Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, Va. [W. Va.]) 1852-1859, 1857-04-20
From Nicaragua

Edtture 81 TIE expedition 1lIlCt6F Col LOcEPidHe
The final retreat from CATTLE isBqSld-
ing and dismiesai Of the Fflibuster .Josees-
Explosion of The Steamer j. ". .Scott-FTftV
men Killed, rounded and missing.
The steamship Tennessee, Capt Patterson, ar
rived at New York on Thursday from Aspin.
wall and San Juan via Key West The Tennes-
see arrived at Aspinwall on the afternoon of
April 4tlI, landed her passengers, and left for
San Juan the same evening.
Colonel Lockridge advanced to Castillo on
the 2sth Of March with 800 men, on board the
steamers Scott and Rescue. lie found the
enemy had fortified Nelson's Hill, $50 yards in
the rear of the castle, with strong breaStworls,
bitches, several large guns and 500 men. He
retreated without making an attack, and des-
troyed all the Notifications below Castillo
abandoning all hope Of opening the river. lie
disbanded the two bataiOns of recruits and
formed another from those who were willing TO
go to Walker via Panama
STATEMENT OF ORDERLY SERGEANT GEORGE W.
SlTEs-On the 26th of March we left Serapioui
TO advance on Castillo. We stopped at Fort
Slater and took all the men there, and then
proceeded TO kelly's Stores, eight miles above
Castillo, where we remained three days, and
concentrated all our forces On Sunday, March
%, all of the command who were able marched
upon Castillo. | remained ut Key's Stores,
being badly wounded and unable t0 leave my
bed. On the 3lst of March the men returned
fortified that two thousand men could not take
it, even if they were provided with mOrtars and
cannon i'll abundance. The enemy had fortified
Nelson's lli the very strong position which
Colonel Titus rctreated from, and it would be
impossible to take it.
Colonel LOckridge then called all the able
bodied men out--about $50 in number-and am
nonnCed to them that he WAS going to evacuate
the river, and wanted all who We're willing to
volunteer TO join Gen. Walker to step forward
and say SO, aud he would find conveyance for
them. About l25 men Immediately volunteer
ed. Colonel Lockridgc then got the two boats
ready Immediately to go down the river, for he
knew that il the Costa Ricans should pursue us
then, they would annihilate us all, as we had no
dcfcnccs, though well supplied with ammuni-
ton.
On the LIST of April We started down the river,
and about mile and quarter above SaTapiqui
the boat j. \. Scott grounded on a sand bar
fundamentally blew up with tremendous cX-
piosiUn. The boat was crowded to its utmost
capacity, the second deck being used as hos.
pitNl. About % or 80 persons were killed in
Stanty, or thrown into the water and never
heard of, being drowned or possibly devoured
by the alligators. There were about 40 more
badly Scalded, number of whom have since
died. The scene after the explosion was beyond
all description men shouting and screaming and
begging TO be shot, to put them out of their
misery. was in the forward part Of the boat
and escaped the effect of the steam, but was
thrown into the water. The Rescue was in adj
vance with heavy load. We had a covered
launch in which we placed the scaded first
and then came back for another load of sick and
wounded.
The forward part of the boat was torn to pie
ces, and those who were saved remained on this
part, resting on the sand bar, until they were
taken off. They were all finally got down to
Point Arenas, and the British vessels imnc
diately sent over their surgeons, port wine,
sweet oil, and everything else to make them as
comfortable as possible. The boats came over
every morning, and their surgeons dressed the
wounds, and did all they could.
The explosion was undoubtedly caused by the
same scoundrel who threw a flask of powder
into the furnace. We know it was powder, be-
cause many Of the scaldud men were blackened
in the face We had powder stored on board,
| butnut particle of that had exploded. The
william was probably some desperate man, de.
termned to do all the mischief he could, and
reckless of the consequence to himself, The
powder probably first tore a hole in the boiler.
After the explosion about twenty died, and
there were some six or eight more when left
who were not likely to recover.
| Nearly all of Lockridge's volunteers were
/ blown up, and those that were killed were most
| ly his men. | do not think he will take ten
| men with him If he goes to Join Walker
/ Information from Walker was often dissent
mated by Col. Lockridge in his camp, and was
supposed to come through secret agents. The
last rumors were that Walker had about 800
men and had taken San Jorge. 1t appeared
! from the reports that Walker was carrying on
a sort of guerilla warfare, Whipping the enemy
at some distant point with all his force, and then
returning to meet them at San Jorge.
There was report that We took about $t0,-
! 600 in money at Serapqui, but the men saw
none of it, although it is certain that the off.
GERS, pcnniess before, made purchases alter
wards.
From the stylus, (Deihany College Magazine,