President of the Lower Californian Republic, President of the Sonara Republic, Emperor of Nicaragua, the great filibuster--all one man, William Walker.
William Walker was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1824. He attended the university of Nashville and became a doctor. He attended school in europe in Paris and Berlin. It was 1848, the year of revolution. Walker was exposed to the teachings of Garibaldi and Marx. When he returned to american he drifted till he settled in California.
In California he became a filibuster, filibuster was a term for adventurers in latin america. In 1853 he asked the Mexican government for permission to plant a military colony near sonara to protect against indian raids. In the wake of the U.S.-Mexican war the Mexicans were very wary of U.S. motives and refused him. Turned down, Walker returned to San Francisco and began recruiting men. So many volunteers came that soon he turned his thoughts from a colony to outright conquest of Baja California. They purchased the brig Arrow and started towards Baja when U.S. officals seized her. Lucky for Walker sympathetic officals intervened and secured his release. Optaining a new vessal, the brig Caroline loaded with 48 followers landed at La Paz and seized it. Quickly 200 more men arrived to join Walker. The Republic of Lower California was formed with Walker as President. American newspapers lauded this great victory for "manifest destiny" Acourse this is when disaster would strike Walker, the Caroline sailed away still carrying most of his supplies just as another vessal arrived with 200 more volunteers. There were no food or supplies to support these men. So Walker decided to march on Sonara immediately, disolving the Lower California Republic and forming the new Sonara Republic ( lower California and Sonara combined ) The march along the Colorado river was brutal and the terrain, elements plus lack of supplies widdled his force down to 35 men. At this point he decided his was to small to sucede and retreated back to U.S. territory and surrendered to authorities. He was charged with violating the U.S. neutrality laws but was acquitted.
Walker eyed Central America as his next target to escape government intervention. He choose Nicaragua as his target. It was in the middle of a civil war. He made a deal with the democratic party ( oppose to the legitimist party ) to supply a force of men. In 1855 he landed in Nicaragua with his " immmortals"--58 loyal followers. 60 more soon followed and joined the democratic army and defeated the legitimists at Rivis river and took the capital of Grenada. Nicaragua's neighbors were worried that Walker did not plan to stop at Nicaragua ( with good reason ). A Costa Rician army invaded but was put to flight, Walkers counterattack was no more sucessful.
Walker was elected president of Nicaragua, but was beset by problems on all sides. Disease ravaged his followers, the British alarmed by American influence spreading blockaded Nicaraguan waters cutting off any supplies or men reaching Walker. While the American government reconized his claim, not all Americans agreed. The most influential was Cornelius Vanderbilt, the founder of a great shipping empire. Walker had unwisely revoked his monopoly on the San Juan river- lake Nicaragua shipping route between the Carribean and Pacific. Vanderbilt used his fortune to arm Nicaraguan rebels and the neighboring countries. Finally Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemula formed an allience to remove him. The combination pushed him out of the capital and he fled to the coast where a U.S. warship picked him up and returned him to America. Once again he was charged with violating neutrality laws and once again influential friends got him off.
In America he was a great hero. He raised money and men for a 2nd expedition. They landed at Punta Areanas, Nicaragua. A force from the U.S. carribean squadron landed and rounded them up and took them back to America.
Still determined to return, he campaigned for support and money to raise another army. But word of his blunders and mismangement from former followers hurt him. He shifted to the south and stressed a pro-slavery platform for his Nicaragua. Money and supplies soon poured in. In 1860 as he prepared to sail he was confronted by General Wool, commander of the U.S. Pacific coast. The president had ordered all forces to prevent filibusters from sailing to Nicaragua. Wool however warned Walker and looked the other way and wished him luck. Walker landed in Honduras to avoid the British blockade and marched towards Nicaragua. Disease and and a undisiplined force fell apart and Walker retreated to the coast. He surrendered to a British warship on the condition that he was to be turned over to American officals. The British captain agreed but quickly turned him over to the Honduras government. A quick trial and conviction led to a firing squad 6 days later. He was 36 years old.
Walkers invasion of Sonara led the Mexican government to realize an endless plague of filibusters supported by the U.S. would decend on them.So they ceded Sonara and the surrounding land in the Gadidan purchase. Walkers pro-slavery stance could of had great effect on Amercia. If he had held on to Nicaragua and surrounding lands, would it been taken into the union as a slave state? (talks about this and cuba actually took place in congress ) New slave states would of gave the south a majority in congress. Would Lincoln been elected? Would civil war of broken out in 1861 in this new environment?
