The Court Martial of Major Littleton Waller, USMC for Actions in the Philippines

Major Littleton Waller acted as a major subordinate in carrying out Jacob Smith's orders on Samar and was afterwards court martialed for the executions of  eleven mutinous Filipino porters.

Waller's defense did not mention Smith's orders directly, but used  provisions of the Civil War's  General Order  Number 100 (also called the Lieber Code).  This order dictated how Union soldiers were expected to conduct themselves in relation to enemy military and is considered a precursor to the Geneva Conventions.

The General Order permitted the killing of POWs in reprisal for  violations of the rules of war by the enemy and also provided for the summary execution of spies, saboteurs and guerrilla fighters.

Jacob Smith was called to testify about his orders but perjured himself and denied that he had given any special orders to Waller.  In response, Waller  revealed Smith's order and produced three officers to corroborate it.  Waller said he had been ordered to take no prisoners and to kill every Filipino over the age of ten.

The court martial board voted 11-2 to acquit Waller.  It was later stated that an Army court had no jurisdiction over a Marine officer.

But, this case led to the court martial of Jacob Smith.

--Cooter

Jacob "Howling Wilderness" Smith-- Part 5: "I Want No Prisoners"

With orders to suppress the uprising, Smith had carte blanche to do as he pleased, and he intended to make the Filipinos on Samar live in a "howling wilderness."  they were to be hurt in excess.

He gave orders to Major Littleton Walker of the USMC, who commanded a battalion of Marines sent to help Smith these orders:  "I want no prisoners.  I wish you to kill and burn, the more you kill and burn the better it will please me.  I want all persons killed who are capable of bearing arms in actual hostilities against the United States."

When asked  at what age did Filipinos pose a threat, Smith replied:  "Ten years.  Persons of ten years  and older are those designated as being capable of bearing arms."

A sustained and widespread massacre of Filipino civilians followed.  Food and trade to Samar were cut off.  Widespread destruction was used to try to turn the civilian population away from supporting the guerrillas..  Troops were used in sweeps across the interior of the island.  Americans columns marched inland destroying homes and shooting people and draft animals.

--Cooter

The Belangiga Bells-- Part 2: Reprisal, "Howling Wilderness"

The first bell was cast around 1853, the second around 1889 and the third, and smallest, was acquired in 1895.

On 28 September 1901 a group of Filipino villagers from Belangiga ambushed Company C of the 9th U.S. Infantry while they were at breakfast, killing 48 and wounding 22 of the 78 men.  Supposedly, one of the bells had been used as the signal bell to launch the attack.

In reprisal, General Jacob H. Smith ordered Samar to be turned into "a howling wilderness."  Any Filipino above the age of ten was to be shot and this resulted in the most widespread slaying of Filipinos during the entire war.  There was also massive destruction on the island.

The Americans seized all three of the bells as war trophies.

General Smith and Marine Corps Major Littleton Waller  were both court-martialled for the severity of the reprisals.  Both were acquitted.

I'll be writing some more about the general who was quite an interesting character.

--DaCoot

The Belangiga Massacre-- Part 5: Deaths and Afterwards

The exact number of Filipinos killed is not known and likely never to be.    In the 1990s,  a ten-year study was made on the Belangiga Massacre by British writer  Bob Couttie who put the figure at 2,500.  yet, there are some historians who put the figures closer to 50,000.

When events in Samar became known, there were prompt investigations.  Secretary of War Elihu  Root sent orders to relieve American commanders and to court martial Gen. Jacob Smith.  Jacob Smith and Littleton Waller faced courts martial.  Waller was found not guilty and Smith was found guilty, admonished for his tactics and forced to retire.

What About the Bells?

The Belangiga Massacre-- Part 4: Excessive Retaliation on U.S. Part

Gen. Jacob Smith further ordered that Major Littleton Waller kill all persons who were capable of carrying arms.  When asked about an age limit, Smith replied anyone over the age of ten.

Food and trade to Samar to starve the revolutionaries into submission.  The hope was that the villagers would stop supporting the guerrillas and turn to the Americans for help.  His soldiers began sweeps in the interior looking for guerrillas.

American columns marched across the island destroying homes and shooting people.  At one point Waller wrote that over an 11 day period his men had burned 255 homes, shot 13 carabaos (domestic water buffalo) and killed 39 people.

It was noted later by the Judge Advocate General of the U.S. Army that the reason this did not get worse was that junior officers often didn't follow orders fully.  When this destruction was learned in March 1902 back in the United States, this greatly agitated anti-imperialist groups.

I found an article about General Jacob Smith in Wikipedia.  His was quite a story.  I'll be wrting about it in the future.

Not An Honorable Part of American History.

The Belangiga Massacre-- Part 3: Massacre and U.S. Retaliation "I Want No Prisoners"

Continued from  April 12.

On the morning of September  28, 1901, the villagers made their move.  Filipino prisoners on communal duty overpowered their American guards.  They then attacked other Americans having  breakfast.  Of the 74 men of Company C, 36 were killed including all its commissioned officers.  Twenty-two were wounded and four MIA.

Eight later died of wounds and only four escaped unscathed.  The villagers lost  28 dead and 22 wounded.

American retaliation was swift.  Company G of the 9th U.S. Infantry sailed to the Belangiga, found it abandoned, burned the American dead and then burned the town.

American reaction to the news was horrified, comparing it to Custer's massacre at the Little Bighorn in 1876.  Major General  Adna R. Chaffee, military governor of the Philippines, received a message from  President Theodore Roosevelt to pacify Samar.

General Jacob G. Smith instructed Major Littleton Waller, USMC, :: "I want no prisoners.  I wish you to kill and burn, and the more you kill and burn, the better it will please me....  The interior of Samar must be made a howling wilderness."

As a result of this order, General Smith became known as "Howling Wilderness Smith."

--Cooter