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    - Battle of Santa Rosa, painting by Carlos Aguilar Duran - |
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Published on Monday, March 21,
2022
By the A.M. Costa Rica staff
On Sunday,
the country commemorated the victory of
the Battle of Santa Rosa, which happened
in 1856 between the Costa Rican army and
the so-called invading troops led by
U.S. citizen William Walker.
According to the archives of the Ministry of Education, the events that caused the battle in June 1855 when William Walker, from Nashville, Tenn., arrived in the country on the Vesta ship, at the Realejo Port in Nicaragua, along with a platoon of 57 men.
Walker led an army called the American Falange, which marched on the city of Rivas, intending to found the Central American slave republic.
His goal was motivated by the main economic activity, cotton agriculture which used the slave labor of black people bought in the Antilles.
When Walker arrived in Nicaragua, the country was under internal conflict between two political parties, the Democratic and the Legislative, ending in a civil war.
The intervention of Walker helped the Democratic party win. Walker was named general of the Nicaraguan army and convinced the Nicaraguan President, Patricio Rivas, of his ideas to establish one single state with all Central American countries. Walker's goal was to lead a slave empire in Central America.
Due to the rising presence of Walker in Nicaragua, the president of Costa Rica at that time, Juan Rafael Mora Porras, created an army of approximately 10,000 men.
On March 4, 1856, the Costa Rican army under the command of General José Joaquín Mora (brother of the President) marched to the border with Nicaragua.
Walker appointed Colonel Louis Schlessinger, a Hungarian soldier, who spoke several languages, including French, German, Spanish, and English, in charge of the invasion. Schlessinger led an army of about 300 soldiers from Germany, France and the U.S. The mercenaries were called Walker's army.
Walker's army entered Costa Rica territory and settled on a property on a large farm, Hacienda Santa Rosa, located in La Cruz Canton, Guanacaste Province.
On March 20, the first and only battle between the invaders led by Walker and the Tico army took place on the farm. "The so-called Battle of Santa Rosa was just 18 minutes when the Costa Ricans defeated Walker's army," the ministry had documented in archives.
This victory was possible because the Ticos ambushed Walker and his army, but many of them managed to escape.
Despite the failure in the battle that forced the invaders to return to Nicaragua. On July 12, 1856, Walker was sworn in as President of Nicaragua.
On Friday, schools across the country celebrated the victory of Costa Rica in the Battle of Santa Rosa.
How would Costa Rica be if the outcome of the battle had been different? We would like to know your thoughts on this story.Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com   
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