1. In obedience to
your verbal orders of recent date, I took charge
of a mounted patrol of nine marines and seven
Guardia and accompanied them, guided by Mr.
Edward O. Alexander, and American, the Assistant
Manager of the Pittsburg Exploitation Syndicate,
I made the patrol ordered, from Jicaro to Murra
and return.
2. Left Jicaro at
11:00 p.m., August 16th, night mark was made
without incident except for mules tiring, rain,
and the impressing to our service of two
Nicaraguan men who live about 3 miles this side
of Murra. This was imperative as we left one
mule in their corral and were apprehensive that
they might enter Murra by another trail and give
notice of our coming. Entered Murra at daylight
after a careful survey of the city from a ridge
off the main road, that Mr. Alexander guided us
up to. Town deserted. Not a person in sight. All
inhabitants are said to be hiding in small farm
near Murra. Sent one of the men we had impressed
to let people in hills know we were there,
giving him copies of General Feland's
proclamation dated 9 August, 1927, and telling
him to bring in a certain elderly woman well
known to Mr. Alexander. This woman came in and
informed us as follows: Murra abandoned by
inhabitants day after Major Floyd's column
entered Jicaro; no knowledge of Sandino's
whereabouts or plans, or movements of any
considerable number of his troops; it is not a
general impression in this locality that Sandino
has demobilized his troops in any manner.
3. Day spent in
carefully searching the 39 houses in the town.
No arms or dynamite found. Mr. Alexander's house
the only one seriously looted. It was a litter
of paper and filth. Wanton destruction of
anything heavy or cumbersome to steal. Obscene
writing in chalk on plane surfaces. All other
houses merely abandoned in orderly manner. Pigs,
chickens and cows plentiful.
4. A strong guard
was mounted at night covering all approaches to
Mr. Alexander's home which is easily defended
and commands the town. His home was chosen as
our sleeping quarters after a careful search had
been made for bombs or mines. Just after dark
one of the Guardia on post in a pasture north of
the house heard and saw four men talking near
him. He challenged and received a "Sandino"
answer to his challenge, fired a shot in their
group, who fled, abandoning a saddled and
bridled mule that proved to be the property of
Mr. Alexander. No further incident during the
night.
5. Left Murra
about 8:00 a.m., August 18, 1927. Proceeded by a
different road than the one used in entering
town, toward Jicaro. About 400 yards out of
Murra our rear guard was fired upon by a volley
from behind and above, from bushes on the left
flank at a distance of not more than 30 yards.
One mule fatally wounded was [ p. 2 ] the only
casualty. One other mule wounded in the left
shoulder. One Guardia shot thru hat. All hands
took cover and returned the fire. The hill on
the left of the road was about 20 feet high at
lowest point and practically impossible to
ascent. Having posted all men along the line to
best advantage I went to the rear of the column
and there found that the initial volley seven
mules had broken loose and returned toward
Murra. I took Corporal John L. Neel and Pvt.
Charles E. Turner and returned over the road to
Murra until we found the mules at the edge of
the town. We then brought them up to the halted
column to its head to make sure it was safe to
again advance without likely being fired upon. I
believe that about 40 shots were fired by the
ambushers and probably 100 shots were fired by
my patrol at indistinct targets in this first
attack. No grenades were used as the slope was
likely to cause a grenade to rollback into our
midst. The wounded mule was down and bleeding
badly when Neel, Turner and I returned from town
with the other mules. I killed it and tumbled it
over the cliff on the right of the road. All
approaches to Murra are ideal for ambush and I
believe that these men had been waiting for us
on the "Ridge Trail" by which we entered the
town. The number of our attackers is estimated
at about 10 or 12. When our return fire put them
to rout they cried "Viva Sandino" and
disappeared to our left front.
6. Proceeded
toward Jicaro. After about 1 mile of progress
carefully spying out our advance, our advance
guard sighted armed men at our left front. We
halted and took cover, and seeing one on our
left flank, a few shots were fired at us, and
the ambushers, about 30 in number, retreated
into the tall timber on our left about 200 yards
away and across a ridge. Two rifle grenades were
fired into the retreating ambushers. These men
had red handkerchiefs and cried "Viva Sandino"
when firing began. Two of the attackers were
killed by rifle fire. Others appeared to be
wounded, probably five. The rifle grenades were
dropped on the attackers nearest our left flank
front and drove them toward our left rear, with
the idea of preventing them from continuing to
travel along our left flank and continue to
harass us. My patrol had no casualties. We
remounted and proceeded toward Jicaro. Attackers
did not get to fire more than 10 shots at us in
this engagement. Patrol fired probably 150 shots
at running targets. Both of our flanks were
ideal for ambush and it was not deemed advisable
to split our force by sending out pursuit
parties.
7. The attackers
did not use machine guns, bombs or dynamite
against us.
8. We proceeded to
Jicaro cautiously and without further incident.
9. Special credit
is due to Mr. Alexander, whose knowledge of the
country and the roads unquestionably played an
important part in the outguessing of the
attackers.
10. The conduct of
the Marines and Guardia throughout was
excellent. They all proved cool and competent
under fire and during a night march through rain
and mud, followed by strenuous guard duty,
displayed a really high state of morale.
/s/ Thomas G. Bruce
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RG127/212/1
