On the 11th of June, 1855, he landed with his small force of
sixty-two men at Realijo, on the Nicaraguan coast, and was joined there by
about a hundred of the native rebels.
Making his way inland, his first encounter with the government forces took
place at Rivas, where he met a force of four hundred and eighty men. His
native allies fled at the first shots, but the Americans fought with such
valor and energy that the enemy were defeated with a loss of one-third
their number, his loss being only ten. In a second conflict at Virgin Bay
he was equally successful, and on the 15th of October he captured the
important city of Granada.
These few successes gave him such prestige and brought such aid from the
revolutionists that the opposite party was quite ready for peace, and on
the 25th he made a treaty with General Corral, its leader, which made him
fairly master of the country. He declined the office of president, which
was offered him, but accepted that of generalissimo of the republic, an
office better suited to maintain his position. His rapid success brought
him not only the support of the liberal faction, but attracted recruits
from the United States, who made their way into the country from the east
and the west alike until he had a force of twelve hundred Americans under
his command.
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