Filibusters in Nicaragua
William Walker may be largely forgotten today, but to Americans in
the 1850s, he was a major celebrity, one of many so-called filibusters
who would swoop into Central American countries to conquer and spread
the ideals of American-style democracy-- exploits neatly summed up by
the often-used phrase of the era, "manifest destiny."
Walker was not the most successful filibuster, but he was the most
flamboyant and certainly the only one to tangle with Cornelius Vanderbilt,
the American steamship and railroad magnate. The illustrations below
are drawn from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, a popular
periodical of the mid-nineteenth century that offered pictorial summaries
of the day's news. For more on Walker, Vanderbilt, and the filibusters,
see T.J. Stiles's essay in the June 2009
issue of History Now.
Walker and his men were contracted to keep the peace by the ruling Nicaraguan
Democratic Party. Walker, along with some sixty men, landed near the
city of San Juan del Sur in the small Central American country on May
3, 1855. Already a veteran filibuster, Walker had survived a disastrous
attempt to conquer parts of Mexico in 1853. This drawing, from Frank
Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, depicts the site of Walker's landing
on the western coast of Nicaragua. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress)
Walker was known as a reckless commander, but in Nicaragua that characteristic
was joined by remarkable good luck. Soon after he arrived, the commander
of the Democratic Party's forces died and Walker was placed in charge.
Landing his men at the rear of the city of Granada, Walker soon captured
the city and forced the surrender of Conservative general Ponciano Corral.
Newly installed president Patricio Rivas installed Walker as head of
the army. The drawing above, from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper,
depicts Walker meeting with Rivas and government officials at Walker's
house in Granada. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress)
This sketch, from Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, depicts
Walker's house in Granada. With Corral installed as mister of war under
the weak Rivas, Walker moved to eliminate his chief rival for power
over the army. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress)
On November 8, 1855, following a trial and conviction on charges of
treason, Walker presided over Corral's execution by firing squad in
Granada's central plaza. The sketch above originally appeared in Frank
Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress)
After assuming command of the army, one of Walker's top priorities was
to maintain the flow of troop volunteers from the United States-- the
only way he could retain his tenuous hold on power. His machinations
with the Accessory Transit Corporation (for more about which, see T.J.
Stiles's article the June 2009 issue of History Now) ensured that a
steady flow of Americans to Nicaragua would continue. All that came
to an end in 1856, however, when Cornelius Vanderbilt persuaded the
U.S. Government to withdraw its recognition of Walker's, who had by
then succeeded Rivas to the Nicaraguan presidency, regime. Vanderbilt
then sent American mercenaries to Costa Rica, where they trained with
Costa Rican troops for an invasion of Nicaragua. The above sketch, from
Frank Leslie's Illustrated Newspaper, depicts American mercenaries
training in Costa Rica. (Courtesy of the Library of Congress)
In April 1856, Costa Rica, with the help of Vanderbilt's mercenaries,
launched an invasion of Nicaragua, defeating Walker and occupying the
city of Rivas. This sketch, which appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated
Newspaper, depicts the Costa Rican assault on Walker's troops.
(Courtesy of the Library of Congress)
Walker surrendered to the United States Navy in May 1857. He was brought
back to the US, where he was greeted as a hero, and soon left for another
filibustering expedition, this time to Honduras. It was in Honduras
that Walker's luck finally ran out. He was captured and, on September
12, 1860, executed by firing squad.
The above sketch, which appeared in Frank Leslie's Illustrated
Newspaper, depicts Walker's men at rest after arriving in Nicaragua.
With the beginning of the Civil War, the filibusters faded into a distant
(and some might say distorted) memory of adventurers like Walker chasing
military glory and spreading the gospel of American democracy throughout
Central America. But in Central America itself, Walker and other filibusters
like him are remembered as symbols of American aggression and imperialism.
