February 4 in Military History — On This Day

Battle of Manila

On the night of February 4, 1899, Private William Grayson of the Nebraska Volunteers fired on a Filipino patrol at the San Juan del Monte bridge — the shot that started the war. Fighting erupted along the sixteen-mile perimeter between American and Filipino lines around Manila. American artillery and naval gunfire from Dewey's squadron shattered the Filipino trenches, and by the end of the second day the Army of Liberation had been driven from the outskirts of the capital with enormous losses.

The battle began the Philippine-American War two days before the U.S. Senate ratified the Treaty of Paris — the news of fighting in Manila is widely credited with swinging the two-vote margin for annexation. It also revealed the fatal mismatch in firepower that would drive the Republic toward guerrilla war.

Full battle details →

⚔️📍 North Sea and Atlantic Ocean1915

Germany Declares Submarine Blockade of Britain

Germany declared the waters around Britain a war zone, announcing that any vessel — including neutral ships — could be sunk without warning. The policy was a direct response to Britain's own naval blockade of Germany.

Germany's submarine campaign would sink 5,000 Allied ships by war's end, but also provoked American outrage that eventually drew the U.S. into the war.

Outcome

Submarine warfare escalates; 5,000 Allied ships eventually sunk