Combat· Late 19th Century Foreign Interventions
Second Battle of Vailele
A bloody ambush in the Samoan civil war, costly to the small Anglo-American force but redeemed for the Corps by three Marines.
On 1 April 1899 a combined column of American and British sailors and Marines, with Samoan allies, marched inland from Apia to attack a rebel stronghold at the Vailele plantation. Approaching through dense cover, the force was ambushed by a large body of riflemen hidden in the jungle. The British and American naval commanders were both struck down, one killed, the other gravely wounded, and the column had to fight its way back carrying its casualties. Only three Marines were present, but they took position and held the attackers at bay during the withdrawal, covering the removal of the wounded; all three received the Medal of Honor. The combined force lost several killed, but among the Marines the loss was one wounded. The war was settled later that year by partition.
Record no. 491