William Walker
Assault on Rivas
William Walker was born in Nashville, Tennessee in 1824. He attended the university of Nashville and became a doctor. He attended school in europe in Paris and Berlin. It was 1848, the year of revolution. Walker was exposed to the teachings of Garibaldi and Marx. When he returned to american he drifted till he settled in California.
In California he became a filibuster, filibuster was a term for adventurers in latin america. In 1853 he asked the Mexican government for permission to plant a military colony near sonara to protect against indian raids. In the wake of the U.S.-Mexican war the Mexicans were very wary of U.S. motives and refused him. Turned down, Walker returned to San Francisco and began recruiting men. So many volunteers came that soon he turned his thoughts from a colony to outright conquest of Baja California. They purchased the brig Arrow and started towards Baja when U.S. officals seized her. Lucky for Walker sympathetic officals intervened and secured his release. Optaining a new vessal, the brig Caroline loaded with 48 followers landed at La Paz and seized it. Quickly 200 more men arrived to join Walker. The Republic of Lower California was formed with Walker as President. American newspapers lauded this great victory for "manifest destiny" Acourse this is when disaster would strike Walker, the Caroline sailed away still carrying most of his supplies just as another vessal arrived with 200 more volunteers. There were no food or supplies to support these men. So Walker decided to march on Sonara immediately, disolving the Lower California Republic and forming the new Sonara Republic ( lower California and Sonara combined ) The march along the Colorado river was brutal and the terrain, elements plus lack of supplies widdled his force down to 35 men. At this point he decided his was to small to sucede and retreated back to U.S. territory and surrendered to authorities. He was charged with violating the U.S. neutrality laws but was acquitted.
Walker eyed Central America as his next target to escape government intervention. He choose Nicaragua as his target. It was in the middle of a civil war. He made a deal with the democratic party ( oppose to the legitimist party ) to supply a force of men. In 1855 he landed in Nicaragua with his " immmortals"--58 loyal followers. 60 more soon followed and joined the democratic army and defeated the legitimists at Rivis river and took the capital of Grenada. Nicaragua's neighbors were worried that Walker did not plan to stop at Nicaragua ( with good reason ). A Costa Rician army invaded but was put to flight, Walkers counterattack was no more sucessful.
Walker was elected president of Nicaragua, but was beset by problems on all sides. Disease ravaged his followers, the British alarmed by American influence spreading blockaded Nicaraguan waters cutting off any supplies or men reaching Walker. While the American government reconized his claim, not all Americans agreed. The most influential was Cornelius Vanderbilt, the founder of a great shipping empire. Walker had unwisely revoked his monopoly on the San Juan river- lake Nicaragua shipping route between the Carribean and Pacific. Vanderbilt used his fortune to arm Nicaraguan rebels and the neighboring countries. Finally Costa Rica, Honduras and Guatemula formed an allience to remove him. The combination pushed him out of the capital and he fled to the coast where a U.S. warship picked him up and returned him to America. Once again he was charged with violating neutrality laws and once again influential friends got him off.
In America he was a great hero. He raised money and men for a 2nd expedition. They landed at Punta Areanas, Nicaragua. A force from the U.S. carribean squadron landed and rounded them up and took them back to America.
Still determined to return, he campaigned for support and money to raise another army. But word of his blunders and mismangement from former followers hurt him. He shifted to the south and stressed a pro-slavery platform for his Nicaragua. Money and supplies soon poured in. In 1860 as he prepared to sail he was confronted by General Wool, commander of the U.S. Pacific coast. The president had ordered all forces to prevent filibusters from sailing to Nicaragua. Wool however warned Walker and looked the other way and wished him luck. Walker landed in Honduras to avoid the British blockade and marched towards Nicaragua. Disease and and a undisiplined force fell apart and Walker retreated to the coast. He surrendered to a British warship on the condition that he was to be turned over to American officals. The British captain agreed but quickly turned him over to the Honduras government. A quick trial and conviction led to a firing squad 6 days later. He was 36 years old.
Walkers invasion of Sonara led the Mexican government to realize an endless plague of filibusters supported by the U.S. would decend on them.So they ceded Sonara and the surrounding land in the Gadidan purchase. Walkers pro-slavery stance could of had great effect on Amercia. If he had held on to Nicaragua and surrounding lands, would it been taken into the union as a slave state? (talks about this and cuba actually took place in congress ) New slave states would of gave the south a majority in congress. Would Lincoln been elected? Would civil war of broken out in 1861 in this new environment?
William Walker
Assault on Rivas
