06 - Dan Daly at the River Ambush - MOH
Colonel Charles H. Waterhouse, USMCR
Acquisition Number: 2011.119.255
Medium: acrylic on canvas

Daniel Joseph Daly (1873-1937) received one of his two Medals of Honor for the action depicted in this painting. The U.S. sent Marine expeditionary forces to Haiti in 1915 to preserve order, including Gunnery Sergeant Daly, who served in the 15th Company (Mounted), 2d Marine Regiment. About 400 Caco bandits fired upon Daly and his detachment as they crossed a river on horseback near Fort Dipitié after dark. Portrayed in this painting,Daly leads one of three squads, with the intent of surprising and scattering the Cacos at daybreak. For this action, he was awarded his second Medal of Honor. During World War I, he became further entrenched in Marine Corps lore when he was credited with yelling to his Marines "Come on, you sons of bitches, do you want to live forever?" as they charged the Germans at Belleau Wood. He retired as a sergeant major in 1929. Soon after Marine Corps artist Colonel Waterhouse retired in 1991, he began his last project—a tribute to every Marine who earned the Medal of Honor, as well as Navy corpsmen who were likewise honored while serving with Marines. This painting is from that series. He continued to paint every day from his studio in New Jersey until his death in 2013, at which time he had completed 332 works in this series.