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{{Short description|Filipino general and politician (1875–1899)}}<!-- Should be 40 characters (including spaces) or fewer see [[WP:SD40]] -->
{{for multi|the municipality in the Philippines|Gregorio del  Pilar, Ilocos Sur|the current Philippine Navy ship|BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15)}}
{{family name hatnote|Hilario del Pilar|Sempio|lang=Spanish}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=December 2023}}
{{Use Philippine English|date=February 2023}}
{{Infobox officeholder
| honorific-prefix    = [[Honorable|The Honorable]] [[General]]
| name                = Gregorio del Pilar
| birth_date          = {{Birth date|1875|11|14}}
| death_date          = {{death date and age|1899|12|2|1875|11|14}}
| image               = Gregorio del Pilar.jpg
| caption             = 
| office              = 1st [[Governor of Bulacan]]
| term_start          = May 28, 1898
| term_end            = December 2, 1899
| president           = [[Emilio Aguinaldo]]
| predecessor         = ''Office created''
| successor           = Isidoro Torres
| nickname            = Goyong <br>The Boy General Agila<ref>[https://www.pma.ph/delPilar.php Del Pilar] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043453/https://www.pma.ph/delpilar.php |date=March 6, 2019 }} pma.ph</ref>
| birth_name          = Gregorio H. del Pilar y Sempio
| birth_place         = [[Bulakan|San Jose, Bulakan]], [[Bulacan]], [[Captaincy General of the Philippines]], [[Spanish Empire]]
| death_place         = [[Tirad Pass]], [[Gregorio del Pilar, Ilocos Sur|Concepcion]], [[Ilocos Sur]], [[First Philippine Republic|Philippines]]
| allegiance          = {{flag|First Philippine Republic}}<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of the Biak-na-Bato.svg}} [[Republic of Biak-na-Bato]]<br />{{flagicon image|Flag of Katipunan.svg}} [[Katipunan]]<br />{{flagicon image|Red flag.svg}} [[Battle of Kakarong de Sili|Kakarong Republic]]
| branch              = [[File:Seal of the Philippine Army (1897).svg|23px]] [[Philippine Revolutionary Army]]
| serviceyears        = 1896–1899
| rank                = [[File:PR General de Brigada SE.svg|16px]] Brigadier General
| unit                = 
| commands            = Commanding Gen. Aguinaldo's <br />[[File:Philippine revolution flag gregoriodelpilar.svg|22px]] [[Rearguard]]
| battles             = [[Philippine Revolution]]
*[[Battle of Kakarong de Sili]]
*[[Raid at Paombong]]
*Battle of Pasong Balite
----
[[Philippine–American War]] 
*[[Battle of Quingua]]
*[[Battle of Calumpit]]
*[[Battle of Tirad Pass]]{{KIA}}
| parents             = Fernando H. del Pilar {{small|(father)}}<br />Felipa Sempio {{small|(mother)}}
| relatives           = [[Marcelo H. del Pilar]] {{small|(uncle)}}<br />Toribio H. del Pilar {{small|(uncle)}}<br />[[Deodato Arellano]] {{small|(uncle-in-law)}}<br />[[Albert del Rosario]] {{small|(first-cousin-twice-removed)}}<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2023/04/21/2260434/albert-del-rosario-patriot-family-man|title=Albert del Rosario: patriot, family man|date=April 21, 2023|website=[[The Philippine Star]]|access-date=June 18, 2023|archive-date=June 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618125929/https://www.philstar.com/opinion/2023/04/21/2260434/albert-del-rosario-patriot-family-man|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=BWO>{{cite web|url=https://www.bworldonline.com/the-nation/2023/04/18/517608/former-top-philippine-envoy-del-rosario-dies/|title=Former top Philippine envoy Del Rosario dies|date=April 18, 2023|publisher=Business World|accessdate=April 18, 2023|archive-date=April 18, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230418170145/https://www.bworldonline.com/the-nation/2023/04/18/517608/former-top-philippine-envoy-del-rosario-dies/|url-status=live}}</ref>
| death_cause         = [[Gunshot wound]] to the neck
}}

'''Gregorio Hilario del Pilar y Sempio''' ({{IPA|es|ɡɾeˈɣo.ɾjo ðel piˈlaɾ|lang}}; {{IPA|tl|gɾeˈgo.ɾjo del pɪˈlaɾ|lang}}; November 14, 1875 – December 2, 1899) was a [[Filipinos|Filipino]] general of the [[Philippine Revolutionary Army]] during the [[Philippine–American War]].

