Americans in Central America
Posted: Thu Jun 16, 2011 3:35 am
Lee:
On the issue of the Americans in Central America there were a lot of episodes. The William Walker one I know quite well because some fifteen years ago I wanted to write an historical novel on him and what we in Costa Rica called "La Campana de 1856" or the "1856 Campaing".
I think you will forgive here a little of OT. Walker was quite a character, he studied medicine and also became a journalist. He was very convinced of the Manifest Destiny and maybe was influenced by those guys at El Alamo. His personality was, as in most cases with this kind of people, magnetic. In his earlu thirties he decided to go forward with his first adventure and with a small band of filibusters invaded Mexico and "created" the Republic of Sonora in the desert that bears that same name. The US Goverment was far for pleased with this. Mexicans attacked and Walker had to run away with his people until the US Cavalry pick him up somewhere in California and arrested him.
After serving some time in prison for breaking US peace treaties with Mexico he heard of civil unrest in Nicaragua. This country, as has been it's History since it's independence, was at the brink of civil war. To the usual quarrels between factions there were also foreign interests. By then the Panama Canal was just a dream and the fastest way for people to cross from the Caribbean to the Pacific was using San Juan River. There were some esential populations and docks in San Juan del Norte, in the Caribbean were San Juan get's into the sea, then were several small population along the course of the river but one important fort, then the Nicaragua Lake were the steamers cross and disembark it's pasengers at the La Virgen Dock. The small "gap" of land was crossed from La Virgen, passing through Rivas and then to the Pacific where the port of San Juan del Sur lies.
This "via" or "passing" was control by Cornelius Vanderbilt who had the consecion by the Nicaraguan goverment. But the British do not like that idea and wanted it for them. When unrest in Nicaragua grew Vanderlbilt was concerned his concesion might go to the toilet with a civil war. On the other hand the British were not intervening but were expectant. Vanderbilt put Walker in contact with the Democratic Party as a mercenary. But Walker had other ideas and he recruited a bunch of adventurers from a lot of different places: New Orleans, California, New York but also mercenaries from Prussia and France. His second in command was a very inept hungarian called Schlessinger who was given the rank of Colonel (Walker was obviously General).
Walker simply started to bring "his" men from the US and Europe free using Vanderbilt steamers and when in force (about 500-750 guys) he betrayed the US company AND the Democratics. He seize power and shot dead his adversaries. He proclaimed himself president of Nicaragua and promised a huge amount of land to every white men who came from the US or Europe and form part of his army.
After he was stable it become evident that his aims were more than Nicaragua and the San Juan River, but to extend Southerner power into Central America and the Caribbean, because he was sure a war between the states will sooner or later will come. He was sure that the Southern cause will need of these possesions and resources. Now the British were alarmed but also the Central American countries. Costa Rican president, Juan Rafael Mora Porras, sent diplomats to secure a coalition with Guatemala, Salvador and Honduras and raised a citicen army of about 10,000 around a cadre of his profesional troops. This troops were armed by the British and were trained by French and Prussian advisors from some time before the crisis. Believing the other Central American countries will help Costa Rica, Mora Porras marched what was called Expeditionary Army (about 2,000) from the highlands all the way to the Guanacaste province, bordering with Nicaragua. Other troops were sent alongside river courses that went all the way to San Juan River.
By then Walker decided that Costa Rica was no match and sent Schlessinger with some 250 guys into Guanacaste, precisely, at the same moment Mora Porras was garrisoned there, in Guanacaste's province Liberia. When scouts find out the filibuster troops advancing southwards into Guanacaste Mora Porras' brother, General Mora, was ordered to move and to destroy the enemy. The ensuing battle took place on March 20th, 1856 in Hacienda Santa Rosa where General Porras and his field commander Colonel Salazar surprised Schelessinger without even pickets around his camping place. In 20 minutes the filibusters were in a rout and Costa Rican troops were victorious.
Having his first victory President Mora Porras got news that another advance party from the enemy tried to come from the San Juan river in canoes upriver into Costa Rica and were intercepted in La Virgen de Sarapiqui location. There was anoutpost that detected the enemy and stopped them cold.
Believing that the Central American countries will support him and under thes victories he thought that Walker's colapse only needed a slight push. Mora commited the mistake of advancing into Nicaragua not with the intentions of fighting a field decisive battle but to show force and by doing so the Nicaraguan population will rise and kick Walker out. His strategy for that to happen was to take the important town of Rivas. His military commanders were unease with these. Having numerical superiority, field artillery and the advantage of the likes of the nicaraguan population they tried to convince Mora Porras to present a battle. He didn't want to hear about that and stayed in Rivas waiting for the insurection to take place. He even forbid his commanders to patrol outside Rivas in order not to annoy the population.
