He used to be fighting for the white Americans who occupied the Philippines during the US-Philippines Revolution in the early 19th century. But because of the racial discrimination to the black African-American, he change side and join the Filipino revolutionary forces which fought for the Philippine Independence.

Do you know the African-American soldier who set aside his nationality and left his fellow Americans to join the revolutionary group who fought for the Philippine Independence?

When the US forces begins their occupation in the Philippines in 1899, some the the American soldiers who were sent to our country were African-Americans to fight against the revolutionary groups in the country.

One of these African-American soldiers was Corporal David Fagen, who in just a short period of time, had left his own troops and join the forces of the Filipino soldiers. It was said that the main motive of Fagen is unclear and no one knows why he changes side in favor of the Filipinos.  But many believed that Fugen left his troops mainly due to the unfair treatment made by the white Americans to the black African-American soldiers. The speculation further says tha Fagen was able to relate to the feelings of the racial oppression that the Filipinos felt during those day.

Fagen had made a big contribution to the Filipino forces when he joined the guerilla movement. He made a big blow to the American soldiers to which he was called in many degrading names by his former comrades – coward, moron, idiot, to name a few.  The American government occupying the country also gives a big reward to Fagen’s head. Fagen became one of the most wanted person in the Philippines during those time. When some of the revolutionary generals of the Philippine Revolutionaries surrendered to the US troops, one of their conditions for surrender is to give Fagen an amnesty.

But because of US soldier’s hatered to Fagen, they declared him as a traitor and that he should be court martial and should be given the death penalty.

The American did their best to capture Fagen but the African-American soldier was not arrested.

As time passed by, Fagen was still at large and continued his hiding from the authorities. He basically hides in the thick jungle forest in Luzon area where he was accompanied by his Filipina wife. Until 1901, a Filipino hunter named Anastacio Bartolome went to an American garrison. Along with him is a decaying head of a black American claiming that it was the head of Fagen which he showed to the American soldiers.

Bartolome’s decaying head was not confirmed to be of that of Fagen, but there are speculation that Fagen was still alive and that he lived along with his family in the jungle of the country where he fought for its freedom.

Author’s note: Another compiling story and history of my motherland and its citizens.

joeldgreat

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