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PC28.04.18   galt

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28.04.18.   Galt, Patrol Report, Matagalpa

P C - D O C S :      P A T R O L   &   C O M B A T    R E P O R T S
thru 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 +

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T  R  A  N  S  C  R  I  P  T  I  O  N

HEADQUARTERS, THIRD BATTALION, FIFTH REGIMENT
U. S. MARINE CORPS, MATAGALPA, NICARAGUA.
18 April, 1928.

From: First Lieutenant Alexander Galt, Marine Corps.
To: The Commanding Officer, District of Matagalpa,
Fifth Regiment, Second Brigade, U.S. Marine Corps
Subject: Patrol Report.

     1.   In obedience to verbal orders from your office, I, on April 10 took charge of a patrol of 30 men and proceeded at 7 p.m. by truck to San Ramon. 5 miles proceeded under charge of Sergeant Monteith to San Ramon the same evening arriving about 9 p.m. I cleared San Ramon at 8 a.m. and marched for six hours via Monte Grande. At 2 p.m. the mules carrying spare ammunition and rations gave out so I made camp on a hill beside a creek about 3 miles southeast of Bavaria. This is the end of the road which is rough trail from hereon. This is a good camp site. As soon as lunch was over I with ten men patrolled to the north returning about 6 p.m. having found all quiet and visited Bavaria. The following morning April 12 in order to lighten the load on the mules and thereby gain speed I buried in three holes about two hundred pounds of rations and marched for 6 hours making better time than the day before, but as the mules appeared exhausted I halted at a small river called the Jicaro. Here I sent out a small patrol who reported after 4 hours that all was quiet and no signs of bandit activity. The following morning April 13 I cleared camp with 18 men who were in best shape physically at about 4 a.m. being delayed until then by mist which made visibility too poor to proceed. I left at the Jicaro river 8 men under Sergeant Monteith, the mules, rations, and packs. I arrived at Sebadilla about 10 a.m. and patrolled that area. The country was very poor economically there being few houses and they of very poor quality. The natives were friendly and reported no bandit activity. We slept that night at a native house from whom I obtained rice and beans.

     2.   April 14 I returned to the Jicaro river but as the cook reported rations as too low to wait a day the patrol rested for two hours and at 12 noon started for the camp where I had buried the rations arriving about 5 p.m. I found that two of the holes in which they were buried had been found and cleaned out. April 15 I marched to San Ramon and thence for Matagalpa being met by trucks about four miles outside of that place.

     3.   After passing a point about 12 miles east of San Ramon the country through which I passed was in general thinly inhabited and arid but small streams occur every few miles that that camp sites are easily found. Food appears to be scare, only one house being found in the vicinity of Sebadilla where enough rice and beans for 20 men could be found. Live stock also appears to be very scarce. The inhabitants all stated that there had been no bandits in that vicinity for a long period.

/s/ ALEXANDER GALT

127/43A/20

Summary & Notes:

   The rolling, arid, overgrazed, thinly populated, mostly indigenous zone between Matagalpa & San Ramón; roads good enough for truck traffic; not much EDSN support here.
   Poverty ubiquitous, food scarce, livestock few, houses poor, economic conditions poor.
   Humorous episode: burying 200 lbs. rations in holes in the ground to save time; locals quickly find and take it.
   Thick night fog prevents patrolling.

   "Friendly natives" in this zone: a public face, a mask, rooted in long-term structural subordination in hierarchical patron-client relations; outwardly friendly, inwardly watching for a chance to dig up your buried rations when you're not looking!  No useful information from locals.

P C - D O C S :      P A T R O L   &   C O M B A T    R E P O R T S
thru 1927 1928 1929 1930 1931 1932 1933 +

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