battle, nineteenth century

First Battle of Vailele

Name: First Battle of Vailele
Location: Vailele, Samoa

First Battle of Vailele was a battle fought in 1899 at Vailele, in what is now Samoa. Its exact site is not recorded; the atlas places it at Vailele. It was part of Second Samoan Civil War, which ran from 1898 to 1899. The recorded result: Mata'afan victory. Recorded strength: Land: 136 warriors; 26 marines; 88 sailors; Sea: 1 corvette against ~800 warriors; 2 forts.

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Samoan warriors loyal to Prince Tanu marching through Apia, Samoa in March of 1899 during the Second Samoan Civil War. American sailors and marines are also depicted.. United States Navy, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Fought1899

WhereVailele, Samoa13.849S, 171.727W, placed at the location, approximate

OutcomeMata'afan victory

BelligerentsAllies: Samoa; United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; United StatesagainstMataafans; Supported by: German Empire

Casualties and losses7–9 killed; 7 woundedand~50–100 killed or wounded; 2 forts damaged

Part ofSecond Samoan Civil War1898 to 1899

Record

Date	1899 (year precision)
Place	Vailele, Samoa 13.849S, 171.727W
Kind	Battle, nineteenth century
Strength	Land: 136 warriors; 26 marines; 88 sailors; Sea: 1 corvette	~800 warriors; 2 forts
Casualties and losses	7–9 killed; 7 wounded	~50–100 killed or wounded; 2 forts damaged
Commanders	Angel Hope Freeman Philip Lansdale	Mataʻafa Iosefo

Placed at Vailele; the exact site is not recorded. with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Siege of Apia 1899, 12 km W
Battle of Kaba 1855, 594 km SW

In the same war

Before: Siege of Apia 1899

Elsewhere in 1899

Siege of Mafeking South Africa
Battle of Magersfontein South Africa
Siege of Ladysmith South Africa
Battle of Stormberg South Africa
Battle of Colenso South Africa

First Battle of Vailele is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 4 in present-day Samoa.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q5452544, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Second Battle of Vailele, revision 1384364097, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.