New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1856-12-17
WALKERS POSITION DESCRIBED BY !
SURGEON FROM HIS ARMY.

WALKERS POSITION DESCRIBED BY
SURGEON FROM HIS ARMY.
The following statement is furnished by DR.. DER
RIcKsoS, late a surgeon in Walkers army:
81 was volunteer surgeon in Walkers army for
five week previous tO leaving Tor home. The hrst pat
tie fought after / was in the army was betweea Tour
bur bred Of Walkers troops under General Hornsby,
ard seven hundred Costa Ricans, the Transit route
between Virgin Bay and San Juan del Sur. Ii ended
in the partial defeat of the Costa Rcans they were
driven fr IN tie tint baricade but succeeded 10 hoo
ing the second. Walkers lois was two killed and sv
en- or els bit wounded; thai of the enemy must have
b. en- very much gre ter. Honsby then retreaed to
Virgin Bay leaving his force there he proceeded with
haste TO raDaos by the steamboat Virgin for reinforce
II epts. Walker himself came down With two bundled
rhemen who constituted the most etcient part OF ns
army. With these be msrche1 out and met the Costa
Ricsns and after short and spirited battle srcceeded
in driving them from the second barcade. Inc Costa
Ricans reueated half OF them to Costa R'ca, the
Others TO Rivas where they fortified themselves
Walker marched to San Junn, and the next day after
the battle thence to Virgin Bay during the succeed
ing light be left for GraIsda with bis riemen 4e.vins
battalion of Infantry under Col. Jaques to hold Vlf
gin Bay and prott CT the transit route few hours al
TER arriving al Virgin Bay Walker marched from
Granada to Masaya with seven Hundred men, where
he attacked two ,houssno Gusemalan, and Costa Ri
CARS and succeeded after tive Gays fighting, Ia taking
all the to Fn cept the main plaza He made seversl
unsuccessful attempts TO take that bat ndiog himself
unable to- he rereated TO GRANADA having lost an
twenty killed and forty wounded Tbs was tonk on
the Goth of November. Soon after his arrival DE gave
orders know not from chat cause to burn the town
of Granada. Two thirds of the tOwn was Destroyed
next day. On the secoDd day or I'D, the rest OF the
tow was destrOye except the main plaza and church
situated on the rosd TO the Lake of Nicaragua On the
third dsy he embarked his sick and wounded men,
amounting to about two hundred and fifty; also. the
women and children, and sent them to Ometepe Island,
which is situated a short distance from Virgin By.
On the fourth day Nov 81 the remsioder OF the
amy which consisted Of healthy men and numbered
about three hundred and fifty, with about Oae hundred
citizens attacked and surrounded by two thousand
five hundred Of the combia.d Central Americans con-
listing of Costa Ricsns Guatemaans San SavadOrians
an me twenty Americans who deserted from General
Walker. The America forces thus besieged are the
ehte of Walkers amy.
"Th.y are under The command Of Brig. Gen. Hem
Lii gsen, the commander Of artillery. Nothing hiss
been besid from them since they we're surrounded;
they ale entirely cat of from Walker al his remain
ing forces. They hemDed In in every direction by
superior and family increasing forces. Seven can
non being all Walkers artillery except one ho~itzer
s with them and at least half Of his ammuoton. no ne
OF which does be at present appear to be able to save
straight road leads from Graoada to AXE Near agua
from which il is not far distant, and wharf aud old
fort situated the shore OF the lake at the end
of taid road. At the time the Centr Americans at
talked Granada, Walker was in a steamboat on the
lake, and twenty nine men, called pc cemen, were on
the whsr having been lett to quad some things placed
there for shipment. The Central Americans attacked
Grspada by advancing xeen the lake and said city
thereby emitting off the retreat OF the beseged, and pre-
venting Walker ffum succorlng or communicating with
them f,om the lake. The tEenty nine p0liosmen on
the wharf were thus of course cut of aud suffered the
frat attack. Five hundred men advanced upon them
aud were driven back. time after time, with terrible
loes. was the steamboat with Walker at the time
aud coulo it all tough We could not communicate
with or aid them For two days did these twenty nine
men hold their own against suc1 desperate odds,
and would not have yielded then if there had
Lot been traitor among them. On tie second day,
enc, a Cuban, / think, de.ened and went over 81
he eueg,y m NH
Of the twenty eight and showing how that energetic
and continued assault would at once take the oace
Tie plan proved but too ;esstu the bold fellows
were tax and every of them msssacred, except
five who threw themselves into the lax and attempted
TO swim 10 General Walker the boat; fout OF them
were shot or oTOwDtd oaly succeeded in reaching
the steamboat Tie Central American, then destroyed
not only the fort but the wharf the buDgDs aud every
thing that would facita the EN- bar IN of troops
or Gemba alton, or the landing OF boats vessels.