As one of the youngest generals in the Revolutionary Army, he was known for the successful assault on the Spanish barracks in the municipality of [[Raid on Paombong|Paombong]], his victory on the first phase [[Battle of Quingua]] and his last stand at the [[Battle of Tirad Pass]] during the Philippine–American War. Because of his youth, he became known as the "Boy General".<ref name="Kalaw 1974">{{Harvnb|Kalaw|1974}}</ref> He was also known as a ladies man and was described by [[National Artist of the Philippines|National Artist for Literature]] [[Nick Joaquin]] as the "[[Lord Byron|Byron]] of Bulacan".<ref name="joaquin"/>

==Early life and education==
[[File:Gregoriojf.JPG|thumb|left|Historical marker and monument of del Pilar's birthplace in [[Bulakan, Bulacan|Bulakan]]]]

Born on November 14, 1875, to Fernando H. del Pilar and Felipa Sempio of [[Bulacan, Bulacan]], the fifth among six siblings.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kalaw|1974|p=3}}</ref> His siblings were María de la Paz del Pilar (b.1865), Andrea del Pilar (b. 1866), Pablo H. del Pilar (b. 1869), Julian H. del Pilar (b. 1872), and Jacinto H. del Pilar (b. 1878).<ref name="nhcp">{{cite web|title=Gregorio del Pilar|url=https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9c6mrxI4zoYR1dEcHdVVjdycU0/view|website=National Historical Commission of the Philippines|access-date=August 27, 2018|archive-date=August 13, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190813003707/https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B9c6mrxI4zoYR1dEcHdVVjdycU0/view |url-status=live}}</ref> He was part of the del Pilar family (more properly Hilario del Pilar; Hilario was the original surname before the [[Narciso Clavería y Zaldúa|Claveria]] naming reforms and was contracted to "H.") of the ''[[principalia]]'', whose members included his uncles, lawyer-turned-propagandist [[Marcelo H. del Pilar]], editor-in-chief of ''[[Diariong Tagalog]]'' and ''[[La Solidaridad]]'', as well as the priest Toribio H. del Pilar, who was exiled in [[Guam]] for his alleged involvement in the 1872 [[Cavite Mutiny]]. The del Pilar clan was distantly related to the Gatmaitans. Although ''principalia'', Gregorio del Pilar's branch was relatively poor. It was said that del Pilar had to hawk meat pies as a child to survive.<ref name="joaquin">{{cite book|last1=Joaquin|first1=Nick|title=A Question of Heroes|year=2018|publisher=Anvil|isbn=978-971-27-1546-4}}</ref>

As a child, he completed his primary education under [[teacher|Maestros]] Monico Estrella and Romualdo Sempio before being sent to study in Manila.<ref name="nhcp" /> He was enrolled at the [[Ateneo de Manila University|Ateneo Municipal de Manila]] at the age of 15, where he was rated good in Latin, Greek, Spanish, and French, middling in philosophy, and excellent in arithmetic and algebra.<ref name="joaquin" /> During his studies in the Ateneo, he stayed in the house of his paternal aunt, Hilaria H. del Pilar, and her husband, the propagandist [[Deodato Arellano]]. He helped his uncle distribute revolutionary pamphlets and other materials. There was one incident in [[Malolos, Bulacan|Malolos]], where del Pilar stole copies of the book ''Cuesteones de sumo interes'' from the parish priest, Father Felipe García, who had a habit of distributing counter-revolutionary materials after mass. These books were set to be distributed after the mass. Del Pilar removed the book covers and pasted the pamphlets inside before distributing them after.<ref name="nhcp" />

Del Pilar finished his bachelor of arts in March 1896 and had intended to enroll at the School of Arts and Trades and study to become a ''maestro de obras'';<ref name="joaquin" /> however when the [[Philippine Revolution]] broke out in August of that year his plans of further study were thwarted. Del Pilar quickly went home to Bulacan and enlisted himself for military service under Colonel Vicente Enríquez.<ref name="nhcp" />

==Philippine Revolution==
At the onset of the revolution, and in response to reports of "successive triumphs" in Cavite, some 3,000 revolutionary forces marched to seize the town of [[Paombong]], Bulacan, forming a military government. Del Pilar was among those who marched towards Paombong, although there are also rumors of him being present during the [[Cry of Balintawak]].<ref name="joaquin" />

Del Pilar was eventually assigned to the forces of Eusébio Roque (also known as ''Maestrong Sébio'') in ''[[Battle of Kakarong de Sili|Kakarong de Sili]]'', a fort near the town of [[Pandi, Bulacan|Pandi]]. On New Year's Day, 1897, del Pilar participated in the defense of Kakarong de Sili, managing to escape with only nine others before the Spaniards overran the fort. He recounts in his diary:<ref name="joaquin"/>

