The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1857-11-15

been the impression that they could capture Rvas
Il they could enter it. They were then eager to get In
The result OF the nth destroyed this Illusion, and they
were equally anxious to keep out.
On morning the lst OF May the position Of the be-
sieged and Of the oesiegers was as fo,iows;-
and insurgents against Rvas two thirds OF which force
had consisted Of foreign inyaders there remained 800
allies and from 900 10 1, 90 fcaraguan insurgents
Their entrenched camps had been much strengthened;
but they could longer with this reduced force, man
effectively the connecting lines which were over two
miles in extent and the beseged sent scouts and
gers through them who almost always returned IN safety
The besegers besides short Of powder and threat
ened with cholera and the rainy both Of which
had set in fortnight earlier the year preceding.
The besieged, the other hand, were sratened for
provisions and encumberod with wounded For month
they had been living on horse and mule meat sugar and
chocolate They had been much weakened by desertion
but deserton had nearly done s worst Their force con-
sisted Of $50 Americans and 40 natives capable Of bearing
arms They had still left the ls Of Mny two or three
days provisions viz two oxen two mules three horses
and 600 pounds OF They well supplied with
ammunition, half their being Rvas. In the har
Dor Of San Juan del Sur they had the schooner Ora
nada which contained the other halt Of their ammunition,
besides several hundred stand Of snal arms.
President Walker had remained thus long Rvas appre
hendng that Col ockridge might march round by Chon
tales and because there every 10 believe that
shortly after the action ofhe th Of April the enemy would
be obliged to raise the SIEGE was his nenton after
point northward Rvas when nc tn his
last days provision. He had no doubt, by night
their weakened lines, thought OF tho be-
siegers attempting to pursue him till after daybreak,
being easily able TO their vanguard with
his If they did There then nothing 70 i'm
pede his march to Reaejo other points where the
schooner Granada with the ammunition and spare arms
would have met him. In the adjoining districts
where but for the necessity of protecting the Transit
he would long since have carried ON the war, his
native friends were anxously awaiting either Till the
besiegers exhausted their strength Rivas or till we
appeared amongst them II is truo that the besieged
would have had to destroy the ammunition and heavier
pieces In Rvas and would have been compelled TO leave
their wounded behind them but they would have carried
with them the substantial guarantee of 100 prisoners as
hostages
If Il be doubted whether the besieged strong
enough to break through the lines of the besegers have
only refer 10 many examples in the where, with
smaller force, greater obstacles overcome; will
cite only three On the lth of November, 1856 with 265
and gun President Walker carried the nrenched
camp and the barricades the transit route held by
Gen Canas with 500 Costa Rcans and at least four times
stronger than the lines Of investment at vas On the 18th
of the month"; with go and three he forced
his way Massaya, defended by 1000 men, captured
half the city held for three days and hourly gain
ing ground though ninety of his small force Killed
and wounded On the night of the llh of November $50
men, landed by him three miles from Granada, carried
successvey four lines of barrcades and reported to me
at daybreak on the 18th at the Guadaloupe church.
To the schooner Granada in the harbor Of San Juan,
there difficulty in communicating orders Its
immense importance at this juncure TO the beseged s
apparent both a magazine and AZ means of convey
ing material of war which they had no other means Of
transporting.
Now sir just at this critical juncure and before the
question of cspituaton had been discussed Capt Davis
formally declared To me- the night of the 30th Of April
that he had embargoed this schooner by leaving orders
with the United States force, which he commanded 10
prevent her from leaving the harbor Of San Juan and he
expressed his unalterabe
of her before he left the harbor 1t this act of inter
venon the part Of United States officer which alone
caused President Walker 10 the proposed terms of
capituaon For the achat Ia to say the order TO pre-
vent the Nicaraguan schooner OF war from leaving the
harborhad already been given before he declared hs in
tenton OF seizng her.
