The August Revolution 81The hurried dispatch of "Denver" and "Marietta," accom
panied by Roosevelt's belated restriction of their instructions,
increased the hope of Estrada Palma and the insurgents that
the United States would intervene in their favor. The landings
to protect lives and property had a significant impact on the
course of the rebellion, for afterward neither side showed any
inclination to compromise. Instead both parties polarized
around the men working to increase the American involve
ment. Estrada Palma's decision to resign, which must be linked
with the re-embarkation of "Denver's" sailors, was never
modified, for he considered the United States failure to sup
port him foolish, dishonorable, and unfaithful to the Platt
Amendment. Face to face with "Marietta's" parties around
Cienfuegos, the insurgents, on the other hand, were quick
to impress the Americans with how co-operative they could
be with the occupying forces.
74
Whether Roosevelt realized the impact of the landings or
simply did not care after September 14 is uncertain. With
the approval of both the State Department and the Secre
tary of the Navy, the landings continued after the dispatch
of the Taft-Bacon Peace Mission.^75 The transport "Dixie" put
her Marine battalion ashore to replace Fullam's sailors around
the centrales. At the same time the Mission was working to
avoid an occupation, the Marines extended American protec
tion to foreign properties in Santa Clara.
Roosevelt's letter to Gonzalo de Quesada, which followed
the news of the landings, did not encourage an all-Cuban
compromise as the President had hoped, however slightly.
To the Cubans, his message was as enigmatic as his earlier
statements and acts.^76 Was or was not the United States
intervening, and on whose behalf? Though Roosevelt's plea
to stop fighting did have some effect, his announcement of
Taft and Bacon's departure for Cuba reinforced rather than
discouraged the efforts of the Cuban government and the
insurgents to make the United States responsible for ending
the revolt. If Roosevelt believed Taft could argue the United
States out of its involvement in the Cuban insurrection, he
badly misjudged the skill, the subtlety, and ambitions of the