| Notes |
- Notes - See AR00187. Fort Almonte ruins. Located at the far north of Lake Lanao, this old Spanish fort kept watch over pirates of the Liangan River. It was taken and destroyed by the Spanish forces in 1894-1896. This fort was garrisoned by nearly 3,000 regular troops, all natives, except the artillery that had 8 men. This number included the infantry with 2 Spanish officers and 58 Spaniards; and the disciplinary battalion which had 1 Spanish officer and 20 Spaniards. In addition, a field force of several thousand natives, also of the regular army, was encamped there, and three small steam vessels had been transported overland in sections, and launched upon the lake. The Filipino insurrection in 1896 obliged then Gov. gen. ramon Blanco to withdraw not only the field army, but also to reduce the garrison in order to hold Manila and Cavite until the Peninsular troops could arrvie from Spain. Later on, the war between the United States and the immediate destruction of the Spanish authorities to sink the flotilla in the lake, to abandon all the posts on the north coast of Mindanao, and all the forts, and to concentrate their whole force at Zamboanga, leaving the recently-converted heathen and the missionaries to defend themselves agaisnt the pirates as they could.
|
