Battle of Agua Carta: Difference between revisions

Battle of Agua Carta
Part of the Occupation of Nicaragua, Banana Wars
Date September 16, 1932 Location Agua Carta, Nicaragua Result Nicaraguan victory
Belligerents
Nicaragua	Nicaraguan Rebels
Commanders and leaders
Lewis B. Puller	Augusto César Sandino
Strength
42 guards	~150 militia
Casualties and losses
2 killed 4 wounded	10 killed ~10 wounded

The Battle of Agua Carta was an engagement between the Guardia Nacional de Nicaragua and the rebels of Augusto César Sandino in 1932. It was fought near Mount Kilambe at the Agua Carta, a river in Sandino territory, during the American occupation of Nicaragua.^[1][2]

Following America's return to Nicaragua in 1926, the United States Marines took command of the Nicaraguan National Guard to fight Sandino's rebels, an occupation that lasted for several years. A mounted patrol of forty guards under First Lieutenant Lewis "Chesty" Puller and Gunnery Sergeant William A. Lee headed north from Jinotega on September 1, 1932. Because both Puller and Lee were technically part of the National Guard, Puller assumed the rank of captain and Lee a first lieutenant. While about eighty to 100 miles from the city and just northeast of Kilambe the patrol found the Agua Carta and proceeded to cross it when the rebels attacked. Ambushes at river crossings were very common during the occupation so Captain Puller and his guards had no trouble in fending of the attack. When completely across the marines and the gyards found a main body of the enemy, positioned on a ridge, an estimated 150 men armed with seven automatic weapons and a number of single shot rifles.^[3][4]

The main engagement began with the rebel militia attempting to flank the marines but this attack was repulsed largely due to Lee's fire from his machine gun. Because of this Lee became a target and was one of the first men wounded by enemy fire. With two bullet wounds Lee managed to free his jammed machine gun and charged the ridge ridge where he and a handful of other guards flanked from the left. Puller then advanced with the remaining guards and flanked the rebels from the right and they were routed from the field. The battle was long and the rebels were found to have a large cache of ammuntion available. Ten militiamen were counted dead and at least ten others escaped wounded, of the guards two men were killed and four wounded. Captain Puller recieved his second Navy Cross of five and later became a general in the United States Marine Corps. First Lieutenant Lee survived and also recived a Navy Cross. On the return to Jinotega Puller's patrol was ambushed twice on September 30 and repulsed both attacks while inflicting heavy losses on the rebel forces, another factor leading to his decoration.^[5][6]

• Alexander, H. Joseph (1999). The Battle History of the U.S. Marines: A Fellowship of Valor. Harper Collins Publishing. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)