At only five feet tall and 120 pounds, the pale and poker-faced William Walker looked like a sad schoolboy, not a marauding conqueror. Yet he plundered countries south of the American border as a territorial pirate.
Born in Tennessee to an affluent family, the brilliant-but-scrawny lad received a college degree at age 14. Walker studied law and medicine, toured Europe, and then became a New Orleans newspaperman - all before age 20.
All existing images of the man show his thin lips, no hint of a smile, and a sober gaze. His physical appearance looked about as intimidating as a librarian. Yet the man, seen by some as a hero and by many as a villain, led mercenaries into many battles.
He advocated for filibustering, which had an entirely different meaning then. Today we associate it with politics. In the mid-19th Century, filibustering referred to conquering foreign lands with private armies for personal gain. He also was a proponent of slavery.
Walker’s goal: to take over Central American countries where slavery could flourish.
His first attempt was in Baja California and Sonora. He filed permits to create mining enterprises there, but the Mexican government learned about his true ambition and sent Walker packing.
Back in the US, Walker recruited 45 mercenaries to help him capture Baja California and Sonora. Which they did with little resistance. Walker declared the territory his.
Local citizens, however, banded together, took up arms against the occupiers, and drove Walker back to the United States where federal authorities arrested him.
The government couldn’t be bothered prosecuting the short Napoleonic figure and released him. Walker then planned his next conquest.
1856: Nicaragua faced political strife and civil war. Byron Cole, a retired American newspaperman, backed the Liberal faction. He recruited Walker to take command of their fighters. Walker agreed, gathered his mercenaries, and traveled to Nicaragua.
First, Walker took control of the entire nation’s military. Then he won a battle that sent the president into exile. After a sham election, Walker declared himself the country’s new leader.
The United States government, including President Franklin Pierce, recognized William Walker as the ruler of Nicaragua.
Walker’s first two edicts as president: making English the national language and declaring slavery to be legal.
His presidency lasted less than one year.
American businessman Cornelius Vanderbilt owned transportation routes through Nicaragua and planned for a canal (the Panama Canal did not exist yet). Fearing Walker would thwart his plans, the wealthy Vanderbilt bribed Costa Rica’s military leaders into seizing neighboring Nicaragua and oust Walker. They quickly succeeded and sent Walker into exile.
Back in the US, Walker was on trial again. For a second time, he was let go. And once again he conspired to reclaim Nicaragua.
Multiple attempts failed. On the first try, a ship was damaged at sea and the plot was abandoned. On two other occasions, authorities arrested Walker before he could even enter the country. The fourth and final attempt went through Honduras. But Walker’s troops couldn’t defeat the local militia.
He surrendered and negotiated for his freedom. But Walker was double-crossed. He faced a firing squad and died at age 36.
Six months later, Fort Sumter was attacked in South Carolina. The American Civil War began.
William Walker’s legacy is that he wasted his life and his otherwise brilliant mind in the pursuit of slavery and filibustering.
Comentarios