Ruling party commemorates little-known US-DR battle

Santo Domingo.- Dominican Republic’s ruling party (PLD) on Friday marked the 98th anniversary of the Battle of La Barranquita, where armed men from the town of Mao, Valverde province, confronted the U.S. Occupation Force in 1916.

“The feat highlights the intrepid heroism of Carlos Daniel and Maximo Cabral, whose names figure on several PLD organizations across the country,” it said in a statement.

"That Monday, July 3, 1916, a group of Patriots led by general Carlos Daniel and captain Maximo Cabral, heroically resisted the American army advancing from Montecristi to Santiago."

It said the battle was uneven, “because only 80 very poorly armed men, clashed with an organized army of more than 300 well-equipped soldiers.”

"The daring and valor of the fighters and the people in arms forced the soldiers to retreat and plot new tactics to advance through the garrison commanded by Daniel and Cabral," the statement said.

It adds that Cabral and most of his men died in combat on July 4, 1916, after heroically confronting the American troops. He was 29.