WestVirginiaRebel
Banned
William Walker remains a controversial figure in Central America, known mostly as a renegade and a pirate. But what if he'd had the chance to become something more, at least briefly...
From An Abridged History Of William Walker: The Napoleon of Latin America, 1856-1870:
"Cornelius Vanderbilt was outraged by the seizure of his Transit Company by C.K. Garrison and Charles Morgan, however there was little he could do, as Walker, already a popular figure in the South and with the support of a sympathetic President Pierce, had actually disarmed European investors by refraining from talk of further Central American conquests, relying instead on influencing former agents of Vanderbilt to work for him, for 'The good of the American cause in Central America,' using the perceived threat of British-controlled Honduras as leverage. As such, while Vanderbilt protested in vain, Walker was able to continue to gain support from the South throughout the Civil War for his plan of a 'Greater Nicaragua,' which was only to fail after his overthrow in an uprising in the post-Civil War era, when support from the South ended. From there he went to Paraquay, where he attempted to ingratiate himself with the government of Francisco Solano Lopez, which he accomplished with some success, although he saw his fortunes, both financial and political, further ruined by Paraguay's defeat in the War of the Triple Alliance. He returned to his native Nashville, where he died in relative obscurity in 1884."
From An Abridged History Of William Walker: The Napoleon of Latin America, 1856-1870:
"Cornelius Vanderbilt was outraged by the seizure of his Transit Company by C.K. Garrison and Charles Morgan, however there was little he could do, as Walker, already a popular figure in the South and with the support of a sympathetic President Pierce, had actually disarmed European investors by refraining from talk of further Central American conquests, relying instead on influencing former agents of Vanderbilt to work for him, for 'The good of the American cause in Central America,' using the perceived threat of British-controlled Honduras as leverage. As such, while Vanderbilt protested in vain, Walker was able to continue to gain support from the South throughout the Civil War for his plan of a 'Greater Nicaragua,' which was only to fail after his overthrow in an uprising in the post-Civil War era, when support from the South ended. From there he went to Paraquay, where he attempted to ingratiate himself with the government of Francisco Solano Lopez, which he accomplished with some success, although he saw his fortunes, both financial and political, further ruined by Paraguay's defeat in the War of the Triple Alliance. He returned to his native Nashville, where he died in relative obscurity in 1884."