Battle of San Fernando

Battle of San Fernando
Part of United States occupation of Nicaragua, Banana Wars
San Fernando Battle of San Fernando (Nicaragua)
Date 25 July 1927 Location San Fernando, Nicaragua Result American-Nicaraguan victory
Belligerents
United States Nicaragua	Sandinistas
Commanders and leaders
Maj. Oliver Floyd	Augusto César Sandino
Strength
78 marines 37 national guard[1]	40 guerrillas[1]
Casualties and losses
1 killed (died of wounds)[1]	11+ killed[1]
1 woman wounded[2]

The Battle of San Fernando took place on July 25, 1927, during the American occupation of Nicaragua of 1926–1933. Shortly after the Battle of Ocotal, an expedition of seventy-eight American Marines and thirty-seven Nicaraguan Provisional Guardsmen led by Major Oliver Floyd were sent hunting for rebel leader Augusto César Sandino. One of their destinations was the town of San Fernando, where Sandino had about forty men waiting for the Marines and their Nicaraguan allies. He placed a sentry outside the village to alert his men of the Marines and Provisional Guard's arrival, but the watchman abandoned his post to be alone with an Indian girl in a nearby shack.^{[3]: 315–316} The Marines and Nicaraguan government troops marched into San Fernando at 3:00, finding it largely deserted. While galloping across the town's "open, grassy plaza" in order to question an old man, Captain Victor F. Bleasdale and Marine Private Rafael Toro received fire from the waiting Sandinistas, with Toro being mortally wounded. Eventually, the Sandinistas were driven back, leaving eleven of their dead behind.^[1] Fighting was over by 3:45. In addition to Marine and Sandinista losses, one woman was wounded in the legs by fire from an automatic weapon.^[2]

The battle convinced Major Floyd that he would “have to wage a real blood and thunder campaign” and be involved “in a real small war.”^[2]

Major Floyd's Marine and Provisional Guard expedition would continue their advance into northern Nicaragua and be ambushed again by Sandinistas at the Battle of Santa Clara on July 27, 1927.