US Marine Corps - The Black Vault

4a Amphibians Came To Conquer
Surgeon T. A. FortesCue.This force at once occupied the northwest corner of
the cement walled enclosure belonging to the Santa Fe Sugar Company in
which were gathered about one thousand refugees. . . . I established outposts
. . . . no armed forces were within the neutral zone when the landing
occurred, and none attempted to enter until about 3:30 the next morning. . . .
The firing between the ~o forces continued briskly for about an hour and
a half, many rifle bullets passing over or falling within the neutral zone. . . .
There was one casualty, . . . Firing continued intermittently until moonset,
at 3:00 a.m., when it increased for about an hour, and then gradually died
away. . . .
****
Occasional shots only were fired in town during the day. . . . The refugees
were very much pleased that we were there; government troops with whom
we came in contact were uniformly courteous.
The Landing Force returned to the ship at 7:10 p.m. August 3rd.’23
The rest of the story is told in the fitness report entry of Commander
W. Pitt Scott, U. S. Navy:
Murietta Landing Force under command of Lieutenant Turner was landed
to enforce respect for a neutraI zone by the Government Forces and the rebels
during an attack by the rebels on San Pedro de Macoris, the rebels having
previously refused to agree to respect such a zone. This duty continuing on
the 2nd and 3rd of August was performed by Lieutenant Turner in a highly
credible manner and was entirely successful in its purpose.12A
At least as much to the point were the eleven 4.o’s in the Fitness Report.
During this period, his mother wrote a letter to President Woodrow Wil-
son, on 23 July 1914, protesting her son’s detachment from postgraduate
instruction and sending him to the miniature war. Mrs. Turner addressed
the letter to the President because she believed the President was one
who considers no matter too small for his careful attention. ” 125
The Secretary of the Navy, Josephus Daniels, signed the pleasant refusal
of the request:
I regret it would not be practicable to relieve him now.’z’
But, at the end of 1914, with the trouble in the Dominican Republic
settled, temporarily at least, the ALwiezta came back to the United States and
m Report of Lieutenant ,( junior grade) R. K, Turner to Commanding Officer, USS Mufiettu,
Aug. 4, 1914.
M (a) RKT Fitness Report, 9/30/14; (b) San Pedro de Macoris is on the south coast of
Dominican Republic 50 miles east of Santo Dominico.
m Letter in RKT official personal file.
m Copy of SECNAV letter in RKT official personal file.