alternatehistory.com
Chapter 21 The Guatemala War
Chapter 21 The Guatemala War
"You see this is what a good ally does, actively conquer territories to increase your sphere of influence."- King Louis Phillipe I 1838.
"Defending freedom from coast to coast."- motto of the Texan Navy
"We are finally free! We are strong and mighty once more."- Doctor Diego Cortes 1838
The Guatemala War has been remembered throughout western history as one of the major turning points of geopolitics within Latin America. From this war two nations of Texas and Yucatan would emerge as regional powers that would become a force to reckon with for nearby nations who had hoped to encroach upon the new sovereign territories. Upon the great Mayan revolt of July 2nd, half of Central America became embroiled in war as the creole populations of the newly independent nations soon found themselves under siege from masses of Mayan rebels who fought fiercely to establish their own nation just as the separatists had weeks earlier. Within a few weeks both Los Altos and El Salvador had fallen to the rebels as these two countries had the lowest population and poorest armies compared to the others. Guatemala and Honduras had both put up a fierce fight due to the former being the old center of the USCA, and the latter having a smaller number of Mayans compared to the other nations. Notable battles of this time period include the assault on Guatemala City as the battle took place after a large assault by 2500 Mayans on the 6th, the battle ending a draw after 5 days due to intense fighting from both sides in the urban center, and the Battle of Copan in Honduras where the Honduran militia was able to drive the Mayan rebels out of the country and into Guatemala, unfortunately worsening the situation in Guatemala and giving the war its name with the majority of the fighting taking place there. For most of August, Guatemala became a land of attrition as a guerilla warfare raged throughout the countryside with the Mayans performing tense hit and run tactics on Guatemalan troops and supplies, then running back into the cover of the jungles when reinforcements came. It should be noted that atrocities were committed by both sides of the wars as the Mayan rebels would often target rich, creole landowners who had come to abuse their power against the natives over the years, often burning their fields and ransacking their houses for loot. Meanwhile, the Guatemalans would react violently to raids and would often commit massacres against native villages and execute rebel prisoners. By August 1st, the whole country was divided as the rebels held control of the countryside and rural villages, while the Guatemalans had managed to retain control of the capitol, the Guatemalan department, and the coast after fighting off waves of rebel attacks, only managing to win due to superior marksmanship. This would mark a stalemate for the rest of August as each side struggled to gain control of their territory while the Hondurans had marched into the nation after securing their borders and eliminating any large scale resistance.
This state of affairs would be broken as the Army of the Yucatan marched south on September 4th in order to "liberate" their oppressed brethren. In just two months alone the Yucatan had managed to secure an impressive 15,000 troops. All were veterans of the revolution in one way or another while a majority of the newly formed army was made up of Mayans who enlisted in droves to achieve their new desire of unification. The army would also be equipped with the latest in French weaponry as the local French garrison had been more then happy to lend their support to the cause, as well as King Louis having sent a ship full of arms to Merida after receiving a letter in June from Barbachano detailing their plans of conquest, most of these weapons were surplus from the Algerian expeditions anyways. As King Louis would say "we might as well allow our clients to expand and make a profit at it." The army which was led by General Santiago Iman, split into 3 groups; with army group south composed of 4000 men to consolidate the pacific, army group north of 3000 men who were ordered to block the Gulf, and army group central of 8000 men whose main mission was to head to Guatemala City and conquer the capitol. The tide of the war turned immediately as the battle proved veterans of the Yucatan were quick to overrun the poorly trained Guatemalan defenders. On September 10th, the siege of Guatemala commenced as the entirety of the capitol department laid under siege from the 10000 strong Yucatan army (2000 were from the rebel camp). For thirty days and nights the brave Guatemalan defenders held strong as they were under constant artillery bombardment by the Yucatan. This served to severely damage the city as the Yucatan made several raids during day and night time to severely destroy Guatemalan morale and eliminate any resources that they could use to withstand the siege. The purpose of holding a prolonged siege instead of immediate assaulting the capitol with their superior numbers was so that the remainder of the Yucatan army and rebels could swarm the rest of the country and cut off the capitol from the outside world. This strategy was able to work as the Yucatan army was able to reach the Honduran border on October 1st. From there they started the invasion of Honduras and were able to decisively defeat the Honduran army at the battle of Lake Isabel, where a 9000 strong Yucatan army was able to encircle and devastate the small 1500 strong Honduran army. Meanwhile with the populace of the capitol starving from the ongoing seige and disease starting to settle in, the Guatemalan government finally capitulated on October 10th directly to General Iman. Once word of this surrender spread to Honduras, President Jose Salinas surrendered on the 16th before the Yucatan army could reach the capitol and so the country could be saved. The treaty of Havana was later signed on November 11th, marking the end of the Guatemala War.
