The bodies of Philippine soldiers killed in action at Caloocan by the U.S. Army's 1st Nebraska Volunteer Army were scattered on February 4, 1899, near Manila, when the 1st Nebraska Infantry Regiment opened fire on the Philippine troops it encountered, sparking the Philippine-American War.

      Bodies of Filipino soldiers killed in action at Caloocan by the U.S. Army's 1st Nebraska Volunteer Army were scattered on February 4, 1899, when a patrol of the 1st Nebraska Infantry Regiment opened fire on Filipino troops they encountered near Manila, beginning the first fighting of the Philippine-American (U.S.-Philippines) War, which lasted all day. American and Filipino troops exchanged gunfire throughout the day. The next day, the U.S. forces went on the offensive, storming and occupying Filipino positions. The annual report of the U.S. War Department listed 5 Americans killed and 45 wounded, and 200 Filipinos killed and 800 wounded in the Battle of Caloocan.

　The U.S. forces moved on to Caloocan, an important railroad center 17 km north of Manila, and in the February 10 capture of Caloocan, the Filipino troops resisted stubbornly step by step, but the Americans drove the insurgents out at bayonet point. Abandoning Caloocan, the Filipinos attempted to burn the main part of the town, turning small houses into a mass of flames. Against churches and city halls, American troops interfered with the burning by Filipino troops, and many insurgents were captured and made prisoners of war. The general advance of the American troops began at 1:00 p.m. At 1:30 p.m., Old Glory swung into the breeze from the flagstaff of the City Hall, ending the rebel rule in Caloocan. When the smoke of war cleared, the town's inhabitants had their homes reduced to ashes and their buildings demolished, leaving only the Casa Tribuna, the church, and the monastery. The 17,000 inhabitants of Caloocan were swept away by the 20th Kansas Volunteer Army, and there is not a single indigenous person still living in Caloocan. 5,000 inhabitants of the village of Maypaja, where the first battle was fought on the night of the 4th, not a stone remains.

　On February 22, Filipino troops launched an attack on American positions in Manila, retreating after two days of fighting. Allegations of atrocities followed, including the summary execution of Filipino prisoners of war by U.S. troops during the battle. The Senate Committee on the Philippines investigated, but chose not to pursue the matter further with the U.S. military.