{{blockquote|text="As for me, I need not say how I fought. Those who saw me in peril can tell. A Mauser bullet grazed my forehead. Thank God I was spared that danger. Finally, I had to leave the fort because, when I looked for our valiant brothers, none was any longer at his post. This should not cause shame. Self-preservation is the law of God. I passed the night in the barrio of Manatal."|author=Gregorio del Pilar|title=Recounting his 'baptism of fire' and escape during the Battle of Kakarong de Sili.|source=}}

His courage and bravery in that action won him recognition and a promotion to the rank of lieutenant.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kalaw|1974|p=18}}</ref> He eventually left Roque's unit - Roque was sold out to the Spanish by his own soldiers and executed in February 1897, and del Pilar began to make his way to [[Imus]], Cavite reaching as far as [[Rodriguez, Rizal|Montalban]] in February. He eventually returned to Bulacan and joined Adriano Gatmaitán's army, being promoted to captain in the process.<ref name="joaquin"/>

As captain, del Pilar managed feats of bravery. He once managed to single-handedly ambush a priest and his escort of ''cazadores'' from [[Bacoor|Mambog]] on their way to Malolos. He shot one of the cazadores which prompted the rest to flee. The event is termed as "pinagtambangan", according to the marker that can be found on Malolos Bridge.

[[File:Philippine revolution flag gregoriodelpilar.svg|thumb|Flag of Gregorio del Pilar]]

This act netted him several [[Mauser Model 1893|Mauser rifles]] and four sacks of coins, which he distributed to his troops. He decreed that married men be given 50 pesos each, unmarried ones 25 pesos, and the remaining money be sent to Manila to buy a blanket and a cloak for each soldier.<ref name="nhcp" /> On September 3, 1897, del Pilar executed an attack on the Spanish garrison in the town of [[Raid on Paombong|Paombong]]. He and ten other men slipped into town in the night and fell upon the ''cazadores'' in the basement of the convent during Sunday mass. Del Pilar himself was stationed in the plaza, firing at the second story of the convent to prevent any men from approaching from the windows. They were eventually able to capture 14 Mauser rifles. Other versions of the raid vary, however. Some tellings talk about how del Pilar and his men slipped into town dressed as women, while other versions have them disguised as ''cazadores''.<ref name="joaquin" /> Del Pilar's success in Paombong caught the attention of [[Emilio Aguinaldo]], who promoted the captain to a lieutenant colonel, eventually earning his trust and being let into his inner circle of confidants. [[Artemio Ricarte]] noted that del Pilar's feat in Paombong "exalted him to the horns of the moon".<ref name="esquire">{{cite news |last1=Umali |first1=Justin |title=What Do We Really Know About Gregorio Del Pilar, Philippine History's Baby-faced Assassin? |url=https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/arts-and-entertainment/the-many-faces-of-gregorio-del-pilar-a00203-a2212-20180914-lfrm |access-date=September 14, 2018 |website=Esquire Philippines |archive-date=September 14, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914165631/https://www.esquiremag.ph/culture/arts-and-entertainment/the-many-faces-of-gregorio-del-pilar-a00203-a2212-20180914-lfrm |url-status=live }}</ref>

Del Pilar celebrated his promotion to lieutenant colonel by creating a distinctive flag for himself and his battalion: a [[Tricolour (flag)|tricolor]] with a blue triangle at the [[Glossary of vexillology|hoist]], red stripe on top and black at the bottom, taking cues from the [[Flag of Cuba|Cuban flag]]. He first unfurled this flag during his participation in the Battle of Pasong Balite (modern-day [[Polo, Bulacan]]) in 1897.

Due to his closeness to Aguinaldo, del Pilar became one of the signatories of the provisional constitution of the [[Republic of Biak-na-Bato]] in November 1897. When negotiations with the Spanish took place in the which concluded with the signing of the [[Pact of Biak-na-Bato]], Aguinaldo took del Pilar with him to exile in [[Hong Kong]].<ref name="nhcp" />

==Second phase and the Philippine–American War==
The exiles in Hong Kong organized a Supreme Council, electing del Pilar to a position second only to [[Tomás Mascardo]]. Aguinaldo's confidence in del Pilar grew such that he wrote the following about him:<ref name="joaquin"/>

{{blockquote|text="I took him to Hong Kong, Saigon, and Singapore. He was my man of confidence. I could trust him with everything. Therefore, I had him always at my side until he died."|author=Emilio Aguinaldo}}

Aguinaldo intended to go to Europe. Traveling under assumed names, he took only del Pilar and Colonel José Leyba with him. The trip ended in Singapore, where Aguinaldo conferred with American [[Consul (representative)|consul]] [[E. Spencer Pratt]], learning of the American declaration of war against Spain. Spurred by this, Aguinaldo and the other exiles decided to return to the Philippines to restart the revolution.<ref name="joaquin"/><ref name=kennedy2015p159>{{cite book | last=Kennedy | first=C.S. | title=The American Consul: A History of the United States Consular Service 1776–1924. | publisher=New Academia Publishing | year=2015 | isbn=978-0-9864353-5-5 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QMc8EAAAQBAJ |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=QMc8EAAAQBAJ&pg=PT159 159]}}</ref>

