John W. Betterley Diary, 1914

This diary by John W. Betterley, a US Marine serving on board the USS Michigan, describes the United States' invasion of the port and city of Veracruz, Mexico, in 1914 amid US President Woodrow Wilson's opposition to Mexican general Victoriano Huerta's regime during the ongoing Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). The diary's initial pages contain verse and song lyrics. The account of the invasion begins on April 21, 1914, as Betterly relates how the Michigan sailed out of Philadelphia on April 15 to the port of Veracruz. He describes how his ship arrived at Veracruz on April 22 as wounded and dead men were being brought aboard neighboring US ships and relates events on the ground as US forces entered the city. Betterley's account then tells of life in a Marine camp and outpost on land in late April and his return on May 1 to the ship in Veracruz harbor, where he stays until the diary ends on June 12. The final pages are mostly blank but contain some notes and a sketch, along with an address for Master James Betterley, 35 Myrtle Ave., Albany, N.Y., dated July 30, 1914. A note on the front inside cover bears the date March 29, 1914. The front and back covers contain sketches of animals and people's faces.