The Second Samoan Civil War. Samoan Taua Lona Lua a Samoa 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 lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

, 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 Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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 Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...

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

Solomon Islands Solomon Islands, also known simply as the Solomons,John Prados, ''Islands of Destiny'', Dutton Caliber, 2012, p,20 and passim is an island country consisting of six major islands and over 1000 smaller islands in Melanesia, part of Oceania, t ...

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 and known until 1997 as Western Samoa, is an island country in Polynesia, part of Oceania, in the South Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main islands (Savai'i and Upolu), two smaller, inhabited ...

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

American Samoa American Samoa is an Territories of the United States, unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States located in the Polynesia region of the Pacific Ocean, South Pacific Ocean. Centered on , it is southeast of the island count ...

Combatants

The allies were the

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

and the

. These forces fought against the rebels of Mata'afa Iosefo, who were supported by Germany.

History

As result of Malietoa Laupepa's death, Mata'afa Iosefo 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 naval warfare force of the United Kingdom. It is a component of His Majesty's Naval Service, and its officers hold their commissions from the King of the United Kingdom, King. Although warships were used by Kingdom ...

and the U.S. Navy landed forces at

Apia Apia () is the Capital (political), capital and largest city of Samoa. It is located on the central north coast of Upolu, Samoa's second-largest island. Apia falls within the political district (''itūmālō'') of Tuamasaga. The Apia Urban A ...

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 the Siege of Apia; when the naval forces landed they occupied much of the city, Mataafan forces attacked, so British and U.S. warships in Apia Harbour 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 26 marines, 88 sailors and 136 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 operational roles from search-and-destroy to ocean escort to sea ...

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 sloo ...

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 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 German troops in 1888 during the first civil war on the island. A statue of Ensign John R. Monaghan was erected in

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

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.

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

Combatants

History

See also

Gallery

References