[[File:Ghdelpilarjf.JPG|thumb|left|Statue of Gregorio del Pilar in Plaza del Pilar, Bulacan, Bulacan]]

After the Americans defeated the Spanish in the [[Battle of Manila Bay]], Aguinaldo, del Pilar, and other exiled leaders returned to the Philippines. Aguinaldo named del Pilar Dictator of [[Bulacan]] and [[Nueva Ecija]] provinces, an honor Aguinaldo would not confer to anybody else.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kalaw|1974|p=27}}</ref>

On del Pilar's return to the Philippines, he set out to liberating his home province of Bulacan, eventually accepting Spanish surrender on June 24, 1898.<ref>{{Harvnb|Kalaw|1974|p=30}}</ref> Del Pilar was then called to relieve the wounded General Pantaleon García and continue operations in [[Caloocan]], ultimately succeeded on August 13, 1898. The [[Revolutionary Government of the Philippines (1898–1899)|Revolutionary Congress]] was then inaugurated on September 15, 1898, and del Pilar became in charge of the military parade. He was promoted to brigadier general after this event.<ref name="nhcp" />

When the [[Philippine–American War]] broke out in February 1899, following the [[cession]] of the Philippines by Spain to the [[United States]] in the [[Treaty of Paris of 1898]], del Pilar fought alongside General [[Antonio Luna]] in Manila, suffering heavy casualties.<ref name="nhcp" /> Del Pilar's relationships with his fellow generals were contentious at best. General [[Jose Alejandrino|José Alejandrino]] wrote of del Pilar:<ref name="joaquin"/>

{{blockquote|text="There was a young pretentious general who set up his headquarters in one of the nearby towns, not bothering even to present himself to General [Antonio] Luna. He did not want to recognize any orders other than those which emanated directly from the Captain General [Emílio Aguinaldo] of whom he was a great favorite. At the headquarters of General Luna it was learned that his gentleman spent days and nights at fiestas and dances which his flatterers offered in his honor."|author=Jose Alejandrino}}

[[File:Gregorio del Pilar painting at PMA Museum.JPG|thumb|upright=1|Painting of General Gregorio del Pilar.]]

Another story between Luna and del Pilar have the two riding together on the front, with Luna so absorbed in what he was saying that he did not notice they were moving into a danger zone. Del Pilar did notice but did not back off because Luna had not. After Manila, del Pilar and his troops moved to Bulacan. Major General [[Venancio Concepción]] was placed under his command but the two did not get along. After the fall of [[Baliuag, Bulacan|Baliuag]] each blamed the other. Concepción was eventually moved under the command of Luna in Pampanga. Del Pilar, for his part, led his troops to a victory over Major [[Franklin Bell]] in the first phase of the [[Battle of Quingua]] (modern-day [[Plaridel, Bulacan]]) on April 23, 1899. During the battle, his forces repelled a cavalry charge and killed US Colonel [[John M. Stotsenburg]].<ref>{{cite journal|title=Facts About The Filipinos|journal=The Philippine Review|volume=1|page=36|year=1900}}</ref> The Americans were, however, reinforced during the second phase of the Battle and the Filipino forces were forced to retreat. Del Pilar then participated in the [[Battle of Calumpit]] alongside General Luna. Luna, however, had left the battle to punish General [[Tomás Mascardo]] for insubordination, leaving del Pilar with the defense of the Bagbag River. On Luna's return, the Americans had already succeeded in penetrating the Filipino lines and they were forced to retreat.<ref name="agoncillo"/>

On June 4, 1899, del Pilar joined Aguinaldo in [[San Isidro, Nueva Ecija|San Isidro]] and received orders to capture [[Antonio Luna]], dead or alive, on charges of high treason. It is said that had Luna not come down himself to [[Cabanatuan, Nueva Ecija|Cabanatuan]] and assassinated by the Kawit Battalion from his headquarters in [[Bayambang]] that del Pilar would have gone down as Luna's killer.<ref name="joaquin"/> Del Pilar and Aguinaldo then descended upon General Concepcion's headquarters in [[Pampanga]] to relieve him of his position, as he was suspected to be partisan to the assassinated general. Troops surrounded Concepcion's headquarters and sentries were replaced by the presidential guards. Concepción was then relieved of his command on suspicions of a conspiracy being plotted against Aguinaldo.

