The Philippine Scout Mutiny of 1924

Abstract

Raised during the Philippine War (1899–1902) to serve as infantry auxiliaries, by the early 1920s Filipino-manned regiments of the US Army had come to mirror American units in organization and training. These ‘Philippine Scouts’ were the bul-wark of American rule in the Philippines but did not receive the same benefits as American soldiers. Disaffected soldiers who staged a mutiny in July 1924 found themselves sentenced to lengthy prison terms, but despite the worrisome challenge to its authority, the army made no changes in the Scouts' pay, recruitment or leadership. The Scout Mutiny was a telling expression of both the marginality of America's ‘colonial army’ and of the officer corps' distaste for imperial responsibility.