The Spaniards were restricted to a handful of coastal garrisons or forts and they made occasional punitive expeditions into the vast interior regions.

[6] Despite the very nominal claim to the Moro territories, Spain ceded them to the United States in the Treaty of Paris which signaled the end of the Spanish–American War.

[15] This major victory in the war in the north allowed the Americans to devote more resources to the south, and they began to push into Moroland.

American forces under his command had standing orders to buy Moro produce when possible and to have "heralds of amity" precede all scouting expeditions.

One of Davis' subordinates, Captain John J. Pershing, assigned to the American garrison at Iligan, set out to better relations with the Moros of the Maranao tribes on the northern shore of Lake Lanao.

[18] These ambushes of American troops by Moros, one of which involved juramentados, occurred to the south of Lake Lanao, outside of Manabilang's sphere of influence.

These events prompted Major General Adna Chaffee, then the military governor of the Philippines, to issue a declaration on April 13, 1902.

The expeditionary force built in Camp Vickers one mile south of Pandapatan, and Davis assigned Pershing to Baldwin's command as an intelligence officer and as director of Moro affairs.

Meanwhile, Pershing settled down to conduct diplomacy with the surrounding Moros, and a July 4 celebration had 700 guests from neighboring rancherias.

On February 10, 1903, Pershing was declared a Datu by the formerly hostile Pandita Sajiduciaman of the Bayan Moros (who had been defeated at the Battle of Pandapatan) – the only American to be so honored.

On another occasion, a powerful datu proposed an alliance with Bullard, for the purposes of defeating Pershing and establishing overlordship over the entire Lake Lanao region.

On June 1, 1903, the Moro Province was created, which included "all of the territory of the Philippines lying south of the eight parallel of latitude, excepting the island of Palawan and the eastern portion of the northwest peninsula of Mindanao.

On August 6, 1903, Major General Leonard Wood assumed his position as the governor of Moro Province and commander of the Department of Mindanao-Jolo.

"[26] In addition to his views of the Moros, Wood also faced an uphill Senate battle over his appointment to the rank of major general, which was finally confirmed on March 19, 1904.

This drove him to seek military laurels in order to shore up his lack of field experience, sometimes leading the Provincial army on punitive expeditions over minor incidents that would have been better handled diplomatically by the district governors.

[54] The American general Leonard Wood responsible for the massacre of 900 Moro children, women and men at Bud Dajo was congratulated for his actions by US President Theodore Roosevelt who said "I congratulate you and the officers and men of your command upon the brilliant feat of arms, wherein you and they so well upheld the honor of the American flag.

"[55] After being hit with dozens of rifle and pistol bullets, Moros continued to fight and kill US soldiers with their bladed weapons.

The constabulary forces were outnumbered, and a much larger (and disruptive) expedition would have been required to dislodge the fugitives from their hiding place.

[58] On November 11, 1909, Brigadier General John J. Pershing assumed his duties as the third and final military governor of Moro Province.

[60]Though this treatment was inflicted on captured juramentados, historians do not believe that Pershing was directly involved with such incidents, or that he personally gave such orders to his subordinates.

This was prompted by the Moro's personalistic approach to government, which was based on personal ties rather than a respect for an abstract office.

In October 1913, Francis Burton Harrison was appointed Governor-General of the Philippines, and relieved Pershing of his position as governor of the Moro Province, replacing him with Frank Carpenter, a civilian official.

[70] Tausug fighters used improvised firearms, bows, spears, and barong or kalis swords against US troops with pistols, bolt-action Krag–Jørgensen and M1903 Springfield rifles, pump-action shotguns, Maxim machine guns, and mountain artillery.

Moro women took part in the resistance at the Battle of Bud Dajo against Major General Lenard Wood in 1906.

[74] Barbed wire proved to be of no impediment since Moro juramentado warriors managed to surge directly through it even as it ripped at their flesh and even as they were shot repeatedly with bullets.

[79][80] Novels have been written describing juramentados deliberately impaling themselves on their bayonets in attempts to reach and kill American soldiers.

Despite the sultan's "pan-Islamic" ideology, he readily aided the American forces because he felt no need to cause hostilities between the West and Muslims.

As the Moros have never asked more than that, it is not surprising, that they refused all overtures made, by Aguinaldo's agents, at the time of the Filipino insurrection.

President McKinley sent a personal letter of thanks to Mr. Straus for the excellent work he had done, and said, its accomplishment had saved the United States at least twenty thousand troops in the field.

If the reader will pause to consider what this means in men and also the millions in money, he will appreciate this wonderful piece of diplomacy, in averting a holy war.