Del Pilar was then tasked with taking possession of Luna's old headquarters in Bayambang, and of liquidating Luna's former aides-de-camp, Manuel and José Bernal. He arrived in Bayambang on June 7 and managed to capture a younger Bernal brother, Angel, who was arrested and maltreated. Manuel Bernal was captured a few days later, located in the house of the Nable José family. Remedios or Dolores, daughters of the family, was said to be one of del Pilar's last loves.<ref name="nhcp"/> Manuel was tortured in the presence of his younger brother Angel by del Pilar and his brother Julian del Pilar for a week before he was killed. José Bernal was captured soon after, taken to [[Angeles City|Angeles]], Pampanga and murdered by soldiers thereafter.<ref name="joaquin"/>

After this, del Pilar was given command in [[Pangasinan]], where he stayed for five months from June to November 1899. He was also posted in Pangasinan to defend against a possible mutiny from Ilocanos outraged with Luna's assassination, as well as to defend against the [[Guardia de Honor]], a [[Millenarianism|millenarian cult]] fashioned after the [[Katipunan]].<ref name="Kalaw 1974"/> During this time, the American forces were unusually quiet but the revolutionary government failed to capitalize on this opportunity. Del Pilar himself, was engaged in a number of love affairs.<ref name="joaquin"/> In a letter sent to a relative in Bulacan, he asked for the finest of riding boots, while he ordered the best horses in [[Dagupan]] to show off his horsemanship.<ref name="Kalaw 1974"/>

By November, Tarlac had fallen to the Americans and Aguinaldo was moving northward towards [[Bayambang]]. From Bayambang, the fleeing government led an expedition to [[Santa Barbara, Pangasinan|Santa Barbara]]. Del Pilar, at the time, had 2,000 troops: 1,000 in the del Pilar Brigade, 350 in the Joven column, 400 in the Kawit Battalion, 100 in the Corps of Lancers, and two vanguard companies.<ref name="joaquin"/> del Pilar led the expedition northward towards Ilocos. During this time he carried a briefcase containing a girl's letter and a lock of hair, from one of his loves in Bulacan.<ref name="joaquin"/>

==Tirad Pass and death==
{{Main|Battle of Tirad Pass}}
[[File:Gregmalolosjf.JPG|thumb|left|Gregorio del Pilar's tomb in Bulacan]]

In November 1899, Aguinaldo's party had reached the town of [[Gregorio del Pilar, Ilocos Sur|Concepción]] and climbed the peak of [[Mount Tirad]]. Del Pilar ordered three lines of trenches be dug up on the pass and had the "pick of all the men that can be spared" on orders from Aguinaldo.<ref name="joaquin"/> While Aguinaldo and the rest were in [[Cervantes, Ilocos Sur]], del Pilar rode to the [[rearguard]] to ensure the safety of the retreat. Word had come that the Americans were advancing on [[Tirad Pass]] in an effort to cut off Aguinaldo from the [[Tinio Brigade]] situated on the [[Abra River]].

The US Army 33rd Infantry Regiment, under Major [[Peyton C. March]] took Concepción on December 1 and began to scale Tirad Pass the next day. Although they had difficulty in attacking the Filipino position, they saw an opening with the aid of a [[Itneg people|Tingguian Igorot]] named [[Januario Galut]].<ref name="nhcp"/> The Americans then devised a plan to flank the entrenched defenders from the village of Lingay at the foot of the pass, and from the peak.<ref name="joaquin"/> The combined attack surprised the defenders and the engagement barely lasted six hours. Del Pilar was killed in the skirmish from a shot in the neck, killing him instantly. Of the 60 defenders, only eight remained. After the battle, del Pilar's belongings were taken by the Americans as war trophies, including a handkerchief embroidered with the name Dolores, a locket with a picture of a girl, and his diary. His last entry was:<ref name="agoncillo">{{cite book|last1=Agoncillo|first1=Teodoro|title=History of the Filipino People|year=1990|publisher=1990|isbn=9718711066|edition=8th|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/historyoffilipin00teod}}</ref>

{{blockquote|text="The General [Aguinaldo] has given me the pick of all the men that can be spared and ordered me to defend the Pass. I realize what a terrible task has been given me. And yet I felt that this is the most glorious moment of my life. What I do is done for my beloved country. No sacrifice can be too great."}}

Reports of del Pilar's death varied. Two newsmen, John McCutcheon and Richard Henry Little, and a local newspaper called ''The Manila Freedom'' reported accounts which captured the imaginations of American and Filipino readers. McCutcheon and Little both reported how del Pilar was the last to fall; how he continually urged his men during the battle to fight on, appealing to their sense of love for their native land; how he refused to turn away on his white horse until all the men had retreated; and his death when a sharpshooter got the better of him. ''The Manila Freedom'' wrote this of del Pilar:<ref name="joaquin"/>

