Following this action, Butler was responsible for restoring order in the nation of Haiti. Remember, this may have been his third had the medal been available to him in China. For this action, Assistant Secretary of the Navy Franklin Roosevelt was so impressed that he took the unusual step of awarding Butler a second Medal of Honor. Heavy hand-to-hand combat ensued, but at the end of the fighting, the result was 200 dead Cacos and 1 injured Marine. ![]() Butler asked for four Companies of 24 men, but was only given three and two machine guns.Īfter scouting the fort, he discovered a hole in the southern wall of the fort and led charge through the opening. Many considered the Fort impossible to take with fewer than a regiment (700-1000 men) backed by artillery. By November, the Marines had eradicated all the rebels with the exception of 200 holed up at the old French stronghold, Fort Riviere. The now Major Butler was conspicuous in numerous actions, frequently leading attacks on rebel positions, usually outgunned and out manned. The next year, Haitian rebels known as Cacos overthrew the government on the island. (Butler (far right) with fellow officers at Veracruz) While at Veracruz, Butler earned the Medal of Honor (officers now being eligible) for leading his men in in battle on April 22. However, plans for a full US invasion were scaled back in favor of an occupation of Veracruz, Mexico. In 1914, Butler participated in a spying mission throughout Mexico to provide information to the US government in case revolutionary activities necessitated a military intervention. However, he soon returned to the military and rom 1909 to 1912 was stationed in Nicaragua and Panama, seeing numerous actions in Nicaragua. ![]() Taking sick leave from the military, he returned to the States in 1908 and worked for a few months as a coal miner. He returned to the states, married and was again assigned to a stint in the Philippines. While on this rescue mission, Butler developed some kind of tropical fever that turned his eyes bloodshot, giving him the nickname, "Old Gimlet Eye." In 1903, Butler was in Puerto Rico when he was ordered to defend the US Consel in Honduras. He would earn a brevet medal for his actions during the Boxer Rebellion. ![]() He was then deployed to China, taking part in the Battle of Tientsin and the Gaselee Expedition, where he was wounded trying to rescue another marine. For the next phase of his life, Butler was an active participant of a series of US interventions in Central America known as the Banana Wars (fought primarily to protect American commercial interests). It was here that Major General Butler would get the throat-to-waist tattoo of an eagle, globe, and anchor he was known for.
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