Marine Detachment, Somoto, Nicaragua.           December 11, 1927.
 
From:         The Commanding Officer.
To:             The Brigade Commande.
 
Subject:     Report of Operations.
 
   1.    On November [December] 9, 1927, at 2:00 a.m., a mounted patrol consisting of nine enlisted Marines and a native guide, in charge of Corporal Frederick F. Martin, U.S. Marine Corps, left this post for Caucali and points west of Somoto as far as Santa Rosa.
 
   2.    On December 10, 1927, at about 10:10 a.m., the patrol ran into a bandit band numbering about eight or ten men, near a town called Macuelizo, about twenty miles north of Somoto. The patrol attacked this band with the result that three of said band were killed and three or more badly wounded, the latter could not be definetely ascertained due to the fact that the balance of band together with those injured ducked into the woods which are dense around thisarea, and altho the patrol chased them they were unable to locate them. Two pistols, one a caliber 38 and the other caliber 44 were captured, also 4 war machettes. These pistols were not much good, but the machettes were sharpened to a razor like edge.
 
   3.    The patrol proceeded to Santa Rosa and circled back to a place called Parasitio, about three miles south of Macuelizo, upon arrival there they saw several bandits run from a shack, they were fired on by a patrol, and it is believed that at least three were hit and badly injured, they escaped into the thick woods in this place.
 
   4.    There were no casualties among the Marine force. The patrol returned to Somoto at 0700, November 11, 1927, having been in the field practically without sleep since November 9, 1927.
 
                                        F. D. HARBAUGH
 
 

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