The schooner Granada (whose commander Fayssoux
had fought her through gallant action any living
for many weeks next 10 the st. Marys, their officers inter
changing courteses. There could be peteXt
for preventing her leaving the port taking possession Of
her ON the lst of May which had existed for
weeks previously There could be motive for dong
except that the beseged In Rvas had before been
reduced depend her motive that
Captain Davis endeavored thereby justify the change
In his conduct from professed friendship " active hostility
which cannot believe, tina, neither the Ameri
can people executive would hold this Justification
The Only expApnu0u of Captain Davgs conduct Is the
supposicn that he had already pledged himself give
the Granada TO the besicgcrs; and in fact after
wards learned that when he first announced his action aud
future determination with regard TO the schooner Granaa
and proposed the outline Of captulaton 10 the besogcd
he had for many days been negotiating wnh the enemy
. fact OF which the besieged utterly ignorant,
and which explained tho unaccountabe OF
the besiegcrs continuing siege their ability 10
keep their forces together through the end of April they
naturally concluding that these propositions made
with our knowledge ana concurrence. BY embargoing
the Granada he constrained President Walker into the
ceptanse Of terms which otherwise he would
have thought d. hut after Captain Davis had
thereby rendered our position precarous, President
Walker would sooner have run the last hazard OF
than have trusted his men, his wounded hia
fellow citizens the faith of the invading insur-
gent leaders without such solid guarantee either
hostages the flag of powerful and civilized nation
Under circumstances desperate than Capt Davis had
rendered Rvs pcrsstcnty refused 70 do On
he retreat from Granada there in Granada be-
Granada and the lake &iq souls or these 10
wounded men, 20 women and children. OF the 276
capable of bearing arms ~ wore cut OF within ten
minutes Of the first attack OF the remaining 2e9 75
subsequently killed wounded, besides those who
died OF cholera and yphus (amountng Ia 100 OF all
seses ann and sse ,y s ws,o sS'a dr w"ss shsr
living horse and mule meat, short u ammunition, in.
ceesany lighting and surrounded by aforce larger than
naned 70 beeaguer us In Rv on the hrst u Mayyet
render captulaton contemplated At Iuvas
the responsibility u the United states dag held be
sufficient security for the safety of those whom we were
bound 70 protect at every sacrifice Captain Davis put
into execution his threat o sexng the schooner Granaa
after we had carried out on our part the terms of the
captulaton in which that vessel not mentioned.
lie caused her TO be scizcd by h first lieutenant who
sprung upon her the broad-ide OF the St Mary, and
Fsyssoux with his Uhen Of seventeen men) pre-
pared Tor action AMI only surrendered her on the written
this demonstration Of overwhelming foroo.
After taking possession of her. Captain Davis handed
over this Ncsrsguan schccuer not 20 the Ncaragan IN
surgenis bat 20 the Costa RcAns, who had claim
her and VINO could have tAkon her. or the simple
that they had already lost The attempt their only
% the brig Onse de Abrl which q tbs burthen
Of 225 tons, with four ninc Founders and q
of lis men, destroyed after q desperate action
by the little schooner Granada of seveny ave tons with
two sizes and twenty eight men Her gallant cap.
tain had the modification u seeing her given up by Capt
Davis 10 Costa Rca captain, Jamaica negro, who had
step the vessels which constituted the Guatcmaia
navy and 10 which the Granada had vanly offered battle
put 10 and thereby obtained the opportunity Of
Gently numbering for the sake OF his cargo, Chrs0phcv
Lilly American neutral trading the coast.
since, therefore, General the fact and manner OF the
interference Of United States officer probably alone
prevented the raising Of the siege OF Ryas and reversed
the issue q that campaign. since his undoubted
critical moment, the embargons of the schooner Granada
dec~ively altered position; and since % the
guarantee &C aUnited states officer command of Units,
States force that VIC entrusted the fate OF our native bn
follow soldiers, sure that you will fai to per
ccivc how directly responsibility attaches IN this mater
20 tho government of the United states and
indulge the confident hope that making eHec-
tual appeal for redress through such the
dom OF the President aud his Cabinet will suggest, and
merely placing upon record solemn protest
l. am, cir, respectfully, your obedient servant,
C. r. HF-NNrSGyES
Trial Trip of the Adrfassc.
I'D THE EDITOR or THE HERALD.