On April 11th 1856 dawn Walker and 500 of his men caught by surprise Mora Porras and his 1,500 Costa Ricans and almost overun them in Rivas. It were several field commanders that stopped Walker cold at the main church yard and a positions freeze for the day. Costa Ricans got the worst part because Mora Porras insisted in winning the lost ground in frontal attacks against the well entrenched filibusters. The Costa Rican forces were almost destroyed in these attempts that downgraded from 1500 to a mere 500 by the afternoon. Walker was almost obtaining parity. Mora Porras tried to take out the filibusters from an important fort called El Meson by putting it on fire using volunteers. He succeeded in the attempts but the effects were not that big. Then the unexpected happen and a Lt. Colonel with a column of 300 soldiers that was comming from La Virgen docks arrived at the day's last light by a road that was Walker rearguard. In a matter of an hour simultaneous attacks from this column and the survivors of the first attack destroyed Walker's positions and he had to take refuge in the church. The next dawn he run away.
Mora Porras declared a victory despite the fact that he made sure half his army got killed. Then disaster came in the form of the "vomito fever", something the US regulars in Mexico knew only too well: the cholera.
The Army had to retreat back to Costa Rica but by then it was just a rout of survivors that got the illness into the country were at least 30% of the population died of it.
The Campaing of 1856 end in a draw because Walker was still in power in Nicaragua but Costa Rica was not dominated by him. It was not only after 1857 that Mora Porras decided that the war must be won at the San Juan River (it was the idea of Maximo Blanco, one of his officers) so instead of trying to present a field battle the idea was to kill Walker by attrition. The Costa Rican forces blocked the course of the San Juan river and sent some commandos into San Juan del Norte where, in a very bold action, at night the costa ricans stole Walkers steamers and escape with them upriver. By then the other Central American countries reacted and formed and army that invaded Nicargua. Under Costa Rican command of General Canas (Salvadorian by birth) several battles took place, even one naval combat in which Costa Rica lost it's only warship called "11 de Abril". Walker was in very bad shape and the US goverment feared that Great Britain can now intervene. So a US frigate came and marines arrested Walke who surrender to the captain. The US goverment guarenteed Walker and his men lifes in exchange of surrender.
The frigate took the filibusters out of Central America. But soon Walker came back, with new men. This time his landing was in Honduras but his calculations were very bad. He got caught then and the Central American countries decided to finish him at once: he was shot by a firing squad.
That was the end of a conflict that took almost four years and defined a lot the way Central America feel about the US.
And I think it was a good story to tell.
Best regards.
On the issue of the Americans in Central America there were a lot of episodes. The William Walker one I know quite well because some fifteen years ago I wanted to write an historical novel on him and what we in Costa Rica called "La Campana de 1856" or the "1856 Campaing".
I think you will forgive here a little of OT. Walker was quite a character, he studied medicine and also became a journalist. He was very convinced of the Manifest Destiny and maybe was influenced by those guys at El Alamo. His personality was, as in most cases with this kind of people, magnetic. In his earlu thirties he decided to go forward with his first adventure and with a small band of filibusters invaded Mexico and "created" the Republic of Sonora in the desert that bears that same name. The US Goverment was far for pleased with this. Mexicans attacked and Walker had to run away with his people until the US Cavalry pick him up somewhere in California and arrested him.
After serving some time in prison for breaking US peace treaties with Mexico he heard of civil unrest in Nicaragua. This country, as has been it's History since it's independence, was at the brink of civil war. To the usual quarrels between factions there were also foreign interests. By then the Panama Canal was just a dream and the fastest way for people to cross from the Caribbean to the Pacific was using San Juan River. There were some esential populations and docks in San Juan del Norte, in the Caribbean were San Juan get's into the sea, then were several small population along the course of the river but one important fort, then the Nicaragua Lake were the steamers cross and disembark it's pasengers at the La Virgen Dock. The small "gap" of land was crossed from La Virgen, passing through Rivas and then to the Pacific where the port of San Juan del Sur lies.
This "via" or "passing" was control by Cornelius Vanderbilt who had the consecion by the Nicaraguan goverment. But the British do not like that idea and wanted it for them. When unrest in Nicaragua grew Vanderlbilt was concerned his concesion might go to the toilet with a civil war. On the other hand the British were not intervening but were expectant. Vanderbilt put Walker in contact with the Democratic Party as a mercenary. But Walker had other ideas and he recruited a bunch of adventurers from a lot of different places: New Orleans, California, New York but also mercenaries from Prussia and France. His second in command was a very inept hungarian called Schlessinger who was given the rank of Colonel (Walker was obviously General).
Walker simply started to bring "his" men from the US and Europe free using Vanderbilt steamers and when in force (about 500-750 guys) he betrayed the US company AND the Democratics. He seize power and shot dead his adversaries. He proclaimed himself president of Nicaragua and promised a huge amount of land to every white men who came from the US or Europe and form part of his army.
