Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-04-09
WHOLE NO. 1,OI4.
CENTRAL AMERICA--THE POSITION
AND PROSPECTS OF GEN. WALKER.

|
# AND PROSPECTS OF GEN. WALKER.
e The condition of affairs in Central Americ
: is evidently approaching a crisis. The Allie
l are rallying with all their strength, determine
Q to make one vigorous effort, to crush and over
, whelm Gen. Walker and his band Of adyentur
erss The current is evidently against them.-
Desertions are taking place daily, whilo th'
accessions from the United States are compar
itively insignificant. The wonder indeed is
how Gen. Walker has thus far contrived to main
tain toothold in Central America. He has
been on the end Of determination more thar
once, and yet has contriyed to maintain SHOW
} OF strength, and to rally round him handful
oil bold and desperate men. A gentleman who
came as passenger by the Illinois, states that
he had a long conversation with some of the
deserters, and learned that several hundred
had abandoned Walker within the last three
months. The majority started for New Orleans
and New York, some for San Francisco, and a
few at the last advices, remained at Costa Rica.
Walker EuoS onrrnspsssiai iv Gar r~--- -..si ~;
troops, amounting in all, to several thousand
men. The force of the iillibusters was rednc-
! ed to three hundred, half OF whom were dis.
, abled. On tho other hand, the Allis were fu
Of confidence, gnd were constantly increasing
their number correspondent OF the New
York Times says ;-'' Costa Rica will raise 500
men. and about u thousand will Join from San
Salvador and Guatemala. A crowd of noun
taineers, irregular troops, and treebooters are
coming down from Segovia and Matagalpa, who
will completely exhaust the country around
Riyes. All the excesses committed by these
savages will be charged upon the Allies, but it
| is impossible Tor them to govern a tumultuous
| horde OF outside barbarians. The entire ma
tive force investing Rives, and by this time oc-
| npying San Juan del Sur and the Transit X Dad,
may be estimated as follows = Guatemala,
Honduras, and miscellaneous, 1900; Nicara-
qua, SOO; Costa Rica, 1900; robbers and camp
followers, 400 or 600, scattered over the region
between Granada and Rives. Total, 1000 or
more. Expected contingents of the Allies,
about 1000; total, $500 men in arms against
Walker, who cannot have at this moment a res
iduary force of more than 400, of whom not
oOO can be thrown into action at any one mo-
ment of time. Walker can hold out about
three weeks longer on his reserve of hard bis
cult and cacaoi but by this time the Rangers
are probably killing their mules for meat. The
fate of Henningsen's command of 359 or 400,
which perished in Granada, invested by 1000
Of the allies, is evidently in store Tor Walker
and his force in Rves. But in this instance,
unfortunately, no one can get TO his rescue
His best policy would be to move into Costa
Rica and lay down his arms. This course alone
will save the remnant of his force from dostruc-,
tiOn. lie is just strong enough to make ia
yOrable capitulation. Soon it will be too late |
oven for that. 1t is no longer possible for him
to spare an armed escort to bring him fresh re-
cruits from San Juan del Sur to Rives. If he
does so, there is danger of an overwhelming
attack and massacre at Rives. Those who go
home by steamer will communicate the procla-
nation of the deserters in Costa Rica, and all
other particulars worth knowing" This is,
indeed, a melancholy picture, and tits confirm
ed from other sources. One of the deserters,
Mr.. W. Anderson, writing from San Juan, un-
der date Of February 25th, makes this state
ment:-
&c There were abeut $50 of us left N. Dreams
on the 26th day of November last for Nicara-
qua, and arrived at st. George on the 9th of |
December. When we landed at st. George
the sight that there saw is too horrible to re-
late. God forbid that should ever witness |
such another sight The sick and wounded
Raa Rssn SSSfht fsa dSTR Q GaG by the
when they were carried ashore and iaIu Gown
upon the sandy beach, without blankets or any
other kin-2Of covering some not having |
clothing enough to cover half their persons.
&c II was late in the evening whcnI saw them,
and they had been lying there ever since early |
in the morning, and had been without food for |
about three days My God! thought 1, is this
the way that Walker treats his sick and wound
ed Z Bitter experience has siee taught me that |
1t is too true, that when man is taken sick,o |
gets wounded in battle, that he is treated no
better by Walker than il he were dog.
"We had not been in st. George six hours
Doiolo We Ncrc given Hnuskel anu CuTlrluRe |
box, and told ice had 10 fight! One company |
was sent off to Granada to fight before we had |
been in the country six hours Such is the |
way that the cruel Walker gets his men. They |
are persuaded to come out as emigrants, with |
the promise ofgetting land when they get there; |
but instead of that they are forced into the |
army to fight To fight, too, against an inof.
feneive people-a people who have given them
no cause for bloodshed. Thus, it is plainly to
be seen, that it is not voluntary act on the
part of the men, to fight these innocent people,
but they are compelled to fight them against
their own will and conscience.
He generally appoints officers that are like
like hmselt-without conscience. Men that
would do anything for money. He has not an
officer in the army above the grade of Lieut.,
who is MOI drunkard or gambler l have
seen almost dozen of them drunk at time
luarreling and fighting among themselves.
FDuring the two months that was in his
service, never received so much as one plea
rune for the hard duty which had to perform.
Instead of receiving pay for my service, had
the misfortune to lose everything / had, but
barely the one suit of clothes which had on
yet il am fortunate enough to reach my home
IN safety, shall feel thankful to that God, who
holdeth the destnes of all men in His hands,
that did not lose my life in so unworthy
cause as that of Walkers in Nicaragua"
Another, HanOverian, in document to
tion of a few who adored Walker as m immor-
tai, all the rest were so disguised, that they
were ready to desert the first opportunity.
All these accounts, it will be seen, are Of the
same melancholy character, and are discour-
ageing for Walker. Nevertheless, the San
Francisco Herald, which came to hand by the
same steamer, contains letter dated Rives,
February 9Th, in which the writer says that
Walker has much larger force than is genc-
rally Supposed, and that 90 il he could only get
few hundred troops, he would be able, not
only to drive the allied army from Nicaragua,
but in the course of three months, to restore
the State to a condition of peace and prosper
;ty," The writer adds;-
fIt is not the natives of Nicaragua by whom
We are opposed. Thore are but few Of them
in the ranks of the enemy, and large major
ity Of those are pressed into service. In fact,
they raise two thirds of their armies in that man
ner. The fate of this Statae is sealed, beyond
the shadow of a doubt We are bound to
AmericaniZe it. Our position has not as yet
been correctly understood but by those here.''
II should be remembered, however, that this
letter is not so late by several weeks, as the
advices gwen above. Walker may be able to
make another rally, but, we repeat, the chances
are decidedly against him.