{{blockquote|text="It is said that in the battle against Major March's troops, Mr. Gregorio del Pilar, surrounded by the dead and the wounded falling by his side, fought a valiant defense, inspiring his troops by his example and, though gravely wounded, had stood atop the trench to animate then when a bullet pierced his heart and he fell among his comrades. When the American troops advanced they found the body of the general on the same spot where he had fallen and the expression on his face was of a command or a supreme desire abruptly interrupted. One of his hands, pressed to his heart, from which blood flowed, clutched a silk handkerchief embroidered with the name of his sweetheart."|author=The Manila Freedom}}

Filipino accounts of del Pilar's death corroborate each other and are less glamorous. Del Pilar's aide-de-camp, Vicente Enríquez, writes:<ref name="joaquin"/>

{{blockquote|text="I returned to the peak where I had left General del Pilar but midway up I saw him with Lietunants Eugenio [Telesforo] Carrasco and Vicente Morales and the bugler. I told him what I had seen. The general quickened his pace on learning that the Americans could be seen from a certain high point. We arrived at the upper trenches. Then we went to the hilltop where I was and the moment we got there we heard renewed firing and saw our soldiers giving battle. Our soldiers, pointing with their hands, warned del Pilar that the enemy was almost on top of us, but we could see nothing save an irregular movement in the [[cogon]]grass. So the general ordered a halt to the firing. And erect on the hilltop he tried to see and distinguish the enemy. While he was doing this he was hit by a bullet. The general covered his face with both hands, falling backward and dying instantly. He wore a new khaki uniform with his campaign insignia, his silver spurs, his polished shoulder straps, his silk handkerchiefs, his rings on his fingers. Always handsome and elegant!"|author=Vicente Enriquez}}

Lieutenant Telesforo Carrasco also recounted:<ref name="joaquin"/>

{{blockquote|text="The general could not see the enemy because of the cogon grass and he ordered a halt to the firing. At that moment I was handing him a carbine and warning him that the Americans were directing their fire at him and that he should crouch down because his life was in danger and at that moment he was hit by a bullet in the neck that caused instant death. on seeing that the general was dead, the soldiers jumped up as if to flee, but I aimed the carbine at them saying I would blow the skull off the brains of the first to run, whereupon they resumed firing while the body of the general was being removed to the next trench."|author=Telesforo Carrasco}}

Del Pilar's body lay unburied for days, exposed to the elements. While retracing the trail, an American officer, Lieutenant Dennis P. Quinlan, gave the body a traditional US military burial. Upon del Pilar's tombstone, Quinlan inscribed, "An Officer and a Gentleman".<ref>{{cite book|last=Karnow |first=Stanley|author-link=Stanley Karnow |year=2010 |title=In Our Image: America's Empire in the Philippines|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VbwogbQ3l8UC&q=Quinlan+del+pilar&pg=PT312|publisher=Random House|isbn=9780307775436|access-date=November 27, 2013}}</ref>

In 1930, del Pilar's body was exhumed and was identified by dental records.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://opinion.inquirer.net/89899/73-bones-33-teeth|title=73 bones, 33 teeth|author=Ambeth R. Ocampo|author-link=Ambeth R. Ocampo|newspaper=Philippine Daily Inquirer|date=October 30, 2015|access-date=December 22, 2019|archive-date=December 22, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191222120556/https://opinion.inquirer.net/89899/73-bones-33-teeth|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Personal life==
{{Original research section|date=May 2024}}

Del Pilar was known for his various relationships during the war. He was reported to have courted almost half a dozen girls, including Neneng Rodrigo, the daughter of Bulacan's civil governor, who has his first love; a sister of Colonel José Leyba; a woman named Poleng; and Felicidad Aguinaldo, the sister of Emilio Aguinaldo. It has been asserted that a woman named Remedios Nable José, a daughter of Don Mariano Nable José from Dagupan, was del Pilar's last love. It was said that Nable José and del Pilar were almost married, but Nable José rejected del Pilar's advances, partly due to his reputation as a playboy.<ref name="gma">{{cite news|last=Chua|first=Xiao|title=Ang huling pag-ibig ni Gregorio del Pilar|url=http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/content/610067/ang-huling-pag-ibig-ni-gregorio-del-pilar/story/|work=GMA News|access-date=September 14, 2018|archive-date=September 14, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180914165631/http://www.gmanetwork.com/news/lifestyle/content/610067/ang-huling-pag-ibig-ni-gregorio-del-pilar/story/|url-status=live}}</ref> Though Nable José's claim is based solely on an interview of her, there still remained a glaring lack of third-party sources to verify her story.{{citation needed|date=October 2018}} Some{{who|date=October 2018}} are still speculating that her sister, Dolores, was the general's actual last love as there were numbers of third-party resources name her as the one. First, John McCutcheon, the war correspondent that was with the American troops at Tirad Pass. In an article published by the ''Boston Evening Transcript'', McCutcheon details that Gregorio del Pilar and Dolores Nable José were set to be married around mid-November 1899. However, Aguinaldo's order of a hasty retreat in early November caused the wedding to be postponed, and ultimately, to be canceled altogether.<ref name=lyerook>{{cite web|url=https://lyrerook.wordpress.com/2017/05/19/a-case-for-dolores/|title=A Case for Dolores|date=May 19, 2017<!-- reliable source?? -->|access-date=October 4, 2018|archive-date=October 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181004104238/https://lyrerook.wordpress.com/2017/05/19/a-case-for-dolores/|url-status=live}}</ref> He also mentions the handkerchief found on del Pilar's body to be embroidered with Dolores' name, and that a number of the letters retrieved from his person were from her.<ref name=lyerook />

