Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1860-10-02
FUN History OF the Capture Of GEN. Walk
or and his Men.


ne 6eesral Battles Fought by T7em-Ths Defeat oftEe
Hondussans IN ccsry BdHe-The Captgre of he
| Parry and The Execution Of Gen. Waucer.
! From the New Orleans Delta, Sept 2sth
We have had the pleasure this morning of long
interview with Major Dolan and Captain West, late
Of General Walkers expedition to Honduras, who
reached the city this morning by the Charles Nor
gan. from the Quarantine Station to which station
they were brought, with the others of Walkers
party, ON the British ship-of-waF the Gladiator,
| which now lies at the Quarantine Station. as
These gentlemen owe their release from detention
at the Quarantine Station to the manly and decisive
action of DIR. Foster, the Quarantine Physician who
informed the British officers that the men were en-
titled TO go ashore, and if they could take the oath
demanded by the Quarantine Law they could go up
to the city. MAJOR Dolan, Capt West, and Major
Hoof accordingly went ashore in DR.. Fosters boat
| Major Hoof, being wounded, remained at the Quar-
antine Station; the other two officers WERE by the
kindness OF DR.. Foster, furnished with passage up
the river. From them we gather the following par
tculars of the operations and capture of Walkers
| party in Honduras.
We pass rapidly over the events of the evacuation
| of Iruxillo by General Walker. The British sloop
| Icarus Commander Salmon anchored before the
Fort of Truxillo then occupied by Walker with his
| command of ninety men, and on the 2lst the com
mander demanded that Walker should deliver the
fort all his arms and provisions to the Hondurean
authorities, should pay 100000, which it was alleged
l
| that if he Walker, would accept these terms the
British commander would guarantee him safe pro
| lection home. in such transportation as Walker
| could obtain. General Walker replied and asking
| by what authority British commander made such
| demands
Salmon replied by inquiring by what authority
| he an individual without flag made war against
a nation.
Walker replied that it was as citizen and officer
| of the Nicaraguan Republic he made war against a
hoIT 81, Of
Salmon claimed that British commerce was seri-
ously injured by Walkers occupation Of Truxillo,
and that the duties and port were pledged to pay
| debts due English citizens. Walker responded that
his occupation of Truxillo far from inJuriously
affecting the rights of English citizens would result
| greatly to their advantage.
! In regard to the charge Of having taken 100000
| from the Custom house, he pronounced 1t dagrant
fasehoOd; that there was not cent IN the Custom
house, or in the fort, when occupied by him. The
correspondence concluded by peremptory demand
on the part of the British commander, that Walker
should surrender on the terms stated giving him
until 10 o'clock the next day, the I'D of August, to
| determine For some time Gen. Walker was unde
cided as to his course but, finally, he concluded he
would march out Of the fort that night and proceed
! down the coast to the mouth of the Roman river
! and thence to Swan Island, whence he could open
| communications with Ruatan, the people of which
| warmly sympathized with him
Accordingly, at midnight Walker having DESTROY
ed all his surplus ammunition and arms and leaving
| eight sick men, including Colonel Henry who had
been desperately wounded, and was then in dying
| state marched out of the Fort, with lightweight
men, and proceeded down the coast in the direction
| of the Roman River A vigilant lookout board
! of the Icarus which lay about a thousand yards
from the beach, would have detected this movement
But without interruption the little band proceeded
several miles, until they reached the banks of a
river which their stupid guide told them was florida
| Bile. Here they were lost and bewlldered by the
neapacity of their guide and concluded to encamp.
WhenIthe morning came, General Walker found that
! he was but five or six miles from TruxillO.
Resuming his march he proceeded further up the
river, and after two days tedious marching the little
p&rty reached place about thirty miles from the
mouth of Roman river and on its banks known as
the Cotton Tree. Here Walker encamped to recruit
his wearied men. The men were accordingly, on
the morning of the 24th resting and lying under the
trees, cleaning their guns. and otherwise engaged,
without the slightest suspicion of an enemy, being
near. when suddenly large force of Hondureans
marched upon them from the thickets and com
menced firing Several of General Walkers men
were wounded by this fire. but he quickly collected
his little band together. and forming them into two
companies ordered them to charge in different di-
rectlons, one up and the other down the river Ma
JOr DOan. with Company b. charged the principal
party with great impetuosity, but General Walker
having got little ahead of his party, was fired at
by HOndurean at a distance of ten PAGES and
wounded in the face. The General however quick
ly brought down his assailant with his tenshOoter
and the rest of the Hondureans fed in great con
fusion, leaving their killed and wounded behind Of
this party of hundred and forty but thirty got
back to TruXllO. When 1t is considered that Walk
er's men were all veterans, and were armed with
Minnie muskets this loss is not all an improbable
In this action, of Walkers party, George
POmerOy was killed, and the following were wound
ed-Lieutenant Ryan, Isly, Priddy Coffin, Hogg
WalgamOte, Fuller and Porter. None of these men
were very dangerously wounded but one of the
wounded named 49, Smith, German, who was
in charge of a fellow-countryman, named Sucker,
was murdered by the HOndureneans. His friend
met a ike fate.
