The Battle of Fort Dipitie was fought in October 1915 during the United States occupation of Haiti.

U.S. Marine The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

s and rebel Haitians — known as " Cacos" — fought at the

Grande Riviere Grande Riviere is a village on the north coast of Trinidad located between Toco and Matelot. The area was originally settled by immigrants from Venezuela and Tobago who cultivated cacao and subsistence crops. After falling cocoa prices in the ...

which resulted in the destruction of Fort Dipitie, an outpost of Fort Capois.Musicant, I, The Banana Wars, 1990, New York: MacMillan Publishing Co.,

Battle

On 24 October 1915, Marine

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

Smedley Butler was in command of a mounted reconnaissance patrol south of

Fort Liberte A fortification is a military construction or building designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is also used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Latin ''fortis'' ("strong") and ''facere'' ...

, Haiti, near the enemy-held Fort Dipitie. While fording the Grande at night, a force of more than 400 rifle-armed Cacos attacked the Marines from three different positions. The Americans were shocked and returned a few shots before retreating to high ground a few hundred yards to their rear. During the retreat, the Marines lost their only

machine gun A machine gun is a fully automatic, rifled autoloading firearm designed for sustained direct fire with rifle cartridges. Other automatic firearms such as automatic shotguns and automatic rifles (including assault rifles and battle rifles) a ...

when a Caco rifleman shot the horse carrying it. The Cacos followed up their ambush and attacked the Marines again. All night long, the Americans held their ground. (Cacos were reputed to be poor marksmen and, indeed, only one Marine was wounded in the battle; altogether, about 75 Haitians were killed in the two-day battle.) Later that night,

Boxer Rebellion The Boxer Rebellion, also known as the Boxer Uprising, the Boxer Insurrection, or the Yihetuan Movement, was an anti-foreign, anti-colonial, and anti-Christian uprising in China between 1899 and 1901, towards the end of the Qing dynasty, by ...

veteran and

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

recipient

Daniel Daly Daniel Joseph Daly (November 11, 1873 – April 27, 1937) was a United States Marine and one of nineteen U.S. servicemen to have been awarded the Medal of Honor twice. He earned his first Medal of Honor during the Boxer Rebellion in 190 ...

retrieved the machine gun and killed three Haitians with his knife, earning himself his second Medal of Honor. (

First Lieutenant First lieutenant is a commissioned officer military rank in many armed forces; in some forces, it is an appointment. The rank of lieutenant has different meanings in different military formations, but in most forces it is sub-divided into a s ...

Edward Albert Ostermann Edward Albert Ostermann (November 23, 1882 – May 18, 1969) was a United States Marine Corps major general who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the U.S. occupation of Haiti. Osterman began his military career in the United St ...

commanded one of the squads; he, too, was awarded the Medal of Honor for heroic action in this engagement.) Major Butler planned to counter-attack at first light on October 25. He told his men to charge as fast as they could and shoot everything around. The Marines divided into three groups and ran toward the river and the main body of the enemy. When they were sighted, the Cacos fled the field, into their fort; several did not escape and were killed by American fire. The Marines captured Fort Dipitie from the remaining Cacos and held it. Major Butler and his men returned to base at Cap-Haïtien a few days later, and in November went on to fight in the Battle of Fort Rivière, the engagement which ended the First Caco War.

References

Bibliography

* *Langley, Lester D. (1985). The Banana Wars: United States Intervention in the Caribbean, 1898–1934 Lexington: University Press of Kentucky {{DEFAULTSORT:Fort Dipitie Republic of Haiti (1859–1957) Fort Dipitie October 1915 events 1915 in Haiti Conflicts in 1915

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See also

References

Bibliography