406:. The trio of Marines immediately began to fire on the 75 surprised Cacos in the fort—Butler described them as "half naked madmen, howling and leaping"—and they were joined shortly by the rest of the 5th Company streaming through the drain. Private Gross dispatched a massive Cacos with his rifle just moments before he would have struck a devastating blow to Butler's head with a club. As panic overtook the Cacos, Butler wrote that they "threw away their loaded guns and grabbed swords and clubs, rocks and bricks, which were no match for bullets and bayonets." After ten minutes of intense hand-to-hand combat, the Marines had killed some 50 Cacos and taken the remainder prisoner; those who had escaped the fort were cut down or captured by the force covering the south wall.
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The
American force had won an "astounding little victory" and had suffered no casualties—one man lost two teeth to a thrown rock—despite a sharp conflict. Butler wrote that if the defenders "had only realized the advantage of their position, they could have shot us like rats as we crawled, one by
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for the highest bidder, routinely attacked political targets, as well as ordinary
Haitians, to sustain themselves. By October, United States Marines had trapped the Cacos in the mountains of northeastern Haiti, and moved in to eradicate them. On 25 October, Marines from the 15th Company,
391:, on the fort's south wall. Captain Chandler Campbell led the 13th Company up the east wall and Butler led the 5th Company up the west wall. The attack commenced at 07:30 and the Marines immediately began taking fire—Butler described it as "heavy, but inaccurate"—with scant cover.
419:. Butler wrote that the returning Americans were greeted by Haitians roadside, who were grateful for "ridding them of the Caco terror" that had plagued the countryside. Armed resistance to the American occupation did not end, however, as minor skirmishing continued until the
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353:, and shortly thereafter took its parent Fort Capois with heavy Cacos casualties. On 8 November, Butler's force captured Forts Selon and Berthol without resistance, leaving Fort Rivière as the final Cacos stronghold.
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Butler's company located a partially sealed drain 4 feet (1.2 m) wide, 3 feet (0.91 m) tall, and 15 feet (4.6 m) deep in the fort's wall, which served as a Cacos entrance. Sergeant
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one, out of the drain." Having delivered a massive blow to the Cacos themselves, the
Marines leveled Fort Rivière with dynamite and destroyed 60 dwellings outside the fort, thus ending the
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At dusk on 16 November, Butler's force began its ascent of the mountain toward the fort. At daybreak on 17 November, Butler deployed the 23rd
Company, along with the Marines and
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that he could take the fort with 100 men. Butler assembled a force from 5th, 13th, and 23rd Marine companies, as well as from the
Marines and sailors aboard the
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360:, at an elevation of 4,000 feet (1,200 m). Due to the harsh terrain, the Marine brain trust considered the fort impregnable unless a whole
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The Banana Wars: A History of the United States
Military Intervention in Latin America from the Spanish-American War to the Invasion of Panama
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For their heroism during the Battle of Fort Rivière, Major Butler, Sergeant Iams, and
Private Gross all received the
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Maverick Marine: General
Smedley D. Butler and the Contradictions of American Military History
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Fort Rivière had been built by the French in the latter 1700s out of brick and stone atop
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In 1915, United States forces landed in Haiti during a period of political instability.
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430:; the award was Butler's second, having received the first the prior year during the
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The Banana Wars: United States
Intervention in the Caribbean, 1898–1934
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with artillery was sent to attack, but Major Butler convinced
Colonel
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Battles and operations of the United States occupation of Haiti
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were the first through the tunnel, followed by Butler with his
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insurgents, quasi-military mountain tribes who served as
582:"Haiti: US Navy Medal of Honor — Haitian Campaign, 1915"
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560:. Lanham, Marlyand: SR Books. p. 132.
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532:. New York: MacMillan. pp. 198–201.
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508:. New York: Franklin Watts. p. 220.
506:A Chronology of the U.S. Navy 1775–1965
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302:United States occupation of Haiti
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296:was the decisive battle of the
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620:Republic of Haiti (1859–1957)
345:, under the command of Major
304:in 1915. A combined force of
481:University Press of Kentucky
56:Capture of Ft. Riviere 1915
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504:Cooney, David M. (1965).
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556:Langley, Lester (2002).
248:U.S. occupation of Haiti
587:Navy Department Library
528:Musicant, Ivan (1990).
479:. Lexington, Kentucky:
193:100 marines and sailors
475:Schmidt, Hans (1998).
449:Battle of Fort Dipitié
351:Battle of Fort Dipitié
294:Battle of Fort Rivière
165:Commanders and leaders
39:US occupation of Haiti
32:Battle of Fort Rivière
18:Battle of Fort Riviere
423:(1918–1920) erupted.
201:Casualties and losses
630:November 1915 events
343:2nd Marine Regiment
101: /
483:. pp. 80–81.
432:Battle of Veracruz
404:.45 caliber pistol
276:2nd Port-au-Prince
271:1st Port-au-Prince
640:Conflicts in 1915
567:978-0-8420-5047-0
396:Ross Lindsey Iams
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105:19.483°N 72.183°W
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133:Belligerents
80:Fort Rivière
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37:Part of the
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389:Connecticut
385:bluejackets
372:Connecticut
366:Eli K. Cole
338:mercenaries
196:75+ militia
108: /
43:Banana Wars
614:Categories
455:References
328:Background
316:rebels at
96:72°10′59″W
93:19°28′59″N
410:Aftermath
387:from the
370:USS
312:defeated
281:Les Cayes
209:50 killed
438:See also
362:regiment
188:Strength
75:Location
598:15 July
310:sailors
300:during
183:Unknown
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379:Battle
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121:Result
334:Cacos
314:Cacos
177:Maj.
159:Cacos
84:Haiti
600:2010
562:ISBN
534:ISBN
485:ISBN
308:and
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206:None
67:Date
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