USMC 1909 Cuban Pacification Medal Numbered 772- Cpl William E. Miller

Description

USMC 1909 Cuban Pacification Medal Numbered 772- Corporal William E Miller (typo in the roll) Company ''G'' 1st Prov Regt of Marines Camp Columbia Cuba.
The next designated "1st Regiment" was organized at Philadelphia in 1906 for duty in Cuba where revolution threatened American lives and property. Spain gave up sovereignty in Cuba in accordance with the Treaty of Paris, and the right to intervene was established by the Platt Amendment. After
standing by aboard ship for several days, the regiment landed at Havana on 29 September and immediately moved inland to Cienfuegos, the capital of Santa Clara Province and the stronghold of insurgent sentiment. The arrival of the Marines had a quieting effect on the populace. The commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel George Barnett (12th Commandant of the Marine Corps, 1914-1920), sent detachments into the surrounding countryside to garrison and protect key points.
On 2 October, the regiment became part of the 1st Brigade commanded by Lieutenant Colonel L. W. T. Waller, and went about' its tasks of settling local disputes, disarming insurgents, patrolling, and mapping. When Army units took over the garrisoning of Cuba, the Marines stayed on to assist.
With only one-fifth the numerical strength of the Army force, the Marines carried a large part of the occupational burden. On 31 August 1907, for
example, 11 stations were occupied by Marines while 18 were occupied by Army troops.
In the months that followed, the pacification of Cuba continued. For the Marines, of what had become the 1st Provisional Regiment as of 1 November 1906, life fell into a pattern of routine duty. They continued to patrol the countryside to insure the preservation of order. They protected property and cooperated with local authorities in the management of civil affairs. The boredom and sameness of this duty was relieved by an occasional liberty in Havana.