There were two brass canDons-the one eighteen
pour der the other nine pounder. Bo,n being uo6t
for service had been carried down TO the wharf Tor The
purpose of shipping ~ the United States aud selling
there for 10 brass, 10 obtain Sun i guns with the pro-
cstds Tley wee esd TO be worth seven hundred
dollars piece. Ire Contra Americans took these
pieces mount them ana fred them, ing pound
balls teainst Walkers boat which c0nse luentiy
eoDIele To keep ME and hall from the shore,
though The guns are any thing else but accu ate oaI
Walker eaIs stray shots.
''On the 9th December, the day Gen. Henhingsan
and bis three huLEr.d and tf sourouadedin
GraDaca by the allied troope the former destroyed
the buildings around The man plaza. aod fought their
Wy down half mile 10 a stone courch 10 the drec-
on of the lake and about fur hundrei yards from It.
There they baITieaded themselves and fortified the
church, and were su hoc ing oat when | let. Tney
had then BEEN fighting egnt days, surrounded By two
thGussLd five bpnoIeo VI the eaemy which number
INSTANTLY decreased By eenfOI c-ments Toe sixth
day OF the siege the allies mar assault which
lasfed two hours. The Americans appeared 10 6yht
witb great activity AMI courage. anu after REFUSING
the enemy they mount,d The barcUies and waved the
Nicsrsg fsg 10 Gen. Walker II Is supposed the
loss Of the enemy must have been very g,ea. Toe
exsc c.DoIilon OF tue Americans be tod they
must be ufft ripg 10 some tI,nt from cholera TIE
iear'uly cnntamt ated-the dead bodies
cah b. sDeiled on boasd OF Walkers ts,nboat. The
only hope of the besieged 10 in their ander Gen
Hem DgseD who il considered he ablest military of.
cer IN Central America be Is far superior To General
walker HeDDIngsen is perfectly cool under every |
circumstance ID toe tottest night and in the crt-
cal condinons-he h occasionally slow, but always |
sure; hence II Is sappoeeo he will ntmst ly succeed
In saving the ueD, AMMUNITION and artillery. Bot he
r IN desperate strait Ii be succeeds in retreatos 10
TIE wharf thre are no boas the esemy me ap
pfoach vi aIktr; there odrkios the
81 tley or en if boats couli BE- broax ht the shore
NE Americans conld not embark their artillery fret
H. NJ hing you'd be left defend them YES nor eoud
ley FIRST embark h. mselver, nothing would be eft
70 DEB nd tie artillery with which by all means should
be prevs nt.d from falling into the hands of the eaeny
i.n. Waker leaves Granada and ste ,lns down "a bis
'eacquaitep ~ Virgin Boy. almost every day. After
Z aiming there an hour or tso, be returns wstsh
be operations a. Granada At the tine left Walker
isc four buodred men at Virgin Bay ipclading the
re hundred reeruis hich had jest arrived from Cali
ornia. We met reenorce ments rom the States the
NJ those from Nev-Olesns about tsenfy miles belo~
Z vas stated there three haadred ADD fifty re-
ruts in all Walker vin have IL his recruits arrive |
without counting the men at GRANADA, eight h1ndsed-