There is good reason to believe in the authenticity of McCutcheon's account. For one, McCutcheon knew del Pilar previously, having interviewed him multiple times throughout the war<!-- copypaste -->.<ref name=lyerook /> For another, he was with the soldiers that looted del Pilar's body, and would have actually seen the spoils himself. He also released more articles that consistently named Dolores, where she could be mentioned. Had he been mistaken, he would have corrected himself in a later article, but the reports did not change<!-- copypaste -->.<ref name=lyerook /> Second, Isaac Cruz Jr.'s biography of Gregorio del Pilar, ''General Gregorio H. Del Pilar: Idol of the Revolution'', includes statements from Tirad Pass survivors that he was able to interview before they passed on.

Lieutenent José Enríquez recounted that Major March showed them some of the del Pilar's belongings in his possession, and asked explicitly for Dolores Nable José. Additionally, Captain Isidro Wenceslao mentioned that Dolores was in del Pilar's thoughts during his last meeting with Aguinaldo.

Aside from being two of the only survivors from the Tirad Pass, both men were particularly close to del Pilar. Enríquez was the younger brother of Vicente Enríquez and Anacleto Enríquez, who were del Pilar's [[aide-de-camp]] and [[Fan (person)|supporter]] respectively. The children of both families were neighbors and childhood friends.

Meanwhile, Isidro Wenceslao was part of the famed "Seven Musketeers of Pitpitan", a group of young men led by del Pilar that initially joined Maestrong Sebio's forces at Kakarong de Sili.

If anyone had been privy to the thoughts and feelings of del Pilar, especially in matters so important to him as love, it would be these men. Third, "Nandaragupan: the story of a coastal city and Dagupan Bangus" names Dolores Nable José as the Dagupan belle that del Pilar fell in love with during his stay in Pangasinan. After del Pilar's death, Dolores seems to have disappeared from the records, as there is no mention of her in the 1916 court case where her other siblings and father appear.

Despite all this, del Pilar's love life still remains a mystery to all historians.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://lyrerook.wordpress.com/2017/05/19/a-case-for-dolores/|title=A Case for Dolores|last=LYREROOK|date=May 19, 2017|website=lyrerook.wordpress.com|language=en|access-date=November 14, 2019|archive-date=October 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030010737/https://lyrerook.wordpress.com/2017/05/19/a-case-for-dolores/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Memorials==
[[File:PF-15 and SARV-002 CARAT 2013.jpg|thumb|[[BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15)|BRP ''Gregorio del Pilar'']], a Philippine Navy warship named after Gregorio del Pilar]]
[[File:Gregorio del Pilar Park1.jpg|thumb|left|200px|Gregorio H. del Pilar Park ([[Malolos]])]]

* [[Fort Del Pilar]], home of the [[Philippine Military Academy]] in [[Baguio]], is named after him.
* In 1944, the Japanese-sponsored Philippine republic of President [[Jose P. Laurel]] issued the Tirad Pass Medal commemorating the battle and del Pilar's sacrifice. A bust of General del Pilar occupies the center of the obverse (front) side of the medal. The Tirad Pass Medal was the only award issued to recognize service to the Laurel government during the Japanese occupation.
* In 1955, the town of [[Gregorio del Pilar, Ilocos Sur|Concepcion, Ilocos Sur]], where the Battle of Tirad Pass took place, was renamed Gregorio del Pilar in his honor.
* In 2011, the newest vessel of the [[Philippine Navy]], [[BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15)|BRP ''Gregorio del Pilar'']], was named after him. The ship is a patrol frigate.
* In 2024, Bulacan Capitol [[Pocket forest|Mini-Forest]] Park is re-branded as Gregorio H. del Pilar Park in his honor at [[Bulacan Provincial Capitol]] compound.

