Battle of Tirad Pass

Battle context

The Battle of Tirad Pass took place during the Philippine–American War as American forces pursued Philippine Republic President Emilio Aguinaldo through northern Luzon. A 60-man Filipino rear guard under Brigadier General Gregorio del Pilar held the pass against a force of more than 500 Americans, primarily of the 33rd Volunteer Infantry Regiment under Major Peyton C. March. The rear guard was overcome, but the delay it provided allowed Aguinaldo and his troops to escape. The action prolonged Aguinaldo's flight and sustained Filipino resistance at a critical moment in the campaign. Del Pilar's stand at Tirad Pass has since been remembered in Philippine national memory as an act of sacrifice analogous to the defense at Thermopylae, a comparison reflected in its common epithet 'the Philippine Thermopylae.'