[XVII-41] This expedition was promoted by Cornelius Vanderbilt, president of the Accessory Transit Co., through his agent Webster, as appeared in a letter from the commander of the Brit. naval force to the American consul. It was carried out, with the assistance of Spencer, an Am. engineer, who had been in the service of the company and was a pilot on the San Juan. The steamers thus taken were the Wheeler, Morgan, Machuca, and Bulwer. Perez, Mem. Camp. Nac., 2d pt, 176-9; Nic., Telég. Seten., Feb. 28, 1857; Astaburuaga, Cent. Am., 100-1; S. F. Herald, Jan. 31, 1857; S. F. Alta, Jan. 31, 1857. Official reports and Mora's proclamation in Nic., Boletin Ofic., Jan. 9, 13, 1857.
[XVII-42] This is recognized with shame in the Telég. Seten., June 6, 1857. Meantime Mora had, on the 10th of Dec., tendered Walker's officers and soldiers a free passage to San Juan del Norte and New York; and the govt at Leon had, on the 22d, annulled the acts of the administration from Nov. 4, 1855, to June 12, 1856, with a few exceptions. A decree to close the transit between the two oceans was also issued. Nic., Boletin Ofic., Dec. 29, 1856; Jan. 9, 23, 1857.
[XVII-43] Two assaults in force, one by Henningsen with 600 men, and another by Walker himself with 450, failed. Another was made on the Castillo Viejo, defended by Cauty, met with the same result, though the assailants took the steamboat Scott, and Cauty had to destroy the Machuca. Mora's rept, Feb. 24, 1857, in Perez, Mem. Camp. Nac., 2d pt, 184-94.
[XVII-44] This selection was unfavorably received by the government, and was accorded but a temporary recognition till the allied governments should press their wishes. Id., 182-4; Nic., Boletin Ofic., Feb. 18, 1857.
[XVII-45] The following appointments were also made: Cañas, 2d in command; Zavala, adj.-gen.; Xatruch, inspector-gen.; Chamorro, quartermaster-gen.
[XVII-46] The casualties were 60 killed and 100 wounded. The survivors returned to Punta de Castilla, refusing to go on. Lockridge accused them of cowardice, and took away their arms. But the men claimed the protection of the British naval commander. Cauty went down in a steamer to the bay April 12th, and after conferring with the Brit. officer, occupied Punta de Castilla, securing the war material. He then tendered the men a passage to the U. S. at the expense of Costa R. This was the end of the famous Lockridge expedition. Perez, Mem. Camp. Nac., 2d pt; Nic., Telég. Seten., April 11, 1857; S. F. Herald, April 21, May 16, 1857; S. F. Bulletin, April 21, 1857; S. F. Alta, May 16, 1857; Pan. El Centinela, April 22, 1857; Nic., Boletin Ofic., April 29, 1857.
[XVII-47] Upwards of 300 killed, wounded, and missing.
[XVII-48] He did so, even though he agreed with Xatruch, Martinez, and Chamorro that the capitulation should not be accepted unless Walker pledged himself not to commit hostilities in future against any of the allied states. He also wished to be away before the arrival, then expected, of Gen. Barrios with large reënforcements of Guatemalans and Salvadorans, who would doubtless claim the glory of ending the war. Perez, Mem. Camp. Nac., 2d pt, 209.
[XVII-49] The terms agreed upon between Walker and Davis were: 1st. Walker and the 16 officers of his staff were to leave Rivas with side-arms, pistols, horses, and other personal effects, under Davis' guaranty that they should not be molested by the enemy, but allowed to embark on the Saint Mary's at San Juan del Sur, whence she should convey them to Panamá; 2d. The other officers of Walker's army would leave Rivas, with their arms, under the same guaranty, and be sent by Davis to Panamá in charge of an officer of the U. S.; 3d. The rank and file, citizens and officials, both the wounded and well, were to surrender their arms to Davis on a vessel apart from the deserters, so that there should be no contact between the former and the latter; 4th. Davis pledged himself to obtain for Central Americans then in Rivas permission to remain in their country with protection of life, liberty, and property; 5th. The officers should be allowed to remain at San Juan del Sur, under the protection of the U. S. consul, until an opportunity offered to leave for Panamá or San Francisco. The instrument bears also the signatures of C. F. Henningsen, P. Waters, J. W. Taylor, and P. R. Thompson. Id., 210-12; Nic., Boletin Ofic., May 6, 17, 28, 1857; Id., Telég. Seten., May 9, 16, 23, 1857; Sac. Union, June 16-18, 1857; S. F. Alta, June 17, 18, July 1, 2, 1857; S. F. Herald, June 16, 1857; Belly, Le Nic., i. 287; Pineda de Mont, Notas, in Guat., Recop. Ley., ii. 350, 745-6; Democ. Rev., July 1857, 117-23; Astaburuaga, Cent. Am., 102-3. Francisco S. Astaburuaga, Repúblicas de Centro-América, ó Idea de su Historia y de su Estado actual. Santiago (Chile), 1857, 8vo, map, dedic., and 116 pp. The author of this work held a diplomatic mission from Chile to Costa Rica, and being desirous of furnishing his countrymen some information on Central America, prepared his material, originally for the Revista de Ciencias y Letras of Santiago; succinctly giving the physical peculiarities, agriculture, commerce, and other resources of the country, together with a sufficiently instructive sketch of the history of Central America in general, as well as of each state comprised in that term, in readable form. At the end is added his official correspondence with the several governments of Central America on the projected union of the Spanish American republics.
[XVII-50] The official correspondence between Mora and the govt of Nic. shows the high appreciation given by the latter to the service rendered by Davis. Nic., Boletin Ofic., May 6, 1857.