==In popular culture==
* Portrayed by [[José Padilla Jr.]] in the postwar film ''Hen. Gregorio del Pilar'' (1949), opposite Tessie Quintana.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0764782/|title=Hen. Gregorio del Pilar movie|accessdate=July 23, 2021|archive-date=August 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210815125739/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0764782/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* His life was shown in the Philippine television news show ''[[Case Unclosed]]'' as its 13th episode.
* Portrayed by [[Romnick Sarmenta]] in the film ''[[Tirad Pass: The Last Stand of Gen. Gregorio del Pilar]]'' (1996).
* Portrayed by [[Dingdong Dantes]] in the official [[Lupang Hinirang]]  music video produced by [[GMA Network]] released in 2010.
* Portrayed by [[Felix Roco]] in the film ''[[El Presidente (film)|El Presidente]]'' (2012).
* Portrayed by [[Paulo Avelino]] in the films ''[[Heneral Luna]]'' (2015) and its sequel, ''[[Goyo: Ang Batang Heneral]]'' (2018).
* The final chapter of novel [[Po-on]] written by [[National Artist of the Philippines|National Artist for Literature]] [[F. Sionil Jose]] describes del Pilar's final evening and the Battle of Tirad Pass from the point of view of Eustaquio Samson, a fictional character. Samson is an Ilocano farmer forced to flee his hometown after suffering abuse from a Spanish friar. Having been the confidante of Apolinario Mabini in Rosales town and now acting as his messenger, Samson is cold-shouldered by del Pilar when Samson tells him he lost Mabini's letter; and further suspected of being an enemy spy when Samson claims he was beaten unconscious by the Americans at Candon but somehow woke up alive and abandoned amongst the dead villagers. Samson describes del Pilar as vain, arrogant, and full of youthful folly. He nevertheless joins the Tagalog defenders of the Pass in honor of the "[[Apolinario Mabini|Honorable Cripple]]" and out of patriotic duty.

==See also==
* [[Gregorio del Pilar class frigate]], [[Philippine Navy]]
* [[BRP Gregorio del Pilar (PF-15)|BRP ''Gregorio del Pilar'']], [[Philippine Navy]] [[frigate]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Citations===
* {{cite book|last=Kalaw|first=Teodoro Manguiat|title=An Acceptable Holocaust: Life and Death of a Boy-General|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WaMMAQAAMAAJ|year=1974|publisher=National Historical Commission}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite book|author=Zaide, Gregorio F.|title=Philippine History and Government|publisher=National Bookstore Printing Press|year=1984}}
* Amparo Nable Jose v. Mariano Nable Jose <[http://www.lawphil.net/judjuris/juri1916/dec1916/gr_l-7397_1916.html G.R. No. L-7397]>
* [http://www.dagupan.com/city/history1.htm History of Dagupan] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100403092021/http://www.dagupan.com/city/history1.htm|date=April 3, 2010}}
* "[https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=2249&dat=19010422&id=naY-AAAAIBAJ&sjid=nFkMAAAAIBAJ&pg=6350,2867544&hl=en An observer in the Philippines; or, Life in our new possessions]" by John Devins (1905) Original Boston Evening Transcript
* [http://malacanang.gov.ph/76776-electoral-almanac-ph/Official Government Electoral Almanac]{{Dead link|date=October 2023|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}}
* "Feeding Manila in Peace and War, 1850-1945" by Daniel F. Doeppers (2016)
* "General Gregorio H. Del Pilar: Idol of the Revolution" by Isaac Cruz Jr. (1985)
* "Nandaragupan: the story of a coastal city and Dagupan Bangus" by Jesus Victor Vistro and Crispina Reyes (2005)

==External links==
* [http://www.pma.ph/DelPilar.php General Gregorio Del Pilar - Philippine Military Academy]
* {{YouTube|yCMD-SQ22ac|General Goyo: The Gregorio del Pilar Story 1 - GMA News Philippines (video)}}
* {{YouTube|DIFlzf8Ej5U|General Goyo: The Gregorio del Pilar Story 2 - GMA News Philippines (video)}}
* {{IMDb title|qid=Q55635928|id=tt0380757|title=Tirad Pass: The Story of Gen. Gregorio del Pilar}}

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{{s-gov}}
{{s-new|office}}
{{s-ttl | title=[[Governor of Bulacan]]| years=1898–1899}}
{{s-aft | after=Isidro Torres}}
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{{Philippine Revolution}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pilar, Gregorio del}}
[[Category:1875 births]]
[[Category:1899 deaths]]
[[Category:Ateneo de Manila University alumni]]
[[Category:Deaths by firearm in the Philippines]]
[[Category:Filipino generals]]
[[Category:Filipino paramilitary personnel]]
[[Category:People from Bulacan]]
[[Category:Military personnel killed in the Philippine–American War]]
[[Category:Anti-American sentiment in the Philippines]]
[[Category:People of the Philippine Revolution]]