August 30, 2021
The Banana Wars E77 Blood, Medals, and Morality: The Haiti Intervention Begins
This episode tells the story of one of the most daring and cinematic missions in Marine Corps history: the assassination of Haitian rebel leader Charlemagne Péralte. Disguised as locals and guided by an undercover informant, Sergeant Herman Hanneken and Corporal William Button infiltrated six rebel outposts before reaching Charlemagne's inner circle. In a sudden and precise strike, they killed Charlemagne and fought off repeated attacks to bring his body back as proof. Both men received the Medal of Honor for the operation. Charlemagne's death was a major turning point in the U.S. occupation of Haiti. It shattered the morale of the Cacos and allowed the Marines to begin restructuring the country's military and political institutions. But the price of victory was high. Button died shortly after from malaria, and the occupation continued for more than a decade. This mission highlights the complexity, intensity, and moral weight of U.S. intervention during the Banana Wars.
References
- Butler, S. D. (2021). War Is a Racket (1st ed.). Round Table Press.
- Ellsworth, H. A. (2014). One Hundred Eighty Landings of United States Marines, 1800–1934. Createspace Independent Pub.
- Executive Order No. 969, Defining the Duties of the United States Marine Corps, 12 November 1908.
- Executive Order No. 989, Marine Corps Officers’ Physical Fitness, 9 December 1908.
- Goldsborough, C. W. (1824). The United States Naval Chronicle. Washington: James Wilson.
- Logsheet of Historic Marine Corps Dates, Historical Branch, G-3 Division, Headquarters, U.S. Marine Corps.
- Knox, D. W. (1936). A History of the United States Navy. New York: G. P. Putnam’s Sons.
- Maclay, E. S. (2018). A History of American Privateers. Franklin Classics.
- N. (2021). THE USMC SMALL WARS MANUAL 1940. Nafziger.
- Nalty, B. C. (2013). The United States Marines In The War with Spain. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.
- Treaty Between the United States and the Republic of Cuba Embodying the Provisions Defining Their Future Relations as Contained in the Act of Congress Approved March 2, 1901, signed 05/22/1903; General Records of the United States Government, 1778 - 2006, RG 11, National Archives.
- U.S. Department of State. Right to Protect Citizens in Foreign Countries by Landing Forces, Memorandum of the Solicitor, 5 October 1912, Third Revised Edition with Supplemental Appendix up to 1933. Washington, 1934.
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