Fort Riviere

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Fort Riviere is a mountain fort to the south of Grand Riviere du Nord in Haiti and the site of the crushing of a Haitian rebel force called the Cacos.

Haiti in 1915 was in a dangerous state of political upheaval, and at 5:50 p.m. on July 28, two companies of United States Marines and three United States Navy sailors landed in Haiti. Thus what would become a long involvement between Haiti and the U.S. Marines began. An involvement which, off and on has continued to the present day. As the occupation of this small Caribbean country began, so too did the events which would bring US Marine Captain Smedley Butler his second Medal of Honor.

The Marines and sailors under Admiral William B. Caperton rapidly reestablished an interim government. Police, customs, schools and hospitals were all placed under the purview of the Marines and Naval personnel assigned to the occupation.

The Marines established a law enforcing constabulary, officered by Marine non-commissioned officer's who were granted Haitian commissions as officers and leaders of native troops. This group, called the Gendarmerie d'Haiti, was tasked with enforcing all laws of the country and provided a quasi military force. They were backed by the Krag-Jørgensen rifles of the 1st Marine Brigade with 88 officers and 1,941 men garrisoning ten towns.

But this did not settle a group of rebels called the Cacos. On the northern end of the country, skirmishing continued in the villages and jungled mountains. It was during this same period that Gunnery Sergeant Daniel Daly, the other Marine to hold two Navy issue Medals of Honor, won his second award of this highest American decoration.

In the dark of the night on November 17, 1915, Butler, leading a strong force of Marines and sailors surrounded the last stronghold of the Cacos. Fort Riviere, on a mountain to the south of Grand Riviere du Nord. At 07:30 a.m., Butler gave a signal on a whistle and all the Marines attacked. The surprise was total and the Cacos were taken in confusion. Crawling through a tunnel. Butler and his men were involved in bloody hand to hand fighting. In 15 minutes, more than 50 Cacos were killed.