| Second Samoan Civil War | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Map featuring the locations of battles in which British and U.S. forces fought. | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
| Allies: |  MataafansSupported by:  Germany | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Mata'afa Iosefo | |||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 24 killed or wounded | 127 killed or wounded 2 forts damaged | ||||||
TheSecond Samoan Civil War was a conflict that reached a head in 1898 whenGermany, theUnited Kingdom, and theUnited States were locked in dispute over who should have control over theSamoan island chain, located in the SouthPacific Ocean.
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 northernSolomon Islands ofChoiseul,Isabel and theShortland Islands that had formerly belonged to Germany.[1][2] The German half wasoccupied and annexed byNew Zealand in 1914 and is now an independent nation –Samoa. The U.S. half still remains under the control of the U.S. government as the territory ofAmerican Samoa.
The allies were theSamoan followers ofMalietoa Tanumafili I and supporting naval forces from theUnited States and theUnited Kingdom. These forces fought against the rebels ofMata'afa Iosefo, who were supported by Germany.[3]
As result ofMalietoa Laupepa's death,Mata'afa Iosefo returned from exile and was elected to power by a council of Samoanchiefs. In response, the BritishRoyal Navy and theU.S. Navy landed forces atApia 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 theSiege of Apia; when the naval forces landed they occupied much of the city, Mataafan forces attacked, so British and U.S. warships inApia 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.[4]
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. ThecruisersUSS Philadelphia,HMSTauranga,HMS Porpoise and thecorvetteHMSRoyalist landed the sailors and marines,Royalist was sent ahead of the expedition to bombard the two forts guarding Vailele plantation.[5]
TheSecond 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 laterfought 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 haddefeated German troops in 1888 during thefirst civil war on the island. A statue of EnsignJohn R. Monaghan was erected inSpokane, Washington to commemorate the young officer's bravery.[6] Asecond 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 theTripartite Convention of 1899, in the partition of the Samoan Islands intoAmerican Samoa andGerman Samoa.[2]