After he was stable it become evident that his aims were more than Nicaragua and the San Juan River, but to extend Southerner power into Central America and the Caribbean, because he was sure a war between the states will sooner or later will come. He was sure that the Southern cause will need of these possesions and resources. Now the British were alarmed but also the Central American countries. Costa Rican president, Juan Rafael Mora Porras, sent diplomats to secure a coalition with Guatemala, Salvador and Honduras and raised a citicen army of about 10,000 around a cadre of his profesional troops. This troops were armed by the British and were trained by French and Prussian advisors from some time before the crisis. Believing the other Central American countries will help Costa Rica, Mora Porras marched what was called Expeditionary Army (about 2,000) from the highlands all the way to the Guanacaste province, bordering with Nicaragua. Other troops were sent alongside river courses that went all the way to San Juan River.
By then Walker decided that Costa Rica was no match and sent Schlessinger with some 250 guys into Guanacaste, precisely, at the same moment Mora Porras was garrisoned there, in Guanacaste's province Liberia. When scouts find out the filibuster troops advancing southwards into Guanacaste Mora Porras' brother, General Mora, was ordered to move and to destroy the enemy. The ensuing battle took place on March 20th, 1856 in Hacienda Santa Rosa where General Porras and his field commander Colonel Salazar surprised Schelessinger without even pickets around his camping place. In 20 minutes the filibusters were in a rout and Costa Rican troops were victorious.
Having his first victory President Mora Porras got news that another advance party from the enemy tried to come from the San Juan river in canoes upriver into Costa Rica and were intercepted in La Virgen de Sarapiqui location. There was anoutpost that detected the enemy and stopped them cold.
Believing that the Central American countries will support him and under thes victories he thought that Walker's colapse only needed a slight push. Mora commited the mistake of advancing into Nicaragua not with the intentions of fighting a field decisive battle but to show force and by doing so the Nicaraguan population will rise and kick Walker out. His strategy for that to happen was to take the important town of Rivas. His military commanders were unease with these. Having numerical superiority, field artillery and the advantage of the likes of the nicaraguan population they tried to convince Mora Porras to present a battle. He didn't want to hear about that and stayed in Rivas waiting for the insurection to take place. He even forbid his commanders to patrol outside Rivas in order not to annoy the population.
On April 11th 1856 dawn Walker and 500 of his men caught by surprise Mora Porras and his 1,500 Costa Ricans and almost overun them in Rivas. It were several field commanders that stopped Walker cold at the main church yard and a positions freeze for the day. Costa Ricans got the worst part because Mora Porras insisted in winning the lost ground in frontal attacks against the well entrenched filibusters. The Costa Rican forces were almost destroyed in these attempts that downgraded from 1500 to a mere 500 by the afternoon. Walker was almost obtaining parity. Mora Porras tried to take out the filibusters from an important fort called El Meson by putting it on fire using volunteers. He succeeded in the attempts but the effects were not that big. Then the unexpected happen and a Lt. Colonel with a column of 300 soldiers that was comming from La Virgen docks arrived at the day's last light by a road that was Walker rearguard. In a matter of an hour simultaneous attacks from this column and the survivors of the first attack destroyed Walker's positions and he had to take refuge in the church. The next dawn he run away.
Mora Porras declared a victory despite the fact that he made sure half his army got killed. Then disaster came in the form of the "vomito fever", something the US regulars in Mexico knew only too well: the cholera.
The Army had to retreat back to Costa Rica but by then it was just a rout of survivors that got the illness into the country were at least 30% of the population died of it.
The Campaing of 1856 end in a draw because Walker was still in power in Nicaragua but Costa Rica was not dominated by him. It was not only after 1857 that Mora Porras decided that the war must be won at the San Juan River (it was the idea of Maximo Blanco, one of his officers) so instead of trying to present a field battle the idea was to kill Walker by attrition. The Costa Rican forces blocked the course of the San Juan river and sent some commandos into San Juan del Norte where, in a very bold action, at night the costa ricans stole Walkers steamers and escape with them upriver. By then the other Central American countries reacted and formed and army that invaded Nicargua. Under Costa Rican command of General Canas (Salvadorian by birth) several battles took place, even one naval combat in which Costa Rica lost it's only warship called "11 de Abril". Walker was in very bad shape and the US goverment feared that Great Britain can now intervene. So a US frigate came and marines arrested Walke who surrender to the captain. The US goverment guarenteed Walker and his men lifes in exchange of surrender.
The frigate took the filibusters out of Central America. But soon Walker came back, with new men. This time his landing was in Honduras but his calculations were very bad. He got caught then and the Central American countries decided to finish him at once: he was shot by a firing squad.
That was the end of a conflict that took almost four years and defined a lot the way Central America feel about the US.
And I think it was a good story to tell.
Best regards.