On May 16, 1899, the Battle of San Isidro in Nueva Ecija began when American forces under General Henry Ware Lawton advanced from Baliuag, Bulacan. To recon the area, Lawton sent Young's Scouts under Lieutenant James E. Thornton, who replaced the commander with whom the unit was named after (William H. Young) when the latter died due to a knee injury. Eventually, Thornton's unit found some 100 Filipino troops, who burned the bridge leading to San Isidro.
In an attempt to save their only path across, Thornton and 22 of the scouts rushed through the burning bridge and put out the flames in the midst of Filipino fire. The Americans took control of the bridge, but the main force was yet to arrive. Lawton sent a provisional brigade composed of the 22nd Infantry, 13th Minnesota Infantry, 2nd Oregon Infantry, Scott's Battery, a light artillery detachment from the Utah Battery, and a battalion from the North Dakota Infantry to advance on May 17.
Facing them were around 2,000 Filipino soldiers, which offered token resistance. The Americans reported 3 casualties, while they put the casualty count for the Filipino side to at least 13, with one Filipino captured. Unknown to the Americans, President Emilio Aguinaldo had earlier transferred his temporary capital from San Isidro to Cabanatuan, and later to Bamban in Tarlac. He was followed there by General Antonio Luna and some 3,000 troops, which means Lawton had failed once more to catch up with the Filipino main force. Despite Lawton's desire to move on from Baliuag (where he permitted local elections to be held under US auspices) as early as May 12, the logistical reality was that his commander General Elwell Otis could not reinforce Lawton any time soon, and Lawton's troops were suffering from thinning of supply lines and spread of disease. It was not aided by Lawton blaming Otis for ordering him to rest, which his forces apparently needed.
For their action at San Isidro, 13 of Young's Scouts received the Medal of Honor.
The following day, May 18, a Filipino peace commission composed of Gracio Gonzaga, Alberto Barretto, Captain Lorenzo Zialcita, and General Gregorio del Pilar arrived in San Isidro to negotiate a ceasefire with the Americans. This peace commission eventually found its way to Manila, where they met with Otis, but failed to produce the intended results. To recall, Luna urged Aguinaldo after the Battle of Calumpit to discuss an armistice, but the Americans believed that the Filipinos were only trying to have breathing space to continue the war. Learn more about Antonio Luna's career:
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