The Politics of Intervention

104 THE POLITICS OF INTERVENTION

new successes and then finished with a rousing " \ Viva la
Republica de Cuba!"^69
In the meantime Marines of the hastily formed Provisional
Marine Brigade landed and fanned out across the countryside
to guard sugar properties and railway facilities and to garrison
the troubled towns where insurgents and the militia still glow­
ered at each other along rifle barrels. Led by the legendary
Colonel L. W- T. Waller, pacifier of Samar, the two-thousand­
man brigade, broken into company detachments, kept the
peace until the Army arrived.^70 The Marines met only threat­
ening gestures from the disgruntled militia. The insurgents
were singularly co-operative. One Marine officer, First Lieuten­
ant William P. Upshur, described the whole business to his
parents as a welcome change from shipboard life. His first
letter began with a classic phrase for Marines: "No doubt
you have been wondering what under the sun has become of
me." He quickly assured his parents that the landings had
been safe and the journey of his company to Pinar del Rio
uneventful:

The whole thing is exactly like Richard Harding Davises [sic]
description of a revolution. We have the dirty rabble of Negroes armed
with every tipe [sic] of antiquated weapon (a general to about 8 men)
the palms and other tropical vegetation, the queer houses and of course
the palace.... the people are harmless... our detachment could
clear the island of them in a jiffy.^71

Duty in Pinar del Rio was excellent, the shopping good, the
people friendly, and when the Marines left in late October
the town band and color guard, carrying the Cuban and
American flags, marched with Upshur's company to the sta­
tion. Earlier there had been banquets and speeches; at the
station a cheering crowd bid the Marines farewell.^72
Throughout the island the business of disarmament and
demobilization went on during October. The work was
directed by Brigadier General Frederick Funston, who had
arrived in Havana late in September to assist Taft and
command the American forces in Cuba.