The incident has its origins in Nicaraguan President José María Moncada's plan to commemorate the completion of the León–El Sauce railway on 28 December 1932.

[4]: 359–360 Rumors spread that Sandinista rebels planned on crashing the ceremony, so an expedition of eight Marines and 64 Nicaraguan National Guardsmen led by Captain Lewis B.

Lee's men soon took cover in a ditch while Puller's forces "tried to turn Umanzor's left flank.

"[3] During the firefight, Corporal Bennie M. Bunn grabbed a Browning automatic rifle and began driving the Sandinistas back.

Thirty-one Sandinista corpses were found after the battle (and 63 live horses were captured[2]), compared to losses of three killed and three wounded for the Guard.