Eruption in Nicaragua: On May 26, the inevitable civil war burst forth. Supplied with Mexican arms, a force of Liberal exiles landed at Bluefields, captured the town and customs house after a bloody little battle, and rifled the vaults of the local branch of the National Bank. Within hours the old peace cruiser Cleveland was wheezing north at fourteen knots from Panama. She arrived on the sixth, putting ashore her landing force to protect American lives and property, and proceeded to disarm the rebel troops within a declared neutral zone, the first of several such entities established by American forces in Nicaragua. Business resumed and feeling of confidence prevails, cabled the American consul. In Managua (Conservative President) Chamorro decreed a state of war, jailed his political opponents, and moved vigorously to crush the Liberal revolt. He expanded the army to over 5000 men and marched east. On both sides, children and women were not exempt from recruitment. (Ivan Musicant, The Banana Wars, (Macmillan: New York, NY, 1990), 291).
Posted on: Wed, 13 Aug 2014 05:04:50 +0000
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