The third point of attack on the 11th was the house of Santa Ursula.
Martinez directed the Allies on that side; but he was not more fortunate
than Mora—for José Joaquin Mora was now commander-in-chief of the
Allies—on the south or than Zavala on the north. The men Martinez sent
against Santa Ursula did not make as bold a dash as did the Costa
Ricans at the house on the south side of the Plaza, nor did they expose
themselves as unnecessarily as the Guatemalans in front of McMichael
and McEachin; but the number of dead they left on the field when they
retired showed that Chatfield and the men at Santa Ursula had not missed
opportunities for weakening the enemy. The repulse of the Allies was
complete on all sides; and when they fell back, it was clear that they
were much exhausted and demoralized.
The loss of the Americans on the 11th of April was small, being the same
as on the 23d of March three killed and six wounded. The loss of the
Allies was even greater than at the previous attack. After the enemy
retired 110 of their dead were buried by the Americans; the wounded
prisoners were sent to the Allied camp under a flag of truce, and upward
of 70 unhurt prisoners retained. In addition to the dead found by the
Nicaraguans, nearly one hundred bodies were seen the day after in the
Allied camp, so that the killed exceeded 200. The whole loss must have
amounted to 700 or 800; and the weakness of the enemy for several days
was very apparent to the troops in Rivas. In addition to the prisoners
taken by the Americans, 250 small arms, many of them Minié muskets, and
some ammunition, were picked up on the field. The Minié muskets were
those which had been taken from the steamer La Virgen at the time of her
capture by Spencer; and the ammunition also was of that the Costa Ricans
had got with the Minié muskets.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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