Semi-weekly standard. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1853-18??, 1857-06-17
CAPT. DAy1s's REPORT ON WALKERS SUR.

United States ship St Mary's to Commodore Mervne
has been forwarded to w ashington and made pubic.
portion OF it had previously been published:
UNITED STATES SHIP ST. MARY's,
At Sea, May 16, 1857.
SIR: At the latest date of my last dispatch, l had
the honor to say that was then waiting for favora
Die moment when by timely and effectual ntcrpo-
sition of my good offices might hope to engage the
contendng parties to bring their affairs to peace.
full issue. The information brought by Lieut. Nc
Corkle, who returned on the 29th ut. determined
me to 60 to Rvas the next day.
l reached Gen. Morals camp the afternoon of
the 30th, accompanied by Dr. j. Winthrop Taylor,
the surgeon of his ship, and by my coxswain and
another of my ggsmen.
After half an hours conference with General Nora
l exchanged several notes with General Walker
Three interviews took place between General Hen
ningsen and Colonel Waters, representing General
Walker, and myself assisted by Doctor Taylor. At
the last of them, on the morning of the LIST instant
the agreements copy of which accompanying this
is numbered seven-received my own signature and
the signatures of the other gentlemen present. and
having been returned to Rivas brought back by
Colonel Waters signed by General Walker.
General Mora then addressed to me the commune
cation marked No 8.
At o'clock entered Rivas in company with
General Zavala and his staff, who attended Gen. Wal
ker and his staff to San Juan Gel Sur where the lat
ter embarked on board the St. Marys.
In Rivas the American troops-about two hundred
AMI forty in number-were drawn up in the plaza
and the agreement was read to them in general Or
ders, and they were transferred by Gen. Henning-
sen to my charge. Having no lieutenant with me,
requested DR.. Taylor to direct their movements and
accompany them to Virgin Bay in the morning.
which service, though entirely extra professional,
he did me the favor to accept most chcerfully he
executed it with perfect success.
General Canas having entered to take possession,
1 turned over to him the plaza of Rivas, by means
If tho thn nrioipal Of uhich &c in SponiS, \
numbered 8 !; after which General Hennngscn and
myself went to San Juan.
On the I'd inst, having exerted myself in vain to
persuade Gen. Walker to place the schooner Grana-
da in my keeping, gave Lieut.. Mau:y the order,
numbered TO- Finally, however when the prepare
tons for the orcible seizure of the schooner were
completed she delivered up to the United States
by the accompanying order of General Walker,
No. H.
The duty of conducting the Americans from Vir-
gin Bay through the province of Guanac aste to Punta
Arenas and thence by steamer to Panama was ASST
gncd TO Lieut.. McCorkle, by the accompanying or
Ger No. IL.
On the evening of the 81 inst went to Virgin
Bay, where found most of the officers and men in
good spirits and behaving exceedingly well. Lieut..
McCorkle, had already begun to regulate the sup
plies and divide the people into messes-the COM
pany organization being lost. In this way he was
ably assisted by several officers whose amable
duct under these difficult circumstances commanded
my respect and grateful Acknowledgements. The
troops embarked for Tortuges the ming of the
4th inst
On the morning of the Sd inst crossed over to
Rvas, where visited the hospital and the sick and
wounded Americans in town Your special atten.
ton will be invited to this subject in separate
munication.
The accompanying letter from Gen. Mora, num-
bered 13, was handed to me here
The schooner Granada or San Jose, was trans
ferred to the authorities Of Nicaragua by the accom-
panying letters, numbered IA and l5 the former of
which explains concisely my reason for this man
ner of proceeding.
As soon certain information was received of the
departure of Col. Lockrdge from the river San JUAN
it became apparent that Gen. Walker, now deprived
of all possibility Of receiving reenforcements, and
rapidly consuming his mules and horses must eth
er succumb to the superior force of the enemy or
try his fortune in change of place. 1t was the
opinion of those who had better means of judging
than myself that one month ago he could have pa>sd
the enemys lines and maintained himself in the open
country. Since that time dissensions had become
80 numerous and frequent not only diminishing his
army in numbers but demoraizing it in character,
that toward the end of April the only resort lett to
Gen. Walker was to cut his way down to the coast
and take refuge. if possible, board the schooner
Granada. Here, again, am citing the opinions Of
his friends. According TO the best intelligence such
an attempt would have been the last effort of des
anu WOulu nave terminated fatally less
five miles from Rivas.
The time had, therefore, arrived for determining
on the course to be pursued in the case anticipated
in your first letter rf instructions of January l9;
that is, in the event of the expulsion Of Walker
and his forces fiom Nicaragua by the allied armies,
and of his departure to adjacent territory in Central
America for the purpose of hostile and aggressive
operations"
When considered that, under these circumstances,
the Granada would be destitute of legal commits
sion from any recognized Government, or from any
party then actually existing that she no longer
acting under the authority of sovereign State, or
even of distinct and separate Government in such
State, the party which had hitherto been deemed
beligerent nation having lost its footing in the coun-
try; and that as l well knew she would be under
the necessity of procuring by violence the ndispen-
sable means of subsistence could not bring nv.
sefto consent that the Granada thus characterized
should pass from under my guns out upon the high
seas Accordingly, on leaving the ship for Rivas on
the 30th April, handed Lieut.. Maury the memoran-
dunn ofinstructions numbered 16; and in conference
with Gen. Henningsen and Col. Waters l made
known to these gentlemen my decision.
During all the transactions related in the report,
my intercourse with Gen. Mora, the commander.in-
chief of the allied armies was intimate X 4
l am very conscious that in these novel and unu.
sua occurrences may have often to ask for my con-
duct the kind and candid construction of the Depart
ment Feeling in the enjoyment of its favora-
BILE disposition while engaged in the performance of
my duty, should not allude to it here but that
Gen. Walker has engaged in imputations against
myself and the three senior eutenants of this ship,
Of conduct not only improper but even base, unbe.
coming our honor.
Knowing whatever unwilling mistakes Of iudg.
ment we may have committed, that have never
wavered in integrity or relaxed in our zeal to
serve our countrymen, we reflect with satisfaction
upon the defense afforded us by the friendship and
protection of the Department at all times but never
more than when we are absent on thepublic service
Very resnectfulY ynnr ohedient servant