The Creoles, thinking of their own interests and gains as a result of slavery, did favor the US expansionists. They reasoned: "Negroes are not an obstacle to liberty on the political rights of the Americans; where the Negroes are not an instrument in the hands of the government to terrify and subjugate its citizens; where the Negroes are not an inexhaustible mine of taxes and contributions."
But"
**
And before Walker"
General Narciso Lopez leaves New Orleans on a steamboat while a crowd a cheers him on his journey toward Cuba. DeBow's message worked: the Americans on the docks, waving and shouting, recognized their future on border the Pompero. Cuba had to be invaded !
And the plan of invasion almost workedif not for a conspiracy that robbed America of its rightful destiny, of course!
Nonetheless, the newspaper, the Delta, writing of the concerns of US citizens fearing a battle with Spain soldiers, let alone, undead Blacks, articulated a drying up of the funds for the continuation of Lopez's journey. It was illegal, as Johnson explains, to "cold-call donors or soldiers." So Lopez turned his attention to nonslaveholding white menthat class of men, struggling to be at the top of the food chain where sat slaveholders.
Much of Lopez's work was already done for him since the pursuit of wealth and power had been embedded in American culture. Lopez was left to capitalized on exploiting these nonslaveholding white men, most of whom wanted desperately to join Jefferson's dream, or at least contribute to the destiny that is America.
Bricklayers, farmers, and others of the nonslaveholding class put their "lives in jeopardy" to join Lopez's army in the summer of 1851, expecting, in turn, $4,000 "in bonds payable by the revolutionary government of Cuba." (Like "the Wall," to be paid for my Mexico!). Have no fear, otherwise! "One American was equal to ten Spaniards"!
Of course, the Indigenous were not consulted. After all, why wouldn't they prefer the rule of the Americans as opposed to the Spaniards? Word went out that "Cuban patriots" would welcome the North Americans with open arms, reasoned men like Lopez. For the "cause of liberty," the Indigenous would be willing to join an armed insurrection, of questionable characters. Wouldn't they?
However, as Johnson notes, it was all a scam. Lopez's greed blinded his vision of the scammers. In other words, he couldn't see the greed motivating the people setting him off on such a dangerous mission. The even greedier exploiters, however, determined at all cost to conqueror Central America with whatever fool would sign up. Drawing Lopez "further and further into their confidence" the "organizers" unfurling lie after lie about the existence of ahead of "invasion plans" and "stores of guns and ammunition."
There were even 14,000 supporters of Lopez's mission on the island just waiting for him to arrive. Or so Lopez was led to belief.
On August 3, 1851, "at four o' clock in the morning," the Pampero sets sail for Cuba. But the steamboat was already ailing: "her machinery needed repairs that the general," writes Johnson, "operating under the threat of federal seizure, didn't have time to make." Five days out, the coal is running low.
News in the Delta , nonetheless, sings praise of the general and his men.
When the steamboat arrives at Las Pozas, mosquitoes greet them with glee! Oppressive heat bear hugs them. Lopez and his men are forced to dump their gear, including weaponry, along the way, as they walked in search of a safe location to camp. The "unique mangoes" caught their attention and, despite warnings from Lopez, many of the men ate of the fruit.
Realizing he was witnessing "indiscipline and insubordination of ill-trained soldiers," the general pleas with his men to think of survival.
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