View attachment 288332
Siege of Guatemala
One important factor that lead to the defeat of the Central American Republics was the usage of the Texan Navy under Commodore Edwin Moore. The Navy had been originally founded during the Texan Revolution as a method of harassing the Mexican forces by hijacking supply ships and making quick hit and run tactics at the Mexican Navy. At the end of the war the Navy found no real enemies to fight with, with the exception of a few pirates in the Gulf. After the Texas Defense and Security Act was passed the Navy soon underwent a large construction program under the new leadership of Commodore Moore to prepare for the next possible war. They didn't have to wait long as President Houston pledged the support of the Texan Navy for the Guatemala War in order to meet the alliance and possibly gain a debt from Yucatan for future conflicts. With the opportunity to prove to the Texan people that their navy was necessary, Moore set sail from Galveston on July 20th with the entire fleet to achieve naval superiority for the conflict. Among the fleet was the schooners RTS Invincible, RTS Brutus, RTS Liberty, RTS Independence, RTS San Jacinto, RTS San Antonio, and RTS San Bernard; the brigs RTS Potomac and RTS Archer; and finally the flagship of the fleet the steamship RTS Zavala. The fleet would make its presence known on July 25h when it bombarded the small port town of Livingston, destroying the entire port as well as Guatemala's sole Atlantic schooner which was currently in dock at the time. For the next five days the Texan Navy would surround and raid the entire coastline, destroying and possible fishing and merchant boasts while bombarding all coastal defenses. On July 30th the fleet set sail east towards Honduras where they would repeat the same action. The only naval battle of the entire war would commence on August 10th when the RTS San Jacinto made contact with the only ships of the Honduran Navy off the coast of Islas de Bahia, one frigate and two schooners. After exchanging for thirty minutes fire the San Jacinto would then retreat westward, the Honduran Admiral Jose Martinez foolishly gave the order to chase under the assumption that San Jacinto was operating as a lone ship. This would be a trap however as the Honduran flotilla met the whole might of the Texan fleet after the San Jacinto retreated towards the fleets main positions. The Battle of Bahia would last a full 4 hours where after tireless chases and exchange fire between full sides, the entire Honduran fleet sank to the bottom of the ocean with less than 100 survivors being picked up by the Texan Navy. The San Jacinto would be badly damaged and forced to return to Galveston for the duration of the war while the Potomac and Brutus were lightly damaged. For the remainder of the war the Texan Navy would come to lay siege to the gulf coast of Guatemala and Honduras, often proving covering fire for the Yucatan forces or preventing any ships from escaping the miniature blockade. While most historians agree that the Texan Navy played little tactical overall in the war, their actions and victories against the enemy would soon give them full love and support from the entire republic, preventing any downsizing plans that would later be advocated by the Western Union Party. For Commodore Moore, the war was valuable experience in commanding a naval fleet that would prepare him for the Gulf campaign in the Mexican War.
View attachment 288330View attachment 288331
Naval Jack of the Texas Navy (Right). RTS Zavala (Left)
When the Republic of the Yucatan laid out the terms of the Treaty of Havanna they were heavily severe. The short lived independence of Los Altos, El Salvador, and Guatemala would no longer exist as they were all annexed by the Yucatan. All of Honduras west of the Gulf de Fonseca would be annexed by the Yucatan. Yucatan would claim sovereignty over Belize. All Mayan civilian and property loss during the war would be payed by the guilty parties with a round of war tribunals for those who committed crimes against the Mayan rebels (though no such action would be taken against the wrongs committed by the Yucatan and Maya). The only benefit to this treaty for the defeated was the Yucatan paying $1 million Pesos for the Honduran territory. Back in Merida crowds gathered onto the streets with Iman and the veterans being celebrated as war heroes and liberators, while Barbachano was hailed as the great and wonderful El Presidente, securing his rule for most of the 1840's. While there would be some minor rebellions in the future by Mayan extremists who wanted full control of the country, for now the Mayan people rejoiced and celebrated as they finally had brought pride and strength back to their people. To this day Yucatan remains an remarkable cultural achievement in Latin America for being the only nation to have a Mestizo/Native majority yet become one of the most prosperous and stable nations on Earth. After the war Yucatan joined the ranks of the great nations and powers of the west. Most importantly, a strong alliance was born between a Lone Star Republic and the now nine star state.
View attachment 288329
Central America in the Aftermath of the Treaty of Havana
A/N: Map of Southwestern North America courtesy of Herricks.
