View source for Battle of Guayacanas

{{Short description|Battle on July 3, 1916}}
{{Infobox military conflict
|conflict=Battle of Guayacanas
|partof=the [[Banana Wars]]
|image={{Location map many|Dominican Republic
 |width       = 300
 |float       = left
 |label       = Guayacanas
 |pos         = right
 |marksize    = 8
 |lat_deg     = 19.457258
 |lon_deg     = -70.6888
}}
|caption=
|date=3 July 1916
|place=[[Santiago de los Caballeros|Santiago]], [[Dominican Republic]]
|coordinates=
|result=American victory
|combatant1={{flag|United States|1912}}
|combatant2={{flagicon|Dominican Republic}} [[Dominican Republic]]
|commander1={{flagicon|United States|1912}} [[Holland Smith]]<br />{{flagicon|United States|1912}} [[Joseph A. Glowin]]
|commander2={{flagicon|Dominican Republic}} [[Desiderio Arias]]
|strength1=800 marines<br />2+ machine guns
|strength2=80 militia<ref name=McPherson/>
|casualties1=2 killed<br />10 wounded
|casualties2=27 killed<ref name=Chronology>{{cite book|title=The United States Marine Corps: A Chronology, 1775 to the Present|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lWwfQ0DZj4UC&pg=PA76|isbn=978-1-59884-542-6|last1=Fredriksen|first1=John C|year=2011|publisher=ABC-CLIO|page=76}}</ref><br />5 captured
}}
{{United States occupation of the Dominican Republic}}

The '''Battle of Guayacanas''' was fought on 3 July 1916 between Dominican rebels and the United States during the [[United States occupation of the Dominican Republic (1916–24)|United States occupation of the Dominican Republic]]. The Dominicans dug trenches on two hills blocking passage to Santiago and kept up [[single-shot]] fire against the automatic weapons of the Americans  before the Americans drove them off.<ref name=McPherson>{{cite book |last1=McPherson |first1=Alan |title=The Invaded: How Latin Americans and Their Allies Fought and Ended U.S. Occupations |date=2014 |page=41}}</ref> [[Joseph A. Glowin]], a corporal, was awarded the [[Medal of Honor]] for his bravery during the action.<ref>{{Citation|first=Lester D.|last=Langley|title=The Banana Wars: An Inner History of American Empire, 1900-1934|location=Lexington|publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]]|year=1983|isbn=0-8131-1496-9|url=https://archive.org/details/bananawars00lest}}</ref>

==Background==
Triggered by concerns about possible [[German Empire|German]] use of the Dominican Republic as a base for attacks on the United States during [[World War I]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Dominican Republic, 1916-1924 |date=20 August 2008|url=https://2001-2009.state.gov/r/pa/ho/time/wwi/108649.htm}}</ref> the US Government began a military occupation and administration of that country in 1916.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Ayres|first1=Thomas|title=A Military Miscellany: From Bunker Hill to Baghdad: Important, Uncommon, and Sometimes Forgotten Facts,Lists, and Stories from America#s Military History|date=2008|publisher=Random House Publishing Group|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=97IN9MNwM2YC&pg=PT211|isbn=978-0-307-48825-1|page=211}}</ref> Poorly armed Dominican rebels tried to take on the US Marines occupying the Dominican Republic in conventional battles. The first battle occurred at "Las Trincheras" (the trenches), a [[Defensive fighting position|defensive position]] that the Dominicans called "[[Battle of Verdun|Verdun]]."<ref name=McPherson/> The Marines used field artillery to bomb the trenches, machine guns positioned behind the troops to suppress the rifle fire of the rebels, and then quick bayonet rushes to rout the rebels from the trenches.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Bickel |first1=Keith B. |title=Mars Learning: The Marine Corps' Development Of Small Wars Doctrine, 1915-1940 |date=2018}}</ref> The Marines sustained five dead.<ref name=Chronology/> They found no dead or weapons in the trenches but later discovered five rebel bodies in the nearby woods.

==Battle==
The Americans marched on Santiago City, a hotbed for the resistance. Colonel Pendelton's unit came under fire from Dominican soldiers and battle began. However, the Americans advancing on the Dominican positions did not record any injuries during the initial action. To aid the US Marines under fire, Cpl. Glowin fired his machine-gun and was only pulled out of battle when forced to, a brave action that decorated him with the USA's greatest military award the [[Medal of Honor]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=McPherson|first1=Alan|title=A Short History of U.S. Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean|date=2016|publisher=John Wiley & Sons}}</ref> After his evacuation, Sergeant [[Roswell Winans]] brought up more machine-gun positions to fight off the enemy. This gave the Dominicans more targets to fire at. The captain in charge of the pit was killed and the others wounded. Winans was awarded a  medal as well, for firing a Colt machine-gun at the enemy even when it was jammed. Soon, two more gun positions were formed and the Dominicans fled. The 27th and 29th divisions gave chase and killed the enemy commander, routing the Dominican rebels.

==See also==
*[[Santo Domingo Affair]]
*[[Battle of San Francisco de Macoris]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
*{{Citation|first=Lester D.|last=Langley|title=The Banana Wars: An Inner History of American Empire, 1900-1934|location=Lexington|publisher=[[University Press of Kentucky]]|year=1983|isbn=0-8131-1496-9|url=https://archive.org/details/bananawars00lest}}
*{{cite book|last1=McPherson|first1=Alan|title=A Short History of U.S. Interventions in Latin America and the Caribbean|date=2016|publisher=John Wiley & Sons}}

{{US Marine Corps navbox}}
{{United States intervention in Latin America}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Guayacanas, Battle of}}
[[Category:Banana Wars]]
[[Category:Battles involving the Dominican Republic]]
[[Category:United States Marine Corps in the 20th century]]
[[Category:20th century in the Dominican Republic]]
[[Category:Battles in 1916]]
[[Category:Dominican Republic–United States military relations]]
[[Category:Military history of the Dominican Republic]]
[[Category:1916 in the Dominican Republic]]
[[Category:Santiago de los Caballeros]]
[[Category:July 1916 events]]
[[Category:Battles and operations of the United States occupation of the Dominican Republic (1903–1924)]]