The First Battle. September 11, 1671. Chamorro Spanish War

A History of Guam. By Lawrence J. Cunningham, Janice J. Beaty

The First Battle. September 11, 1671.

The attack came on September 11, 1671. Thirty Spanish and Filipino soldiers stood behind the walls. They fired guns called arquebuses. They also shot crossbows. Two thousand Chamorros surrounded them. Some men rushed toward the stockade. The soldiers drove them back. They shot musket balls and arrows. Pale San Vitores went out to talk with the Chamorros. They answered him with rude words and sling stones.

The attacks went on for eight days and nights. The Chamorros the clingstones so hard that they went right through the thatched roof of the church and houses. Again and again the Spanish drove the Chamorros back with their guns and crossbows.

When the Chamorros saw that they could not drive the Spanish out, they tried something new. They built shields of wood and placed them on moveable platforms. The shields were heart-shaped. Then they pushed these close to the stockade walls. They stood behind the shields and thew spears and sling stones.

The Spanish had the best weapons. But the Chamorros were brave and clever. They didn’t give up easily. They tried every way they knew to defeat the Spanish.

Sometimes Spanish soldiers rushed out of the fort in an attack. The Chamorros needed protection. So they dug trenches and put up walls. The makahnas had them put the skills of their ancestors in the trenches for good luck Then they built a big fire. They dipped their spears in the fire and threw them into the stockade. The thatched roofs of the buildings caught on fire. But a rainstorm put out the fire. This time nature seemed to help the Spanish.

On October 8, a fierce typhoon struck the island. This stopped the battle. The storm blew down the Spanish church and houses. It damaged the stockade. The storm destroyed most of the Chamorro houses in Agana, too.

The Spanish rebuilt the stockade just in time. The Chamorros made another attack. Again the soldiers forced them back. This time the nobles asked for peace. They said they would stop fighting if the Spanish set Chief Hurao free. The Spanish agreed. But this was a trick. The Chamorros attacked again with more men. The battle lasted for twelve more days and nights.

On October 20, the Spanish charged out of the fort. They drove the Chamorros out of their trenches. They tramped on the old skulls and broke them to pieces. They won the battle.