"You see this is what a good ally does, actively conquer territories to increase your sphere of influence."- King Louis Phillipe I 1838.
"Defending freedom from coast to coast."- motto of the Texan Navy
"We are finally free! We are strong and mighty once more."- Doctor Diego Cortes 1838
The Guatemala War has been remembered throughout western history as one of the major turning points of geopolitics within Latin America. From this war two nations of Texas and Yucatan would emerge as regional powers that would become a force to reckon with for nearby nations who had hoped to encroach upon the new sovereign territories. Upon the great Mayan revolt of July 2nd, half of Central America became embroiled in war as the creole populations of the newly independent nations soon found themselves under siege from masses of Mayan rebels who fought fiercely to establish their own nation just as the separatists had weeks earlier. Within a few weeks both Los Altos and El Salvador had fallen to the rebels as these two countries had the lowest population and poorest armies compared to the others. Guatemala and Honduras had both put up a fierce fight due to the former being the old center of the USCA, and the latter having a smaller number of Mayans compared to the other nations. Notable battles of this time period include the assault on Guatemala City as the battle took place after a large assault by 2500 Mayans on the 6th, the battle ending a draw after 5 days due to intense fighting from both sides in the urban center, and the Battle of Copan in Honduras where the Honduran militia was able to drive the Mayan rebels out of the country and into Guatemala, unfortunately worsening the situation in Guatemala and giving the war its name with the majority of the fighting taking place there. For most of August, Guatemala became a land of attrition as a guerilla warfare raged throughout the countryside with the Mayans performing tense hit and run tactics on Guatemalan troops and supplies, then running back into the cover of the jungles when reinforcements came. It should be noted that atrocities were committed by both sides of the wars as the Mayan rebels would often target rich, creole landowners who had come to abuse their power against the natives over the years, often burning their fields and ransacking their houses for loot. Meanwhile, the Guatemalans would react violently to raids and would often commit massacres against native villages and execute rebel prisoners. By August 1st, the whole country was divided as the rebels held control of the countryside and rural villages, while the Guatemalans had managed to retain control of the capitol, the Guatemalan department, and the coast after fighting off waves of rebel attacks, only managing to win due to superior marksmanship. This would mark a stalemate for the rest of August as each side struggled to gain control of their territory while the Hondurans had marched into the nation after securing their borders and eliminating any large scale resistance.
This state of affairs would be broken as the Army of the Yucatan marched south on September 4th in order to "liberate" their oppressed brethren. In just two months alone the Yucatan had managed to secure an impressive 15,000 troops. All were veterans of the revolution in one way or another while a majority of the newly formed army was made up of Mayans who enlisted in droves to achieve their new desire of unification. The army would also be equipped with the latest in French weaponry as the local French garrison had been more then happy to lend their support to the cause, as well as King Louis having sent a ship full of arms to Merida after receiving a letter in June from Barbachano detailing their plans of conquest, most of these weapons were surplus from the Algerian expeditions anyways. As King Louis would say "we might as well allow our clients to expand and make a profit at it." The army which was led by General Santiago Iman, split into 3 groups; with army group south composed of 4000 men to consolidate the pacific, army group north of 3000 men who were ordered to block the Gulf, and army group central of 8000 men whose main mission was to head to Guatemala City and conquer the capitol. The tide of the war turned immediately as the battle proved veterans of the Yucatan were quick to overrun the poorly trained Guatemalan defenders. On September 10th, the siege of Guatemala commenced as the entirety of the capitol department laid under siege from the 10000 strong Yucatan army (2000 were from the rebel camp). For thirty days and nights the brave Guatemalan defenders held strong as they were under constant artillery bombardment by the Yucatan. This served to severely damage the city as the Yucatan made several raids during day and night time to severely destroy Guatemalan morale and eliminate any resources that they could use to withstand the siege. The purpose of holding a prolonged siege instead of immediate assaulting the capitol with their superior numbers was so that the remainder of the Yucatan army and rebels could swarm the rest of the country and cut off the capitol from the outside world. This strategy was able to work as the Yucatan army was able to reach the Honduran border on October 1st. From there they started the invasion of Honduras and were able to decisively defeat the Honduran army at the battle of Lake Isabel, where a 9000 strong Yucatan army was able to encircle and devastate the small 1500 strong Honduran army. Meanwhile with the populace of the capitol starving from the ongoing seige and disease starting to settle in, the Guatemalan government finally capitulated on October 10th directly to General Iman. Once word of this surrender spread to Honduras, President Jose Salinas surrendered on the 16th before the Yucatan army could reach the capitol and so the country could be saved. The treaty of Havana was later signed on November 11th, marking the end of the Guatemala War.
