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

Haitian Revolution The Haitian Revolution ( or ; ) was a successful insurrection by slave revolt, self-liberated slaves against French colonial rule in Saint-Domingue, now the sovereign state of Haiti. The revolution was the only known Slave rebellion, slave up ...

in 1804. The nickname "cacos" was derived from local terms for the red-plumed Hispaniolan trogon 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 (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

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 List of Presidents of Haïti, President of Haiti from 4 March 1915 until his assassination months later. He was the son of Tirésias Simon Sam, Haiti's president from 1896 to 1902 ...

—on 28 July 1915, to install their political puppets, prevent Haiti's rapid rise 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 (; ; "Haitian Cape") is a List of communes of Haiti, commune of about 400,000 people on the north coast of Haiti and capital of the Departments of Haiti, department of Nord (Haitian department), Nord. Previously named ''Cap‑Fran� ...

, the Cacos threatened to defeat the U.S. Marines at the Battle of Fort Dipitie, but skillful use of reinforcements enabled the Marines to launch a surprise counterattack 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.

Prominent Cacos leaders

* During the occupation era, 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 Sudre Dartiguenave (; 6 April 1863 – 26 July 1926) was a Haitians, Haitian political figure. He served as president of Haiti from 12 August 1915 to 15 May 1922, during the United States occupation of Haiti, U.S. military occupation th ...

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. Puppetry is an ancient form of theatre which dates back to the 5th century BC in anci ...

head-of-state under the U.S. occupation. * Charlemagne Péralte 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. * Benoît Batraville, 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 Haitian nationalism Military history of Haiti Paramilitary organizations based in Haiti Secessionist organizations Insurgent groups in North America United States occupation of Haiti