Thomas McArthur Anderson (1836-1917) graduated from St. Mary’s College in Maryland and from Cincinnati Law School. In 1858, he was admitted to the bar and began to practice law in Cincinnati. During the Civil War in 1861, Anderson enlisted as a private in the 65th Ohio Volunteers and shortly thereafter was commissioned Second Lieutenant of the 5th United States Cavalry. He was promoted to captain and served with the 12th United States Infantry. He remained in the army after the war, becoming a colonel in command of the 14th Infantry.
In 1898, as a Brigadier General, Anderson commanded the vanguard of the United States expeditionary force (the Eighth Army Corps) in the Philippines. These men were the first troops to reach the Philippines after George Dewey’s victory against the Spanish fleet in Manila Bay during the Spanish-American War. Anderson stayed in the Philippines until 1899, fighting in the early stages of the Philippine-American War until he was succeeded by General Henry W. Lawton.
The defeat of the Spanish by the United States in the Spanish-American War in 1898 ended Spanish rule in the Philippines, Cuba, Guam and Puerto Rico. The Philippine Islands, along with Guam and Puerto Rico, were ceded to the United States by Spain at the end of the Spanish-American War as part of the Treaty of Paris. This transfer of sovereignty was not recognized by Filipino leaders, whose troops were actually in charge of the entire archipelago, with the exception of the capital city of Manila, where the Spanish had been defeated by George Dewey and the city was occupied by American troops.
The Philippine-American war began near Manila on February 4th, 1899. Emilio Aquinaldo’s army occupied a trench-line surrounding Manila, and shooting soon began along this ten mile line. United States troops quickly overwhelmed Filipino positions, pushing north into Central Luzon, the main Philippine Island. The conventional battle ended in 1899, but guerilla fighting continued, with ambushes, massacres and retaliations on both sides. From this point on, the war became particularly savage, with indiscriminate violence and the slaughter of civilians. The number of Filipino civilian deaths is estimated by some historians to be in the hundreds of thousands.
This collection consists of photographs taken on the Philippine Islands during the period of the Philippine-American War, from 1898-1901. Most photographs were taken on the island of Luzon, and portray American troops, Philippine Islanders and town scenes.
Entire collection can be viewed on the Libraries' Digital Collections website. Permission of Visual Materials curator required to view originals. Contact Special Collections for more information.
Restrictions may exist on reproduction, quotation, or publication. Contact Special Collections, University of Washington Libraries for details.
Gift of Charles Anderson Gauld, Thomas McArthur Anderson's grandson.
Processed by Jody Hendrickson, 2004, and Megan E. Peacock, 2006.
These photographs were relocated from the Charles Anderson Gauld Papers (Manuscripts Accession 0488-001) in the repository in 2004.
Thomas McArthur Anderson Papers (MSS1973)
Correspondence, speeches, writings, genealogy and Anderson’s memoirs, including an account of the Battle of Antietam, are available in the Thomas McArthur Anderson papers (Manuscript Collection 1973).
See also the Thomas McArthur Anderson Photograph Collection, PH1468.
Written on photos: Guard Mount Co. F. 13 Inf.
Written on verso: Marching onto Camp Nadau field for my last drill July 4th. Just a sample of the crowd lining the entire fields, there being a big grand stand on opposite side.
Written on verso: A river-bank lavanderia.
Written on photo: A band of Igeroties [sic] the tribe that eats dogs.
Written on verso: A provincial town in Luzon.
Written on verso: House marked with X is the one I live in, my room facing the street where I have knocked over many dogs with bricks and gun fired from the front window all hours of day and night.
Written on verso: First house on the left is the house we lived in. Boy's is the next one is that of Senor Sanchez. The next is that of his widow's.
Written on verso: The Luneta, or bay-side plaza.
Van W. Anderson, T.M. Anderson's son, in photo.
Van W. Anderson, T.M. Anderson's son, in group.
Written on verso: Gen. T.M. Anderson while at Honolulu in 1898 en route to Manila in command of the first U.S. Army ever sent overseas. He was given a reception in Honolulu at Iolani Palace.
Written on verso: Gen. T.M. Anderson (with white folder) received at Honolulu in 1898 en route to Manila as the first U.S. general to command an army overseas.
Written on verso: Major General T.M Anderson of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington in Manila, 1899, with his staff. At his left as his aides-de-camp are Lt. T.M. Anderson, Jr, later Col. in command of Vancouver Bks and his son-in-law, Lt. Robert H. Allen, later a major-general and chief of army infantry, U.S. Army. Henry C. Cabell of Portland is 2nd from Gen. Anderson's right.
Written on verso: Filipino servants and Gen. Anderson's daughters in windows.