COLOMBIA. 



133 



road or other American property was in danger 

 or communications across the isthmus inter- 

 rupted. To repel the advance of Colombian revo- 

 lutionists and their Venezuelan allies Colombian 

 troops were massed on the frontier. 



The interest of the United States in the Colom- 

 bian and Venezuelan broils was chiefly concerned 

 in keeping the route over the Panama isthmus 

 open to peaceful traffic, which the United States 

 has the legal right and the duty to do under the 

 treaty of 1846 with the republic of New Granada, 

 in which the United States guaranteed the com- 

 plete neutrality of the isthmus, so that free tran- 

 sit from ocean to ocean shall not be interrupted 

 or disturbed. This guarantee was given in con- 

 sideration of special rights conceded to the United 

 States on the isthmus. Germany possesses valu- 

 able commercial interests in both republics. 



In the middle of August the Colombian rebels 

 advanced toward Bocas del Toro, looting on the 

 way the Chinese stores at Emperador. They en- 

 camped before Bocas del Toro, and demanded the 

 surrender of the town. The Government garrison 

 was reenforced, and took up a position on the 

 opposite side of the lagoon, and rifle fire was ex- 

 changed daily between the two lines of entrench- 

 ments, 2,000 yards apart. Both sides obtained 

 boats, but neither ventured to attack the other 

 on its own ground. The revolutionists made an 

 attempt to seize the town after the Government 

 troops went into camp outside. The movement 

 was observed by the commander of the troops, 

 who sent out men in several steamboats to inter- 

 cept their solitary boat, which was compelled to 

 put back in a crippled condition. The troops 

 brought an old cannon into play, but the revolu- 

 tionists kept their position until Sept. 14, when 

 Col. Gruzo made a night attack in front and rear, 

 having landed his troops unobserved from boats 

 and launches. After a sharp fight the Liberals 

 fled from their island camp, leaving 30 killed and 

 wounded, 40 prisoners, and their guns and ammu- 

 nition. Two modern cannons that the insurgents 

 had and their other weapons were obtained from 

 Coeta Rican and Nicaraguan towns. When the 

 rebellion broke out the Colombian Government 

 placed an interdict on all trade with foreign ports. 

 Colon was the only Colombian port left open. 

 The consular officers of foreign governments 

 threatened to send for gunboats if the ports were 

 not reopened, and soon the embargo was lifted. 

 The United States Government on Aug. 24 prof- 

 fered its good offices to bring about a reconcilia- 

 tion between the Colombian and Venezuelan gov- 

 ernments. The answer of Venezuela placed the 

 responsibility on Colombia. The American min- 

 ister in Bogota also gave notice that the United 

 States would be obliged to intervene with force 

 if isthmian traffic were interrupted or threatened. 

 The Colombian Government expressed its willing- 

 ness to accept the mediation of the United States, 

 if needed, to avert war, and denied having invaded 

 Venezuela, placing the burden of the issue on 

 President Castro. 



Gen. Uribe's expedition made a successful land- 

 ing, raised the Liberal standard, captured some 

 guns at San Cristobal, and pursued the Govern- 

 ment troops into the interior after beating them 

 in two battles. In a manifesto Gen. Uribe de- 

 clared that he was fighting for the union of Co- 

 lombia, Ecuador, and Venezuela in a Great Co- 

 lombia. 



Gen. Pedro N. Ospina, w-ho succeeded Gen. Pin- 

 zon as Minister of War, arranged a conference 

 with those of the Liberal leaders who were not 

 actively engaged in the rebellion, and proposed a 

 plan of pacification according to which the revo- 



lutionary army was to bo merged in the regular 

 army arid a new Government tonm-d in which the 

 Liberals and Conservatives should both be repre- 

 sented, President Marroquin retiring, The acting 

 President had Gen. Ospina arrested on 1 IK: charge 

 of treason, and appointed Dr. Concha Minister of 

 War. 



On Sept. 9 Gen. Davila landed a force of 800 

 men near La Hacha, which marched on the town 

 while his gunboats threatened La Hacha from the 

 sea, but did not fire upon the town. The Colom- 

 bian regulars withdrew as the Liberals and Venez- 

 uelans advanced, then gathered again in greater 

 numbers, and on Sept. 14 surrounded and defeated 

 Gen. Davila's force, which was caught on both 

 sides of a river with the bridge broken, while Jose 

 Dolores, an Indian chief, placed his warriors in 

 ambush on the line of retreat to Venezuelan ter- 

 ritory. The revolutionary army was dispersed. 

 Gen. Echeverria was killed with a large number of 

 Venezuelans in the decisive engagement at Curu- 

 zuo. The Colombian Liberals were rallied by Gen. 

 Castillo. Venezuelan troops, 8,000 strong, con- 

 centrated on the frontier between San Cristobal 

 and Cucuta, and under the command of Gen. 

 Valencia a Colombian force of 6,000 men was 

 massed against them in the beginning of Octo- 

 ber. No shots were fired from either side. 

 Meanwhile fresh notes were exchanged between 

 the governments asking explanations. A Cabinet 

 crisis occurred at the end of September, the result 

 of which was that Miguel Abadia Mendez took 

 the portfolio of Foreign Affairs. 



In Venezuela troops were organized at Mara- 

 caibo for a fresh landing in Colombia, and during 

 the absence of the gunboat Boyaca they seized a 

 position and blockaded Tumaco. Colombian revo- 

 lutionists under Gen. Avelina Rosas were defeated 

 by the regulars in southern Caucas early in No- 

 vember. President Castro, of Venezuela, was hin- 

 dered by risings of the hostile party in his own 

 country from giving substantial support to the 

 Colombian Liberals. 



Gen. Uribe Uribe, with 6,000 men, was master 

 of the rich coffee-growing department of San- 

 tander, where the revolution began. The Liberals 

 overran the department of Bolivar, the Govern- 

 ment troops holding only the seaports. The de- 

 struction of the railroad from Cartagena to the 

 Magdalena cut off military communications be- 

 tween the ports and the interior. Advancing 

 through the department of Cauca to the Pacific 

 coast, the revolutionists invaded the Isthmus of 

 Panama, where they found some support among 

 the merchants. They were dispersed in small 

 detachments through the northern quarter of Co- 

 lombia, and the 40,000 Government troops were 

 also widely scattered. The capital and the great 

 mountain plateau on which it is situated was safe 

 from invasion unless the insurgents could obtain 

 river boats enough to transport an army and 

 supplies up the Magdalena. The people of Costa 

 Rica, Nicaragua, and Honduras, as well as the 

 Venezuelans and the Liberals of Ecuador, gave 

 aid and support to the revolutionists. Colon de- 

 clared for the revolution, and Pinzon threatened 

 to bombard the town. Commandant McCrea, of 

 the Machias, forbade this on Nov. 25 until non- 

 combatants could escape. Colombian troops were 

 landed to attack the rebels in Colon, and United 

 States marines from the Iowa were landed by 

 Capt. Perry to guard the railroad. Gen. Alban, 

 Governor of Panama, with 600 men, attacked the 

 Liberals unsuccessfully at Chorrerra, and then 

 marched against the body that held Empire and 

 Culebra. The Iowa and the Concord at Panama, 

 and the Machias and the Marietta at Colon, had 