On the night after the battle, which occurred in
the afternoon, Walker took up bis line of march to
a place further down the river, called LimOn. This
place they reached safety, with other casualty
but the severe wOunding Of Maj. HOf by the fire of
struggling Hondureneans. At Limon. Wal
kers party kindly received by the native Ca
rybs, who constitute the population OF the place.
and who are nveterate IN their hostility to the Hon
dureneans generally, and to all Spaniards. They
spoke English, and gave Walkers men an abundance
Of such provisions as they had. Continuing their
march from this place-passing through several
Caryb villages, where they were always kindly en-
tertained, and receiving now and then struggling
shot from some proving HOndureneans, the little
band finally reached place on the sea coast called
Little Rock where they remained for a day, reCeiY-
ing much kind treatment from the Carybs, and
where they procured boats transport the SICK and
wounded to the place where Walker had arranged
TO have his rendezvous.
Leaving Little Rock Walker proceeded towards
Black River stopping on his way at the house of
hospitable Caryb called John Bull. At B. P NJ, on
the 9th August Walker reachedi in safety the Black
River. (RiO Negro OF Tinto. and encamped at the
trading post of one Deming, an Englishman who
has lived in that country for twenty-one years.
Here the men obtained provisions, and Walker re
manned for three days. The post is but two and
half miles from the sea coast.
On the Sd of September two British cutters car
H., Il
mon of the Icarus, accompanied by Gen. Alvarez of
the HOndurenean army, stepped ashore, and walked
to the house in which Gen. Walker was and asked |
an interview with him, which was granted. Capt. |
Salmon. burly bluff young British officer of a
very pompOus, authoritative manner, introducing |
himself 10 Gen. Walker, informed him that her Bril- |
fish Maestys sloopofwar Icarus lay off the mouth |
of the river and that anchored near her was ship
which had on board $50 Hondurenean soldiers, and
he thereupon demanded the surrender of Walker |
and his command. |
General Walker, with characteristic GOODNESS and |
dignity contrasting strongly with the pompOus as
surance of the British officer. asked whether this
demand was made by Captain Salmon a British |
officer and whether if he surrendered it would be |
to the British authorities?
To this inquiry Maj. Dolan and Capt. West, who |
were present at the interview soemny assert that |
Salmon replied Yes, you surrender to me, as a
British officer" The question repeated by Gen.
Walker. and the same answer given by Commander
added, "YOu may thank me, too, that you have
whole bone in your body"
The General then told them that under these cir
cumstances he would surrender. During the inter-
view between Walker and Salmon, Alvarez, the
General stood at the door, listening.
The men were ordered to form, and their arms,
even to their knives, delivered over to the
British marines. who formed guard over them.
That night, when the men were all asleep, General
Walker and Col. Ruder taken under guard
to the Icarus and the morning, all the men were
taken on board the same vessel, where they were I
closely guarded and not permitted to hold any con-
versation with Gen. Walker and Col, Rudler. On
the 4th the Icarus weighed anchor and steamed up |
10 Truxillo where she arrived that night.
On the way all the officers and men of Walkers
party were searched for papers which might be
used for his conviction. In addition to the British
sailors and marines on the Salmon, there was a
orce Of about two hundred HGndurenean soldiers.
IN the morning of the 5tb, the men of Walkers
,arty were marched off the ship and paraded In
ront of three hundred HOnduPenean soldiers.
General Walker and Col. Rudler, we're then form
ly delivered over to the HOndurenean authorities,
md the men were marched off to prison under
guard of the British marines. They were confined
n wretched prison. with allowance of one dollar
nd a half day for the whole party, and closely
uarded by fifty or sixty armed men. During their c
etenton, however, the unfortunate prisoners re- I
eived many acts of kindness from Spanish citizens