The Battle of La Flor was fought in May 1928 between the

United States Marines The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the Marines, maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expedi ...

, their Nicaraguan National Guardsmen allies, and a force of

Sandinista The Sandinista National Liberation Front (, FSLN) is a socialist political party in Nicaragua. Its members are called Sandinistas () in both English and Spanish. The party is named after Augusto César Sandino, who led the Nicaraguan resistan ...

rebels.Musicant, I, The Banana Wars, 1990, New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., It occurred at a hill north of the La Flor

coffee Coffee is a beverage brewed from roasted, ground coffee beans. Darkly colored, bitter, and slightly acidic, coffee has a stimulating effect on humans, primarily due to its caffeine content, but decaffeinated coffee is also commercially a ...

plantation Plantations are farms specializing in cash crops, usually mainly planting a single crop, with perhaps ancillary areas for vegetables for eating and so on. Plantations, centered on a plantation house, grow crops including cotton, cannabis, tob ...

and ended with a rebel victory when the Americans and

Nicaraguan National Guard The Nicaraguan National Guard (, otherwise known as ) was a militia and a gendarmerie created in 1925 during the occupation of Nicaragua by the United States. It became notorious for human rights abuses and corruption under the regime of the S ...

troops were forced to withdraw.

Battle

As part of the Coco River Campaign,

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

Robert S. Hunter was in command of a patrol along the Cua River. Besides the captain, there were thirty-eight Marines and guardsmen as well as

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

Corpsman Oliver L. Young. The men came from the

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

s of Quilalí,

Matagalpa Matagalpa () is a city in Nicaragua which is the capital of the department of Matagalpa. The city has a population of 112,697 (2022 estimate), while the population of the department is 606,643. Matagalpa is Nicaragua's seventh largest city, the ...

and Corinto plantation. On the 13 May, at about 3:40 pm, Captain Hunter was leading his men through a

ravine A ravine is a landform that is narrower than a canyon and is often the product of streambank erosion. Ravines are typically classified as larger in scale than gullies, although smaller than valleys. Ravines may also be called a cleuch, dell, ...

when they were attacked by an advance guard of rebels positioned on a hill next to the Bocaycito River which links up with the El Cua River. The ambush was eventually beaten off so the Marines and Guardsmen continued on to the hill where the enemy fire had come from. The Sandinistas then launched another attack, numbering at least seventy-five guerrillas, and in the fight

Corporal Corporal is a military rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The rank is usually the lowest ranking non-commissioned officer. In some militaries, the rank of corporal nominally corr ...

William R. Williamson was hit with a bullet and killed. The corporal was carrying a

Thompson submachine gun The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy gun", "Chicago typewriter", or "trench broom") is a blowback-operated, selective-fire submachine gun, invented and developed by Brigadier General John T. Thompson, a United States Arm ...

so Captain Hunter moved forward to retrieve it in order to open fire on the attackers. After picking up the weapon and returning fire, Hunter was struck in the neck by a bullet, and then once again in the shoulder. The captain could barely speak at this point so he wrote notes and instructions to his men on paper while the corpsman tried to tend to Hunter's wounds and that of a Marine

private Private or privates may refer to: Music * "In Private", by Dusty Springfield from the 1990 album ''Reputation'' * Private (band), a Denmark-based band * "Private" (Ryōko Hirosue song), from the 1999 album ''Private'', written and also recorded ...

. The battle continued for about fifty minutes before the rebels retreated to take up positions along the trail leading back south. At that point, the Marines and Guardsmen captured the hill and began fortifying the position in case of another attack. However, all remained quiet and there was no more fighting that day. On 14 May, Second

Lieutenant A lieutenant ( , ; abbreviated Lt., Lt, LT, Lieut and similar) is a Junior officer, junior commissioned officer rank in the armed forces of many nations, as well as fire services, emergency medical services, Security agency, security services ...

Earl S. Piper assumed command and chose to retreat in order to evacuate the wounded. Since the Sandinistas occupied areas along the trail, the only way to escape was by breaking through enemy lines to the south, back towards La Flor and Quilalí. Lieutenant Piper sent a reconnaissance patrol out and, when they returned without making contact with the rebels, Piper began his retreat. However, the Marines and Guardsmen had not made it very far down the hill when they were attacked again. Another forty-five-minute battle was fought, during which the wounded Captain Hunter attempted to rejoin the fight before being put back on his stretcher. Expert firing from the patrol's machine guns and hand grenades thrown by

Sergeant Sergeant (Sgt) is a Military rank, rank in use by the armed forces of many countries. It is also a police rank in some police services. The alternative spelling, ''serjeant'', is used in The Rifles and in other units that draw their heritage f ...

Gerald R. Brown successfully forced the rebels to retreat again, leaving the trail to La Flor open. By 10:30 am, a Marine reconnaissance aircraft located the battlefield, but the fighting was already over. Piper broke through enemy lines without sustaining additional casualties and arrived at La Flor Plantation the following morning.Rowley, pg. 7

Aftermath

Upon arriving at La Flor the Marines and the Guardsmen began fortifying the area, but were not attacked. Lieutenant Piper reported the following:

"''Realizing that Captain Hunter could not be moved for several days and that we could not move without reinforcements we asked for same and also rations, when planes appeared at 1100 and when we found it was impossible to arrange a pick-up at this place.''"

On the 16 May, when the aircraft returned they confirmed that reinforcements were on their way and, on the 17 May, they dropped additional medical supplies. The pilots also suggested that Captain Hunter be evacuated via the

Coco River The Wangki river in Miskitu or Río Coco, in Spanish, formerly known as the Río Segovia, Cape River, or Yara River, is a river located on the border of northern Nicaragua and southern Honduras. It is the longest river that runs entirely within t ...

, which Piper agreed was the best solution. Hunter was still regaining his strength so Piper decided to march for the river on 18 May, but the captain died of his wounds at 3:25 am on the same day and was buried at the plantation. The Battle of La Flor was one of the few victories of the Sandinistas during the American occupation, despite the fact that the Marines and Guardsmen defeated all of the rebel attacks. Captain Hunter would later receive the

Navy Cross The Navy Cross is the United States Naval Service's second-highest military decoration awarded for sailors and marines who distinguish themselves for extraordinary heroism in combat with an armed enemy force. The medal is equivalent to the Army ...

for his bravery in battle, as did Corpsman Young, who treated Hunter's wounds while under accurate enemy fire.Rowley, page 8 Hunter's remains were later reburied in the United States in 1929. Casualties of the Marines and Guardsmen amounted to two dead, including Hunter, and one wounded, while the Sandinistas lost five killed. Second lieutenant Earl S. Piper was also decorated with the

for his bravery in battle.

References

;Citations ;Bibliography * * {{DEFAULTSORT:La Flor, Battle Battles and operations of the United States occupation of Nicaragua 20th-century military history of the United States Banana Wars Conflicts in 1928 1928 in Nicaragua May 1928 in North America

Battle

Aftermath

See also

References