Abstract
The primary purpose of this study was to present a clear picture of U.S. Navy operations in the Philippines during the Insurrection and the impact of that service on the Navy. The traditional interpretation, that the primary role of the Navy was to support Army operations ashore, has been confirmed. The Army was responsible for the major part of land operations in the archipelago. However, the Navy's contribution to American victory in the war went well beyond this supportive role. At various times during the nine-year period, the Navy performed a variety of diplomatic, administrative, military, and police functions. Primary responsibility for the enforcement of the blockade lay with the Navy. In addition, the Navy and Marine Corps performed virtually every type of task the Army did, from fighting on land to establishing schools, collecting the taxes, and regulating trade. Concurrently the United States embarked upon a program of Progressive reforms on the domestic level which left little money for funding a larger Navy that could secure American possessions abroad. During the Philippine Insurrection the Navy was intent on modernization, but national frugality in international spending prevented it from developing bases and stockpiling fuel reserves. In a situation where the Navy was hardpressed to fund its operations, it is significant that it was able to install new technological systems in its outmoded ships, expand Marine operations to the regimental level, reform and expand the Navy's officer corps, and provide its younger officers with an opportunity to command early in their careers. The Navy that emerged during the first decade of the Twentieth Century was quite different than that of the Nineteenth Century. The Philippine Insurrection was the crucible of this, the New Navy.
Williams, Vernon Leon (1985). The U.S. Navy in the Philippine Insurrection and subsequent native unrest, 1898-1906. Texas A&M University. Texas A&M University. Libraries. Available electronically from
https : / /hdl .handle .net /1969 .1 /DISSERTATIONS -448438.