COLOMBIA. 



127 



attacking the insurgents by land and sea, their 

 forces in other parts of the republic having been 

 reduced to guerrilla bands. At David and Agua- 

 dulce the Liberals suffered much from disease. 

 The town of Aguadulce, which had been reoc- 

 cupied by the Conservatives, was invested by the 

 rebels, and Government troops were sent to the 

 relief of the garrison. The Government troops 

 landed there were soon in worse case than the 

 rebels, without shelter and short of provisions 

 and unused to the climate. Severe fighting began 

 on July 29, continuing two days, and beginning 

 again after a short armistice to allow both sides 

 to care for the wounded and bury the dead. The 

 insurgent gunboat Padilla cut off the communi- 

 cations of the Government troops, which had to 

 depend on a sea base, and were therefore practi- 

 cally surrounded. The Government steamers 

 Boyaca and Chicuito on July 30 attempted to 

 enter the river with supplies and reenforcements, 

 but retired after some firing, the Chicuito re- 

 turning to Panama, while the Boyaca was chased 

 and captured with 300 soldiers, besides the crew, 

 stores of provisions and ammunition, and two 

 fine new guns. Gen. Salazar made ready to 

 seize, a British merchant steamer, there being no 

 British war-vessel at Panama, but, under in- 

 structions from Washington, Capt. Potter of the 

 Eanger interfered by the courtesy of nations 

 when requested by the British consul. Most of the 

 Liberal troops on the isthmus were sent to the 

 siege of Aguadulce, where Gen. Morales Berti 

 with 2,200 men was held by 2,500. Gen. Her- 

 rera at the same time made a demonstration 

 aoainst Colon, where the Government troops im- 

 proved their entrenchments. They held both 

 terminal ports in strength, while the rebels oc- 

 cupied the line. The mortality among the Gov- 

 ernment troops from bad food, exposure, and lack 

 of sanitary regulations was excessive, not less 

 than 25 per cent, of the reenforcements. Ameri- 

 can marines were landed to guard the railroad 

 and the stations at Panama and Colon. While 

 the siege of Aguadulce was going on peace nego- 

 tiations were begun in Washington between the 

 Colombian minister and Gen. Soto y Vargas- 

 Santos, the supreme chief of the revolutionists. 

 Peace commissioners went to Aguadulce to ar- 

 range a truce, but were unable to communicate 

 with Gen. Herrera. Dr. Concha was sent from 

 Washington with more definite instructions. 

 After a siege lasting over a month Gen. Berti 

 surrendered with honor. This victory not only 

 released the besiegers for operations against 

 Colon, held by 1,000 Government troops, and 

 Panama, held by 2,500, but it stimulated the 

 rebels to fresh exertions in other parts of the 

 republic. At Santa Marta the Government troops 

 were suddenly attacked and routed with a loss of 

 100 by revolutionists who committed barbarities 

 in revenge for the execution of rebel officers at 

 Panama. Gen. Uribe Uribe and Gen. Castillo 

 appeared on the Magdalena river with fresh 

 forces. Gen. Herrera sent arms and ammunition 

 to the rebels in Cauca. Gen. Perdomo was sent 

 with 4,000 men to reenforce the Government 

 troops on the isthmus, but he waited at Bar- 

 ranquilla until he could complete arrangements 

 for commissariat and sanitation. At the pros- 

 pect of active operations at the isthmian ports 

 United States war-ships were ordered to the isth- 

 mus, the Wisconsin to Panama and the Cincin- 

 nati to Colon, to enforce the treaty stipulations 

 by preventing any interference of traffic, even 

 by the bombardment of Panama. The steamer 

 Panther carried a battalion of marines to Colon. 

 Capt. McLean of the Cincinnati on arrival noti- 



fied both parties that neither army would be 

 allowed to obstruct traffic, and landed a force of 

 bluejackets. He allowed an exchange .of Gov- 

 ernment troops between Colon and Panama, 

 their arms being taken in a separate train and 



uarded by a naval force. Before the end of 

 eptember 2,000 United States marines and 

 sailors were landed in spite of the protest of 

 Gen. Salazar, who had forbidden the continued 

 employment of Liberals on the railroad, but was 

 overruled by his Government. When the Pacific 

 Steam Navigation Company declined to trans- 

 port troops to the isthmus an order exempting 

 foreign vessels from tonnage dues was revoked. 

 The main revolutionary force operating on the 

 great plains east of Bogota, under Gen. Carreazo, 

 surrendered in the middle of September. An at- 

 tempt of rebels to take a Government gunboat 

 on the Magdalena river failed. After the ar- 

 rival of Gen. Perdomo's reenforcements the mili- 

 tary situation became more critical. Capt. Mc- 

 Lean had notified the opposing commanders that 

 the United States navy had taken the direc- 

 tion of the railroad from sea to sea and would 

 not permit any fighting along the line. By the 

 treaty of 1846 between the United States and 

 New Granada Colombia guarantees the right of 

 way for transit across the isthmus to the Gov- 

 ernment and citizens of the United States and 

 their property, and the United States guarantees 

 the neutrality of the isthmus and undertakes to 

 protect free transit from sea to sea so that it 

 shall not be interrupted or embarrassed. The in- 

 structions of the United States Navy Department 

 were not to allow any transportation of troops 

 which might contravene these provisions of the 

 treaty, nor to sanction any use of the road which 

 might convert the line of transit into a theater 

 of hostility. Capt. McLean had permitted Gov- 

 ernment troops to go by special train. When , 

 Rear-Admiral Casey arrived on the Wisconsin 

 he ordered that no more Colombian officers, 

 troops, arms, or ammunition be permitted un- 

 less by special permission. The Colombian Gov- 

 ernment, through its minister at Washington, 

 protested against being prevented from transport- 

 ing troops at will by any route or means of 

 transit within its territory. The withdrawal of 

 Government troops from the Magdalena river was 

 followed by such renewed activity of the in- 

 surgents that some of them were sent back from 

 Panama. Gen. Uribe held Tenerife, near Santa 

 Marta, and with quick-firing guns cut communi- 

 cations on the river. The Government was re- 

 duced to such financial straits that its ability 

 to continue the war was in question. All classes 

 endured severe hardship and the poor were re- 

 duced to pitable destitution. The troops sent 

 out from the interior, now including boys eight 

 years of age, were half starved. Already over 

 50,000 men had fallen in the 400 engagements 

 that had been fought, or died in the camps. The 

 misery and privation attending the war had 

 decimated the population. Much valuable 

 property belonging to foreign nations had been 

 destroyed, and several times the United States 

 had interfered to protect the property of its own 

 citizens and those of European countries, al- 

 though, as a rule, both sides spared and protected 

 foreigners. The blockade of the Magdalena river 

 ceased when the Government sent a sufficient 

 force to cause Gen. Uribe to retire. Later Gen. 

 Uribe surrendered at Rio Frio. Gen. Castillo's 

 force was beaten at La Cienaga by troops under 

 Gen. Marjarres. In accordance with the pro- 

 posal of the Government, at a peace parley a 

 general amnesty was proclaimed, and this helped 



