In Haitian history, Cacos were bodies of armed men, originally drawn from the country's enslaved population, who came to wield power in the mountainous regions of Haiti following the victory of the

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution (french: révolution haïtienne ; ht, revolisyon ayisyen) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolt ...

in 1804. The nickname "cacos" was derived from local terms for the red-plumed

Hispaniolan trogon The Hispaniolan trogon (''Priotelus roseigaster'') is a species of bird in the family Trogonidae. It is endemic to Hispaniola (both Haiti and the Dominican Republic) in the Caribbean. It is one of the only two trogon species found in the Caribbea ...

because the insurgents "used to hide, like the bird of the same name, under the leaves so as to come unexpectedly upon and attack their enemy."

Resistance to the U.S. occupation, 1915–1934

The

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

invaded Haiti–– ostensibly to restore order in the wake of the assassination of Haiti's president

Vilbrun Guillaume Sam Jean Vilbrun Guillaume Sam (4 March 1859 – 28 July 1915) was President of Haiti from 4 March to 27 July 1915, when he was assassinated. He was a cousin of Tirésias Simon Sam, Haiti's president from 1896 to 1902. Early life and education Ca ...

–– on 28 July 1915, and maintained a force of Marines to occupy the island until 1934. While U.S. forces were able to pacify the cities quite quickly, the Cacos maintained a rebellion in the mountainous areas to the north. Despite lack of local support, near

Cap-Haïtien Cap-Haïtien (; ht, Kap Ayisyen; "Haitian Cape"), typically spelled Cape Haitien in English and often locally referred to as or , is a commune of about 190,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the department of Nord. Previousl ...

, the Cacos threatened to defeat the

U.S. Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force military branch, service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary warfare, exped ...

at the

Battle of Fort Dipitie The Battle of Fort Dipitie was fought in October 1915 during the United States occupation of Haiti. U.S. Marines and rebel Haitians — known as " Cacos" — fought at the Grande Riviere which resulted in the destruction of Fort Dipitie, an out ...

, but skillful use of reinforcements enabled the Marines to launch a surprise counter attack that resulted in the entire Cacos force being either killed or taken prisoner. The marines then slowly advanced upon the mountainous Cacos territory, eventually trapping and defeating the remnants of the guerilla force at the

Battle of Fort Rivière The Battle of Fort Rivière was the most remembered battle of the United States occupation of Haiti in 1915. U.S Marines and sailors fought at Fort Rivière against rebel Cacos.Musicant, I, The Banana Wars, 1990, New York: MacMillan Publishi ...

Prominent Cacos leaders

* During the occupation era, Dr. Rosalvo Bobo was an early leader of the Cacos faction. He led opposition to the U.S.'s initial entry into Haiti, but was prevented from ever becoming President when

Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave Philippe Sudré Dartiguenave (6 April 1863 – 26 July 1926) was a Haitian political figure. He served as president of Haiti from 12 August 1915 to 15 May 1922, during the U.S. military occupation that had begun on 27 July 1915. U.S. Admiral ...

was effectively appointed as a

puppet A puppet is an object, often resembling a human, animal or Legendary creature, mythical figure, that is animated or manipulated by a person called a puppeteer. The puppeteer uses movements of their hands, arms, or control devices such as rods ...

head-of-state under the U.S. occupation. *

Charlemagne Péralte Charlemagne Masséna Péralte (1886 – 1 November 1919) was a Haitian nationalist leader who opposed the United States occupation of Haiti in 1915. Leading guerrilla fighters called the Cacos, he posed such a challenge to the US forces in Haiti ...

emerged as one of the most prominent Cacos leaders, from his escape from captivity until his death at the hands of U.S. Marines, on 1 November 1919. * , a lieutenant of Péralte's, took over as commander of the Cacos in December 1919. He, too, was killed by U.S. Marines on 20 May 1920.

References

{{reflist History of Haiti Paramilitary organizations based in Haiti Secessionist organizations