T R A N
S C R I P
T I O N
Sixteenth Company, Fifth Regt. U.S.M.C.
Quilali, Nicaragua
25 February, 1928
From: |
2nd Lieut. W. S. Brown, U.S.M.C. |
To: |
The Commanding Officer, 16th
Company |
Subject: |
Patrol to San Juan de Telpaneca,
Report on |
Reference: |
Field Message from Col. Dunlap
#1122-2140 |
1. In accordance with
instructions contained in your verbal
orders and reference, the undersigned
cleared Quilali at 1815, February 23rd,
with a patrol of twenty five men and two
pack animals. The patrol reached Las
Cruces at 2045; cleared at 2100; reached
Buena Vista at 2300; cleared at 2330;
reached San Lucas at 0045, February
24th; cleared at 0200; and reached
outskirts of San Juan at 0330.
2. Las Cruces and Buena Vista were deserted. Camp
fires were seen about two miles away in
the direction of Las Vueltas. Two more
camp fires were observed in the valley
to the southeast of Buena [ p. 2 ] Vista
at a considerable distance, probably two
or three miles. San Lucas was inhabited
but no unusual number of people and
nothing suspicious was observed.
3. In spite of all the time killed in long
halts on the trail, the patrol reached
San Juan long before daylight. No
outposts were encountered but our
approach was heralded by the barking of
dogs. There is one house left standing
about one thousand yards to the east of
the San Juan River which could serve the
enemy excellently as an outpost. It was
searched carefully the following day but
the inhabitants are apparently
hard-working, and friendly, and no
excuse could be found for destroying it.
The patrol entered the town from the
east under cover of darkness and with
the utmost silence and took up a
position covering the main street. It
was then too dark to see the man in
front in column (contact was kept from
Las Cruces on by each man holding the
belt of the man leading him), [ p. 3 ]
so the patrol waited until daylight
before attacking. The barking of many
dogs at the west end of town led one to
believe that the town was inhabited.
4. Day light came suddenly abut 0545 and we
immediately rushed the town. The
grenadiers dropped three rifle grenades
into town, the automatic weapon men and
one squad under Cpl. Carter gained a
position in the center of town covering
both streets, two groups of riflemen
under Sgt Nelson and the undersigned
searched the houses on either side of
the main street, and the grenadier moved
forward to a position from which they
could lay a fire on each of the three
main trails leading out of town. The
scheme was well-executed but a lack of
enemy robbed it of its effectiveness.
The town was deserted and there was no
sign, other than the barking of dogs
above-mentioned, to indicate that it had
recently been occupied. If we did not
know that a patrol of marines and
guardia had been there two days before,
I would have thought that it had not
been [ p. 4 ] occupied since the 16th
Company left there on February second.
5. Two natives were picked up coming into
town later in the morning and said that
Sanchez [Porfirio Sánchez] and his men
had scattered after the fight with the
Telpaneca patrol on the 20th. A small
band of ten or twelve men had ridden
through going in the direction of
Pericon on the 22nd. Neither of them had
heard of any harm being done to Sanchez
in the fight though they believed the
bandit, and marine, casualties to have
been very heavy. One of these natives
was known to me while I was stationed in
Telpaneca and both appeared to be
hard-working, honest men so I released
them upon my departure.
6. The patrol cleared San Juan at 1115;
cleared San Lucas at 1230; Buena Vista
at 1345; Las Cruces at 1545; and reached
Quilali at 1720. Nearly all the houses
left standing along the trail are now
occupied and the inhabitants are [ p. 5
] busily engaged in drying and pounding
coffee. None of them showed any fear of
us and those interviewed either knew or
would tell nothing of bandit activities.
The houses near the camp fires seen the
previous night were scrutinized as
carefully as the distance permitted but
nothing suspicious was observed.
7. Two planes came over at about 1300 when
the patrol had just come in sight of
Buena Vista. The panel "Marine Patrol"
was laid out and they answered with a
green star. They went on toward San Juan
but came back a few minutes later and
fired another green star to indicate
they had a drop message. The message
asked where we were going. The panel was
laid out "V1 1+" for Quilali but the
space we had for laying out the panel
was very constricted and the observer
seemed to have difficulty in reading it.
I finally gave them a TX and LA which
they acknowledged, and they then
departed toward Telpaneca. [ p. 6 ]
8. Though the patrol was unproductive of
results as given in the mission "to
encounter and destroy bandits,"
nevertheless the undersigned feels that
his men are deserving of high praise.
The total distance covered was
approximately thirty six miles, one half
of it under the most trying conditions.
From Las Cruces on to San Juan it was
not only impossible to see the trail but
even to see the man in front. The trail
was mountainous and in places rutted and
rocky. Nevertheless the men maintained
excellent march discipline; keeping
closed up and neither talking nor
smoking. The only noise they made was
that of their falling. They made no
complaint but reached Quilali after a
hike of 36 miles in less than 24 hours
still in good spirits. This in spite of
the facts that perhaps ninety percent of
them are suffering from tropical ulcers
on their legs and feet, and igua [sic]
bites that have had to be cut from their
feet; and that they had only had iron
rations with them.
9. It is recommended that all night [ p.
7 ] operations be confined as nearly as
possible to moonlight nights. When the
prize is not great, a patrol over a
black trail is apt to be unproductive of
results that will justify the amount of
hardship that the men undergo.
/s/ Wilburt S. Brown
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
- - - - - - -
1st Indorsement. Quilali, Nic.
25 Feb. 1928.
From: C.O.
To: C.O. San
Albino.
1.
Forwarded
2. When
above patrol was formed, I chose the 25
men of my command who were in best
physical condition; on their return,
eight of these had to go on the sick
list with sore feet and ulcers.
- - - - - - - - /s/ R. W. Peard. - - -
- - -
127/220/6
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