Gregorio del Pilar y Sempio (November 14, 1875—December 2, 1899) was one of the young-est generals in the Philippine Revolutionary Forces during the Philippine Revolution and the Philippine-American War. He is most known for his role and death at the Battle of Tirad Pass. Because of his

youth, he was called the "Boy General."

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

Born on November 14, 1875 to Fernando H. del Pi-lar and Felipa Sempio of Bulacan, Bulacan, del Pilar was the nephew of propagandist Marcelo H. del Pi-lar and Toribio H. del Pilar, who was exiled to Guam for his involvement in the 1872 Cavite Mutiny.

"Goryo", as he was casually known, studied at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila, where he received his Bachelor’s degree in 1896, at the age of 20. When the Philippine Revolution against Spanish rule broke out in August under the leadership of Andres Bonifacio, del Pilar joined the insurgency. He distin-guished himself as a field commander while fighting Spanish garrisons in Bulacan.

MILITARY CAREER

He later joined General Emilio Aguinaldo, who had gained control of the movement, in Hong Kong after the truce at Biak-na-Bato. During theSpanish American War, Aguinaldo returned to the Philip-pines and established the government of the First Philippine Republic. He appointed del Pilar section leader of the revolutionary forces in Bulacan and Nueva Ecija. On June 1, del Pilar landed in Bulacan with rifles purchased in Hong Kong, quickly laying siege on the Spanish forces in the province. When the Spaniards surrendered to del Pilar, he brought his men to Caloocan,Manila to support the other troops battling the Spaniards there.

DEATH Gregorio del Pilar circa 1899Main article: Battle of Tirad PassOn December 2, 1899, del Pilar led 60 Filipino sol-diers of Aguinaldo's rear guard in the Battle of Tirad Pass against the "Texas Regiment", the 33rd Infan-try Regiment of the United States led by Peyton C. March. A delaying action to cover Aguinaldo's retreat, the five-hour standoff resulted in Del Pilar's death due to a shot to the neck (at the height or end of the fighting, depending on eyewitness accounts). Del Pilar's body was later despoiled and looted by the victorious American soldiers.

Del Pilar's body lay unburied for days, exposed to the elements. While retracing the trail, an American officer, Lt. Dennis P. Quinlan, gave the body a tra-ditional U.S. military burial. Upon del Pilar's tomb-stone, Quinlan inscribed, "An Officer and a Gentle-man".In 1930, del Pilar's body was exhumed and was iden-tified by the gold tooth and braces he had installed while in exile in Hong Kong.

When the Philippine-American War broke-out on February 1899, del Pilar led his troops to a short victory over Major Franklin Bell in the first phase of the Battle of Quingua on April 23, 1899, in which his forces repelled a cavalry charge and killed the highly respected Colonel John M. Stotsenburg, after whom Clark Air Base was originally named Fort Stotsenburg.

Gregorio del Pilar