Military officer; born in
Massachusetts, June 1, 1845; son of
Judge Arthur MacArthur; of Scotch descent.
He entered the
Union army as.
first lieutenant and adjutant of the 24th Wisconsin Infantry, Aug. 4, 1862; was promoted major, Jan. 25, 1864, and lieutenant-colonel and brevet colonel in May, 1865.
On Feb. 23, 1866, he was commissioned successively second lieutenant and first lieutenant in the 17th United States Infantry; was promoted captain in the 36th Infantry, July 28, 1866, and transferred to the 26th Infantry, Sept. 21 of the same year; was promoted major and assistant adjutant-general, July 1, 1889;
lieutenant-colonel, May 26, 1896.
During the
Civil War he made an exceptionally brilliant record, and was several times mentioned in orders for conspicuous gallantry and daring.
On one occasion he recaptured some Union batteries at the very moment the
Confederates were about to turn them on the
Union forces, and took ten battle flags and 400 prisoners. He signally distinguished himself in the battles of
Stone River,
Missionary Ridge.
Perryville, Ky.;
Dandridge, and
Franklin.
Tenn., and in the
Atlanta campaign.
For his exceptional gallantry in the
battle of Missionary Ridge he was awarded one of
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the congressional medals of honor.
After the declaration of war against
Spain, in
1898, he was appointed a brigadier-general of volunteers.
He was one of the first
general officers to be sent to the Philippines, and for his services at the capture of the city of
Manila was promoted to major-general, Aug. 13.
At the time of the Filipino attack on the
Americans in the suburbs of
Manila, Feb. 4, 1899, he was in command of the 2d division of the 8th Army Corps, which included the famous 20th Kansas Regiment, under command of
Col. Frederick Funston (q. v.), and the equally famous Utah Battery.
On Jan. 2, 1900, he was promoted to brigadier-general in the regular army; on the relief of
Gen. Elwell S. Otis (q. v.) as commander of the
Military Division of the Philippines, soon afterwards
General MacArthur was appointed his successor; and on the reorganization of the army, in February, 1901, he was promoted to major-general
U. S. A., and confirmed as commander of the
Division of the Philippines.
Proclaiming amnesty.
Under instructions from
Washington, he promised amnesty to the Filipino insurgents in the following terms:
By direction of the
President of the
United States the undersigned announces amnesty, with complete immunity for the past and absolute liberty of action for the future, to all persons who are now or at any time since Feb. 4, 1899, have been in insurrection against the
United States in either a military or a civil capacity, and who shall within a period of ninety days from the date hereof formally renounce all connection with such insurrection and subscribe to a declaration acknowledging and accepting the sovereignty and authority of the
United States in and over the
Philippine Islands.
The privilege herewith published is extended to all concerned, without any reservation whatever, excepting that persons who have violated the laws of war during the period of active hostilities are not embraced within the scope of this amnesty.
All who desire to take advantage of the terms herewith set forth are requested to present themselves to the
commanding officers of the
American troops at the most convenient station, who will receive them with due consideration according to rank, make provision for their immediate wants, prepare the necessary records and thereafter permit each individual to proceed to any part of the archipelago according to his own wishes, for which purpose the
United States will furnish such transportation as may be available either by railway, steamboat, or wagon.
Prominent persons who may desire to confer with the
military governor, or with the Board of American Commissioners, will be permitted to visit
Manila, and will, as far as possible.
be provided with transportation for that purpose.
In order to mitigate as much as possible consequences resulting from the various dis turbances which since 1896 have succeeded each other so rapidly, and to provide in some measure for destitute soldiers during the transitory period which must inevitably succeed a
general peace, the military authorities of the
United States will pay 30 pesos to each man who presents a rifle in good condition.
Defining restraints of martial law.
On Dec. 20, 1900, he issued the following proclamation, ordering the strict enforcement of martial law against the Filipino insurgents, and further defining the intentions of the United States government:
In the armed struggle against the sovereign power of the United States now in progress in these islands frequent violations of important provisions of the laws of war have recently manifested themselves, rendering it imperative, while rejecting every consideration of belligerency of those opposing the government in the sense in which the term belligerency is generally accepted and understood, to remind all concerned of the existence of these laws, that exemplary punishments attach to the infringement thereof, and that their strict observance is required, not only by combatant forces, but as well by non-combatants, native or alien,
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residing within occupied places.
In pursuance of this purpose reference is made to the certain provisions of the laws of war, as most essential for consideration under present condition.
Notice is accordingly given to the insurgent leaders already committed to, or who may be contemplating a system of war, that the practice thereof will necessarily terminate the possibility of those engaging therein returning to normal civic relations in the Philippines.
That is to say, persons charged with violation of the laws of war must, sooner or later, be tried for felonious crimes, with all the attending possibilities of conviction; or, as an only means of escape therefrom, must become fugitive criminals beyond the jurisdiction of the United States, which, in effect, means life-long expatriation.
Here the rules of war as applying to persons residing in an occupied place who are working against the government are cited.
The principal object of this proclamation is to instruct all classes throughout the archipelago as to the requirements of the laws of war in respect of the particulars herein referred to, and to advise all concerned of the purpose to exact, in the future, precise compliance therewith.
The practice of sending supplies to insurgent troops from places occupied by the United States, as is now the case, must cease.
If contumacious or faint-hearted persons continue to engage in this traffic they must be prepared to answer for their actions under the penalties declared in this article.
The remarks embodied in the foregoing rules apply with special force to the city of Manila, which is well known as a rendezvous from which an extensive correspondence is distributed to all parts of the archipelago by sympathizers with and by emissaries of the insurrection.
All persons in Manila or elsewhere are again reminded that the entire archipelago, for the time being, is necessarily under the rigid restraints of martial law, and that any contribution of advice, information, or supplies, and all correspondence the effect of which is to give aid, support, encouragement, or comfort to the armed opposition in the field, are flagrant violations of American interests, and persons so engaged are warned to conform to the laws which apply to occupied places as herein set forth.
The newspapers and other periodicals of Manila are especially admonished that any article published in the midst of such mar tial environment which by any construction can be classed as seditious must be regarded as intended to injure the army of occupation and as subjecting all connected with the publication to such punitive action as may be determined by the undersigned.
Men who participate in hostilities without being part of a regularly organized force, and without sharing continuously in Its operations, but who do so with intermittent returns to their homes and avocations, divest themselves of the character of soldiers, and, if captured, are not entitled to the privileges of prisoners of war. It is well known that many of the occupied towns support and encourage men who habitually assume the semblance of peaceful pursuits, but who have arms hidden outside of the towns, and periodically slip out to take part in guerilla war.
The fact that such men have not heretofore been held responsible for their actions is simply an evidence of the solicitude of the United States to avoid all appearance of harshness in pacifying the islands, and not of any defect in the law itself.
The people of the archipelago are now instructed as to the precise nature of the law applicable in such cases, and are warned to mistrust leaders who not only require soldiers to expose themselves to the ordinary vicissitudes of campaign, but insist upon duties that necessarily expose all who engage therein to the possibility of trial for a capital offence.
