第二次萨摩亚内战

过程

国王马列托亚·劳佩帕（Malietoa Laupepa）在1898年去世，马塔阿法·约瑟福（Mata'afa Iosefo）从流放中归来并被萨摩亚酋长委员会选举为权力代表。作为回应，英国皇家海军和美国海军在登陆阿皮亚港，以支持劳佩帕的儿子马列托亚·塔努马菲利一世（Malietoa Tanumafili I）对抗德国支持的马塔阿法。

英美海军登陆阿皮亚后，占领了这座城市的大部分地区。马塔阿法部队在这里发动了进攻，因此在阿皮亚港的英美军舰开始轰炸这座城市周围的敌人阵地。轰炸结束后马塔阿法部队撤退到了瓦莱勒的要塞，美国和英国的军队开始进入茂密的丛林寻找马塔阿法的手下。

4月1日的第二次瓦莱勒战役中，英美远征队受挫，他们撤回到阿皮亚向他们的指挥官报告他们的伤亡情况。4月13日，英军向瓦莱莱以南推进。那天马塔阿法发动了进攻，但被击退。另一支英美远征队在瓦莱勒再次与马塔阿法部队战斗，叛军再次获胜。4月25日，在阿皮亚发生了第二场战斗，一小队萨摩亚人袭击了一支美国海军陆战队巡逻队，但被击退，没有造成任何人员伤亡。三国在1899年的三方会议中达成协议，分割萨摩亚群岛。西萨摩亚成为德国殖民地，其后独立成现今的萨摩亚国，东萨摩亚成为美国属地直至现今，内战结束。

The Second Samoan Civil War was a conflict that reached a head in 1898 when Germany, the United Kingdom, and the United States were locked in dispute over who should have control over the Samoan island chain, located in the South Pacific Ocean.

At the war's conclusion in 1899, the United States were granted the eastern section of the islands, the Germans were granted the western section of the islands, and the British were given the northern Solomon Islands of Choiseul, Isabel and the Shortland Islands that had formerly belonged to Germany. The German half was occupied and annexed by New Zealand in 1914 and is now an independent nation – Samoa. The U.S. half still remains under the control of the U.S. government as the territory of American Samoa.

Combatants

The allies were the Samoan followers of Malietoa Tanumafili I and supporting naval forces from the United States and the United Kingdom. These forces fought against the rebels of Mata'afa Iosefo, who were supported by Germany.

History

As result of Malietoa Laupepa's death, Mata'afa Iosefo returned from exile and was elected to power by a council of Samoan chiefs. In response, the British Royal Navy and the U.S. Navy landed forces at Apia in support of Laupepa's son Malietoa Tanumafili I against the German-backed Mataafa.

The first battle of the conflict involving the British and Americans was the Siege of Apia; when the naval forces landed they occupied much of the city, Mataafan forces attacked, so British and U.S. warships in Apia Harbour began bombarding enemy positions around the city. After the conflict, Mataafaite forces retreated to the stronghold of Vailele and thus began several U.S. and British expeditions into the dense jungle to find the chief's men.

At the end of March, a joint expedition of British, U.S., and Samoan forces marched along the coast from Apia towards Vailele. Skirmishes were fought and two villages destroyed as the Samoan rebels retreated. On April 1, the expedition of 26 marines, 88 sailors and 136 Samoans left the coast for an attack on the landward side of Vailele, leaving the protection of naval gunfire support. The cruisers USS Philadelphia, HMS Tauranga, HMS Porpoise and the corvette HMS Royalist landed the sailors and marines, Royalist was sent ahead of the expedition to bombard the two forts guarding Vailele plantation.

The Second Battle of Vailele on 1 April was a defeat for the expeditionary forces. They retreated back to Apia and reported their casualties to their commanders, who decided to plan for future operations in the area. On April 13, the British frontline was extended just south of Vailele, and that day the Matafaans attacked, but were repulsed. Another expedition later fought again within Vailele. The rebels won again when they withstood a British-led attack on the two forts. The engagements occurred near the battlefield where Samoan rebels had defeated German troops in 1888 during the first civil war on the island. A statue of Ensign John R. Monaghan was erected in Spokane, Washington to commemorate the young officer's bravery. A second battle in Apia took place on 25 April, when a small force of Samoans attacked a patrol of U.S. Marines, but were driven off without inflicting any casualties.

The war eventually resulted, via the Tripartite Convention of 1899, in the partition of the Samoan Islands into American Samoa and German Samoa.