View attachment 288332
Siege of Guatemala
One important factor that lead to the defeat of the Central American Republics was the usage of the Texan Navy under Commodore Edwin Moore. The Navy had been originally founded during the Texan Revolution as a method of harassing the Mexican forces by hijacking supply ships and making quick hit and run tactics at the Mexican Navy. At the end of the war the Navy found no real enemies to fight with, with the exception of a few pirates in the Gulf. After the Texas Defense and Security Act was passed the Navy soon underwent a large construction program under the new leadership of Commodore Moore to prepare for the next possible war. They didn't have to wait long as President Houston pledged the support of the Texan Navy for the Guatemala War in order to meet the alliance and possibly gain a debt from Yucatan for future conflicts. With the opportunity to prove to the Texan people that their navy was necessary, Moore set sail from Galveston on July 20th with the entire fleet to achieve naval superiority for the conflict. Among the fleet was the schooners RTS Invincible, RTS Brutus, RTS Liberty, RTS Independence, RTS San Jacinto, RTS San Antonio, and RTS San Bernard; the brigs RTS Potomac and RTS Archer; and finally the flagship of the fleet the steamship RTS Zavala. The fleet would make its presence known on July 25h when it bombarded the small port town of Livingston, destroying the entire port as well as Guatemala's sole Atlantic schooner which was currently in dock at the time. For the next five days the Texan Navy would surround and raid the entire coastline, destroying and possible fishing and merchant boasts while bombarding all coastal defenses. On July 30th the fleet set sail east towards Honduras where they would repeat the same action. The only naval battle of the entire war would commence on August 10th when the RTS San Jacinto made contact with the only ships of the Honduran Navy off the coast of Islas de Bahia, one frigate and two schooners. After exchanging for thirty minutes fire the San Jacinto would then retreat westward, the Honduran Admiral Jose Martinez foolishly gave the order to chase under the assumption that San Jacinto was operating as a lone ship. This would be a trap however as the Honduran flotilla met the whole might of the Texan fleet after the San Jacinto retreated towards the fleets main positions. The Battle of Bahia would last a full 4 hours where after tireless chases and exchange fire between full sides, the entire Honduran fleet sank to the bottom of the ocean with less than 100 survivors being picked up by the Texan Navy. The San Jacinto would be badly damaged and forced to return to Galveston for the duration of the war while the Potomac and Brutus were lightly damaged. For the remainder of the war the Texan Navy would come to lay siege to the gulf coast of Guatemala and Honduras, often proving covering fire for the Yucatan forces or preventing any ships from escaping the miniature blockade. While most historians agree that the Texan Navy played little tactical overall in the war, their actions and victories against the enemy would soon give them full love and support from the entire republic, preventing any downsizing plans that would later be advocated by the Western Union Party. For Commodore Moore, the war was valuable experience in commanding a naval fleet that would prepare him for the Gulf campaign in the Mexican War.
View attachment 288330View attachment 288331
Naval Jack of the Texas Navy (Right). RTS Zavala (Left)
When the Republic of the Yucatan laid out the terms of the Treaty of Havanna they were heavily severe. The short lived independence of Los Altos, El Salvador, and Guatemala would no longer exist as they were all annexed by the Yucatan. All of Honduras west of the Gulf de Fonseca would be annexed by the Yucatan. Yucatan would claim sovereignty over Belize. All Mayan civilian and property loss during the war would be payed by the guilty parties with a round of war tribunals for those who committed crimes against the Mayan rebels (though no such action would be taken against the wrongs committed by the Yucatan and Maya). The only benefit to this treaty for the defeated was the Yucatan paying $1 million Pesos for the Honduran territory. Back in Merida crowds gathered onto the streets with Iman and the veterans being celebrated as war heroes and liberators, while Barbachano was hailed as the great and wonderful El Presidente, securing his rule for most of the 1840's. While there would be some minor rebellions in the future by Mayan extremists who wanted full control of the country, for now the Mayan people rejoiced and celebrated as they finally had brought pride and strength back to their people. To this day Yucatan remains an remarkable cultural achievement in Latin America for being the only nation to have a Mestizo/Native majority yet become one of the most prosperous and stable nations on Earth. After the war Yucatan joined the ranks of the great nations and powers of the west. Most importantly, a strong alliance was born between a Lone Star Republic and the now nine star state.
View attachment 288329
Central America in the Aftermath of the Treaty of Havana
A/N: Map of Southwestern North America courtesy of Herricks.
- Kaiser Chris
- Word Count: 1.9k