture Bunga, which was supported by sharpshooters and artillery.

The fourth day saw the 51st and 52nd Scouts ordered to find a position from which to launch the final attack while the artillery shelled the fort.

The fifth day began with a two-hour barrage while the infantry moved into position. The artillery shelled the Moro out of their trenches while the sharpshooters picked them off. It took the Americans an hour to reach the now empty trenches. The Moros counter-attacked, but were mowed down by the Americans.

Pershing came up to the firing line exposing himself (no not that way) to fire from the fort. It took another 7 hours of hard fighting to reach the Moro fort. Pershing moved to within 25 feet and ordered the final assault by Captain Charleton - 13 men were lost in the final over the wall assault. 500 Moros had defended the forts nearly all fought to the death.

A cotta was a heavily fortified village. Sometimes built with stone, but mostly palisaded with wood, with trenches and spiked traps. Sometimes there would be a central stone tower that might also serve as a mosque. Some cottas had cannon from the Spanish of all eras. Some cottas might even have earth works surrounding it. The Moros made good use of strategic placement of the cottas, although they could not stand up to modern artillery fire for long.

Heliograph issue 123 contains “Rules for Moro Actions” and “Fight Da Moros skirmish rules” both by Scott Hansen. They are well worth re-reading and giving a try.

I use the 20th Anniversary edition of TSATF with the following changes:
US as British,
Constabulary as Egyptian

For the Moros:
Firing as Pathans.
Close Combat as Fuzzy Wuzzy with sword
Movement as Zulus
Morale, Charge Completion, Stand and Fight, Rally--all as Fuzzy Wuzzy.
Unit size for the Moros is always 20 figures, but for US and Constabulary five figures as scouts or sentry duty away from post, and ten figures for patrols and normal or 20 figure units for all other actions.

More Jungle Patrol Part II

Figures
Infantry Actions 1903-1906

Jungle Patrol Part I

Introduction
Constabulary 1901-1910
Insurgents: Pulajans and Moros
Scenarios