The War in Nicaragua

by William Walker

This is a reproduction of a book published before 1923. This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book.

Genres: History, American History

448 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1972

Reviews

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

American "filibuster" William Walker explains in his own words how and why he attempted to conquer the small countries to America's south. This is a rare look into 19th Century American attitudes and methods.

[Tania · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nestled in Central America between Honduras and Costa Rica, Nicaragua has had more than its fair share of war. The U.S. has been involved in more of those than we’d like to admit. “In the mid 1800s... Filibustering, the unauthorized military invasion of foreign nations by an individual, was an idea that many people embraced.” (Muscato, Study.com) That sets the stage for the event on which this book was based, that of American William Walker invading and taking control of the government of Nicaragua between 1855-1857.

Here William Walker describes, in the 3rd person (or else his words are used and put to narrative by an actual 3rd person - this is never really clear to me), his decision to involve himself in the politics of Nicaragua and ultimately stage a takeover. Initially his intent was to assist the government to defeat its opponents. However, once in country, the southerner true to his civil-war era rebel roots determined that the people of Nicaragua were unable to govern themselves. He soon sets his sights higher than military commander, choosing himself instead as General-in-Chief and later Chief Executive. Not a benevolent ruler, Walker instead imagined Nicaragua to be the new south – he declared English as the official language, legalized slavery, and would have happily Americanized every corner of the country he’d invaded. His actions, however, did not sit well with the surrounding countries or the wealthy supporters he had ostracized back home, and Walker soon found himself at war again.

Written with the flowery language of its time, I thought this was a difficult tome to navigate - wordy and meandering. That’s not to say there isn’t a real wealth of information here, with quite a bit of background on the state of Central American before and during the conflict. An entire chapter is devoted to the implementation by the different powers - England, France, Spain, and America - and the merits and pitfalls of each approach. The pro-slavery slant can't be missed throughout the discussion, as the author argues the benefits of Walker's actions in Nicaragua, should the succeed, to slavery advocates in the South. Though The War in Nicaragua is a biased account of events and perspectives, referring to the other side as evil and enemies, it is quite an insight into this infamous man and the times in which he lived, the culture of the country he invaded and the government he sought to overthrow, and a firsthand account of what unfolded in this relatively short period of time. Its historical value is great, with log entry extracts and detailed descriptions of people, places, and even battle techniques, but it is certainly not light reading. I thought the philosophical chapters actually read better than the chapters that gave blow-by-blow accounts of the invasion and resulting wars, but they were equally important.

[Joe Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

This edition that I read has modern footnotes added and a section written about William Walker and some of the conflicting stories surrounding him even by authors today. Plus there are several appendices added that is not part of the original book. It the footnotes and appendices were very useful.

As for the main part of the book, the reader needs to be aware that this written by William Walker, himself prior to his execution in 1860 in Honduras. Walker was a born in a slave state in the US and his prejudices about races will show up periodically and some individuals today will have troubles reading parts of the book. But probably 90% or better of the book, these issues are not present. Walker gives an interesting, but obviously one sided, view of his war in Nicaragua, its conquest, his term as the elected president of Nicaragua, and his defeat by a mostly Costa Rician army. It would be interesting to see an opposing view point, but I have not seen one available in English, if even if there is any at all.

[John McNamee · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very interesting window into the 1850s. A fascinating look into the dynamics of an evolving North America right after the gold rush and right before the American Civil War. For example I had no idea the fastest way from Cincinnati to San Fransisco at the time was through Nicaragua.

William Walker himself is an interesting character. He leaves almost no room to believe he ever doubts what he says in the book, including his utmost positive framing of many beliefs I strongly disagree with. His outdated beliefs and ideals are certainly a sign of the times, considering he was born in Nashville during its heavy slave trade era. He also watched the rapid expansion of the US under the winds of manifest destiny.

Despite the horrors of Walker’s beliefs in modern eyes, it feels Walker truly believed he was doing good. Walker’s enemies include national heroes of several Central American nations, Cornelius Vanderbilt, and the British Royal Navy, and yet despite this he wrote the autobiography as an accomplished man who will accomplish more. A fascinating look into the mind of a largely lost character in American history.