Header image
Top 100  •  doc 30
 
T O P     1 0 0     D O C S

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

Report on Pedrón's sacking of Bruno Mierisch coffee farm

    This description of the guerrilla tactics used by Pedrón's band was narrated to the Marines & Guardia by the resident estate manager (mandador) of one of Dr. Bruno Mierisch's farms in the Jinotega coffee district.  It offers a fascinating glimpse into the day-to-day operation of Pedrón's command, and suggests some of the ways that he and his followers were able to elude the Marines & Guardia for so long.  For the next four years, despite persistent efforts by dozens of the most seasoned field commanders, the Marines & Guardia never even so much as glimpsed the elusive Pedrón.  The mandador's description, which accords with much other evidence, suggests some of the reasons why.  The shrewdest, most vigilant, and most dangerous of all the Sandinista jefes, Pedrón held out longer than any other guerrilla chieftain, finally being captured and killed in late 1937, nearly three years after Sandino's assassination and the National Guard's annihilation of the remnants of the Defending Army.   (Photo of Pedrón at the disarmament at San Rafael del Norte, February 1933)
 
     (Recall German coffee planter and engineer Dr. Bruno Mierisch's involvement in the building of the Limay-San Albino Road in 1920, as described in Camilo Castellon's newspaper article that begins these Top 100.)

 

 

HEADQUARTERS FIFTH REGIMENT.

SECOND BRIGADE MARINE CORPS,

MANAGUA, NICARAGUA.

12 February, 1929.

 

 

R-2 REPORT

From:  0000 27 January 1929

To:   2400 9 February, 1929 ...

 

 

... The following extracts are taken from Lieut. Esau's Report re ALTAMIRANO'S activities:

 

     "Below is some information I got from Dr. Mierisch's Mandador [estate manager] who was on the place during the stay of Altamirano.  It is partly verified by Pascual Gutierrez, Juez de Canton [of]  Zapotal.  They state that Pedron had about sixty men, all armed with rifles.  They could not tell how much ammunition each man had as the ammunition was kept out of sight.  They had one machine gun and carried about four hundred rounds of ammunition for it. 

 

     He had no animals.  Even Altamirano was afoot, the men were well supplied with clothing and blanketed.  Each man a rubber coat.  While here they camped in a pasture in three groups about five hundred yards from the ranch buildings.  The groups were about one hundred yards apart.  While in this area they traveled only in the daytime with an advanced party of about ten men, commanded by Captain Santos Vasquez, about one hundred yards in advance of the main body.

 

     They kept to the main trails.  I am told that it is impossible, even for the bandits, to do otherwise.  I can well believe that.  They may be able to hide out on the side of a trail but I do not believe they could travel across country.

 

     Pedron arrived here the afternoon of the 18th of January and left the 19th for Camelias but found that Marines were in that area so he got no farther than Las Milagros and returned to Las Lajas the same day.  Camelias is a finca about as large as Fundadora and about one mile South of Datanli on the Datanli-Babilonia trail.  The left here the 20th and went to Rafael Kuan's place.  Gutierrez said that they headed for Jesus Ochoa's place when they left here.  Both said the bandits had four Springfield rifles and when asked if they liked the ones the Marines had they said "yes."  The rest of the rifles were Mexican called "Con Con."  Pedron evidently got some rifles from Sandino as these are the same make Sandino refused to turn in when the armistice [of May 4, 1927] was signed.  It is believed here that the bandits split up in small groups of bout ten men each and only get together occasionally when called by Pedron. ...

IR29.02.12: 3-4.  RG127/209/1

 

 

T O P     1 0 0     D O C S      •      H O M E P A G E     L I S T 

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

29

30

31

32

33

34

35

36

37

38

39

40

41

42

43

44

45

46

47

48

49

50

51

52

53

54

55

56

57

58

59

60

61

62

63

64

65

66

67

68

69

70

71

72

73

74

75

76

77

78

79

80

81

82

83

84

85

86

87

88

89

90

91

92

93

94

95

96

97

98

99

100

top of page