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The Battle of Makahambus Hill was one of the few victories won by the Filipinos over the Americans during the Philippine-American War. It was fought on June 4, 1900. The Filipinos were under the command of Colonel Apolinar Velez of the Maguindanao Battalion. All of them were volunteers, separate from the regular Philippine Army.
The fort at Makahambus was located on a high and steep hill. The Americans seeing how formidable the fort was tried to negotiate a Filipino surrender. The answer was a volley of cannon and rifle fire that drove the Americans back down the hill. Many were killed not by rifle fire, but by booby-trapped pits bristling with sharpened bamboo spears under a camouflage of foliage. The Americans launched repeated counter attacks, only to be driven back by rifle fire from the defenders.
American losses totaled as many as 20 dead and many wounded. There was also one American prisoner of war. The Filipinos, however, suffered only 1 killed and 3 wounded, making this battle the most one-sided victory for the Filipinos during the war.
