In Haitian history, Cacos were bodies of armed men, originally drawn from the country's enslaved population, who came to wield power in the mountainous regions of Haiti following the victory of the Haitian Revolution in 1804.[1] The nickname "cacos" was derived from local terms for the red-plumed Hispaniolan trogon because the insurgents "used to hide, like the bird of the same name, under the leaves so as to come unexpectedly upon and attack their enemy."[2]
See main article: article and United States occupation of Haiti.
The United States invaded Haiti–– ostensibly to restore order in the wake of the assassination of Haiti's president Vilbrun Guillaume Sam–– on 28 July 1915, and maintained a force of Marines to occupy the island until 1934. While U.S. forces were able to pacify the cities quite quickly, the Cacos maintained a rebellion in the mountainous areas to the north. Despite lack of local support, near Cap-Haïtien, the Cacos threatened to defeat the U.S. Marines at the Battle of Fort Dipitie, but skillful use of reinforcements enabled the Marines to launch a surprise counterattack that resulted in the entire Cacos force being either killed or taken prisoner. The marines then slowly advanced upon the mountainous Cacos territory, eventually trapping and defeating the remnants of the guerilla force at the Battle of Fort Rivière.