Note 51 — Chapter XII · Otis and the War (Continued)

The troops of Captain Batchelor’s command were later on relieved by the 16th Infantry, commanded by Colonel Hood, under whom the above group of three provinces finally became the “Second District of the Department of Northern Luzon.” As part of the plan to provide the reader with a fair general idea of Luzon conveniently portable in memory, he is requested to note, at this point, that hereinafter the Cagayan valley, with its three provinces,51 will be alluded to as a district containing 12,000 square miles and 300,000 people. As was remarked concerning the original military district commanded by General Young, to wit, the First District, so of Colonel Hood’s district, the Second—that is to say, as the Ilocano country may some day become the state of Ilocos, so, for like geographical and other governmental reasons, the three provinces of the Cagayan valley may some day become the state of Cagayan in the possible Philippine republic of the future.