The sharpshooters became famous for their fierce fighting and proved their worth by being the usual spearheading unit in every major battle in the Philippine–American War. After the Battle of Calumpit from April 25 to 27, 1899, only seven or eight of them remained in the regular Filipino army. In the Battle of Paye on December 18, 1899, Marcelo Bonifacio, sharpshooter under the command of General Licerio Gerónimo, killed General Henry Ware Lawton, making the latter the highest ranking casualty during the course of the war.
