The Second Samoan Civil War was a conflict that reached a head in 1898 when

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and ...

, and the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

were locked in dispute over who should have control over the Samoan island chain, located in the South

Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the conti ...

. At the war's conclusion in 1899, the United States was granted the eastern section of the islands, the Germans were granted the western section of the islands, and the British were given the northern

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of Choiseul, Isabel and the Shortland Islands that had formerly belonged to Germany.Ryden, George Herbert. ''The Foreign Policy of the United States in Relation to Samoa''. New York: Octagon Books, 1975. (Reprint by special arrangement with Yale University Press. Originally published at New Haven: Yale University Press, 1928), p. 574; the Tripartite Convention (United States, Germany, Great Britain) was signed at Washington on 2 December 1899 with ratifications exchanged on 16 February 1900 The German half is now an independent nation –

Samoa Samoa, officially the Independent State of Samoa; sm, Sāmoa, and until 1997 known as Western Samoa, is a Polynesian island country consisting of two main islands ( Savai'i and Upolu); two smaller, inhabited islands ( Manono and Apolima); ...

. The U.S. half still remains under the control of the U.S. government as the territory of

American Samoa American Samoa ( sm, Amerika Sāmoa, ; also ' or ') is an unincorporated territory of the United States located in the South Pacific Ocean, southeast of the island country of Samoa. Its location is centered on . It is east of the Internatio ...

Allies

The allies were the

n followers of Malietoa Tanumafili I and supporting naval forces from the

and the

who fought against the rebels of

Mata'afa Iosefo Mata'afa Iosefo (1832 – 6 February 1912) was a Paramount Chief of Samoa who was one of the three rival candidates for the kingship of Samoa during colonialism. He was also referred to as Tupua Malietoa To'oa Mata'afa Iosefo. He was crowned the K ...

History

As result of Malietoa Laupepa's death,

returned from exile and was elected to power by a council of Samoan chiefs. In response, the British

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against Fr ...

and the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

landed forces at

Apia Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. ...

in support of Laupepa's son Malietoa Tanumafili I against the German-backed Mataafa. The first battle of the conflict involving the British and Americans was fought at Apia; when the naval forces landed they occupied much of the city, Mataafan forces attacked, so British and U.S. warships in

Apia Harbour Apia () is the capital and largest city of Samoa, as well as the nation's only city. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. T ...

began bombarding enemy positions around the city. After the conflict, Mataafaite forces retreated to the stronghold of Vailele and thus began several U.S. and British expeditions into the dense jungle to find the chief's men. At the end of March, a joint expedition of British, U.S., and Samoan forces marched along the coast from Apia towards Vailele. Skirmishes were fought and two villages destroyed as the Samoan rebels retreated. On April 1, the expedition of 60 marines, 90 sailors and 200 Samoans left the coast for an attack on the landward side of Vailele, leaving the protection of naval gunfire support. The

cruiser A cruiser is a type of warship. Modern cruisers are generally the largest ships in a fleet after aircraft carriers and amphibious assault ships, and can usually perform several roles. The term "cruiser", which has been in use for several ...

s , HMS ''Tauranga'', and the

corvette A corvette is a small warship. It is traditionally the smallest class of vessel considered to be a proper (or " rated") warship. The warship class above the corvette is that of the frigate, while the class below was historically that of the slo ...

HMS ''Royalist'' landed the sailors and marines, ''Royalist'' was sent ahead of the expedition to bombard the two forts guarding Vailele plantation. The

Second Battle of Vailele The Second Battle of Vailele was fought during the Second Samoan Civil War in 1899. British, American and Samoan forces loyal to Prince Tanu were defeated by a superior force of Samoan rebels loyal to Mata'afa Iosefo. Fighting occurred at the fo ...

on 1 April was a defeat for the expeditionary forces. They retreated back to Apia and reported their casualties to their commanders, who decided to plan for future operations in the area. On April 13, the British frontline was extended just south of Vailele, and that day the Matafaans attacked, but were repulsed. Another expedition later fought again within Vailele. The rebels won again when they withstood a British-led attack on the two forts. The engagements occurred near the battlefield where Samoan rebels had

defeated Defeated may refer to: * "Defeated" (Breaking Benjamin song) * "Defeated" (Anastacia song) *"Defeated", a song by Snoop Dogg from the album ''Bible of Love'' *Defeated, Tennessee, an unincorporated community *''The Defeated ''The Defeated'', al ...

German troops in 1889 during the first civil war on the island. A statue of Ensign John R. Monaghan was erected in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the largest city and county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It is in eastern Washington, along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south of the ...

to commemorate the young officer's bravery.Mains, pg. 24 A second battle in Apia took place on 25 April, when a small force of Samoans attacked a patrol of U.S. Marines, but were driven off without inflicting any casualties. The war eventually resulted, via the Tripartite Convention of 1899, in the partition of the Samoan Islands into

and

German Samoa German Samoa (german: Deutsch-Samoa) was a German protectorate from 1900 to 1920, consisting of the islands of Upolu, Savai'i, Apolima and Manono, now wholly within the independent state of Samoa, formerly ''Western Samoa''. Samoa was the la ...

Gallery

File:Tivoli Hotel, Apia 1896.jpg, Tivoli Hotel in 1896, used as the command post for American force during the battle at Apia. File:Marines naval gun samoa.jpg, United States Marines and a naval gun in Upolu, 1899. File:Samoa warriors.jpg, Samoan warriors and American servicemen during the Siege of Apia in March 1899. File:Raising the German flag at Mulinu'u, Samoa 1900 photo AJ Tattersall.jpg, German flag raising ceremony commemorating the creation of German Samoa in 1900. File:Scene.on.the.Mulinu’u.Peninsula,Upolu.Andrew.Thomas 1900.jpg, Samoans, Americans and Britons holding a ceremony while erecting a monument on Mulinuu Peninsula, 1902. File:Samoan Paramount chief Mataafa & group 1902.jpg, Mata'afa Iosefo and followers, 1902.

References

Allies

History

See also

Gallery

References