It was a French bastion fort that was the site of the defeat of the Haitian rebel force called the Cacos on 17 November 1915.
Police, customs, schools and hospitals were all placed under the purview of the Marine and Naval personnel assigned to the occupation.
This group (which was called the Gendarmerie d'Haiti) was assigned to enforce all laws of the country while providing a quasi-military force.
They were backed by the 1st Marine Brigade with 88 officers and 1,941 men guarding ten towns (armed with Krag–Jørgensen rifles).
On 17 November 1915, Butler (who was leading a force of marines and sailors) surrounded the last stronghold of the Cacos at Fort Rivière on a mountain to the south of Grand Riviere du Nord.