William Walker was an American physician, lawyer, journalist, and mercenary. In the era of the expansion of the United States, driven by the doctrine of "manifest destiny", Walker organized unauthorized military expeditions into Mexico and Central America with the intention of establishing slaveholding colonies. Such an enterprise was known at the time as "filibustering".
Juan Santamaría Rodríguez was a drummer in the Costa Rican army, officially recognized as the national hero of his country for his actions in the 1856 Second Battle of Rivas, in the Filibuster War. He died in the battle carrying a torch he used to light the enemy stronghold on fire, securing a victory for Costa Rica against American mercenary William Walker and his forces. Thirty five years after his death, he began to be idealized and was used as a propaganda tool to inspire Costa Rican nationalism. A national holiday in Costa Rica, Juan Santamaría Day, is held annually on April 11 to commemorate his death.
Narciso López de Urriola was a Venezuelan-born adventurer and Spanish Army general who is best known for his expeditions aimed at liberating Cuba from Spanish rule in the 1850s. His troops carried a flag that López had designed, which later became the flag of Cuba. Following his final failed attempt he was captured and garroted in Havana.
Patricio Rivas was a wealthy liberal Nicaraguan lawyer and politician, member of the Democratic Party, who served as Acting Supreme Director of Nicaragua from June 30, 1839 to July 27, 1839 and from September 21, 1840 to March 4, 1841. Later he served as a president of one of the several competing governments of Nicaragua from October 30, 1855 to June 24, 1857. However, he was merely a puppet president; rule was held by William Walker.
In the 19th century, Nicaragua was beset by political problems, allowing William Walker, an American Southerner seeking to establish English-speaking slavery states in Latin America, to ascend to the Nicaraguan presidency.
The Second Battle of Rivas occurred on 11 April 1856 between Costa Rican militia under General Juan Rafael Mora Porras and the Nicaraguan forces of American mercenary William Walker. The lesser known First Battle of Rivas took place on the 29 June 1855 between Walker's forces and the forces of the Chamorro government of Nicaragua.
A filibuster, also known as a freebooter, is someone who engages in an unauthorized military expedition into a foreign country or territory to foster or support a political revolution or secession. The term is usually applied to United States citizens who incited insurrections across Latin America, particularly in the mid-19th century, usually with the goal of establishing an American-loyal regime that could later be annexed into the United States. Probably the most notable example is the Filibuster War initiated by William Walker in Nicaragua in the 1850s.
The Filibuster War or Walker affair was a military conflict between filibustering multinational troops stationed in Nicaragua and a coalition of Central American armies. An American mercenary, William Walker, invaded Nicaragua in 1855 with a small private army. He seized control of the country by 1856, but was ousted the following year.
The Democratic Party, renamed in 1893 as the Liberal Party, was a Nicaraguan political party in the 19th century. The power base of the liberal Democratic Party was in the city of León; while their conservative counterparts were centered in Granada. The Democrats were opposed to the Legitimists who expelled the Democrats from the constitutional assembly in 1853, driving them underground or into exile, and promulgated a constitution of 1854.
Florencio Xatruch was a general who led the Honduran expeditionary force against William Walker in Nicaragua in 1856.
The First Battle of Rivas occurred on June 29, 1855, as part of the struggle to resist William Walker, an American filibuster, adventurer and mercenary who arrived in Nicaragua with a small army of mercenaries in June 1855 in support of the Liberal democratic government of General Francisco Castellón in the Nicaraguan civil war. His army, with local support, was able to defeat the Legitimist party (Aristocratic) and conclude the Nicaraguan civil war.
Charles Frederick Henningsen was a Belgian-American writer, mercenary, filibuster, and munitions expert. He participated in revolutions and civil wars in Spain, Circassia, Hungary, Nicaragua, and the United States
Máximo Jerez Tellería was a 19th-century Nicaraguan politician, lawyer and military leader. He is considered to be one of the greatest Liberal political thinkers in Nicaraguan history. He was a leader of the movement towards Central American unity.
Henry Lawrence Kinney was an American politician, military officer, and later filibuster known for founding what became the city of Corpus Christi, Texas. Born in Pennsylvania, Kinney moved to Texas in 1838 and settled near present-day Brownsville. He served in both houses of the Texas Legislature. He was killed in a gunfight in Mexico in 1862. Kinney County, Texas is named for him.
The Battle of La Flor was fought in May 1928 between the United States Marines, their Nicaraguan National Guardsmen allies, and a force of Sandinista rebels. It occurred at a hill north of the La Flor coffee plantation and ended with a rebel victory when the Americans and Nicaraguan National Guard troops were forced to withdraw.
Between 1665 and 1857, Caribbean pirates and filibusters operated in Lake Nicaragua and the surrounding shores. The Spanish city of Granada, located on the lake, was an important trading centre for much of its early history so it was a prime target for pirates such as Welshman Henry Morgan and freebooters like William Walker.
The Battle of San Jacinto took place on the 14 September, 1856, in Hacienda San Jacinto, Managua, Nicaragua. One hundred and sixty soldiers of the Legitimist Septentrion Army, led by Colonel José Dolores Estrada, fought 300 Nicaraguan filibusters of William Walker, led by Lieutenant Colonel Byron Cole. The filibusters were defeated after four hours of combat, between 7:00am and 11:00am.
The Battle of Masaya took place in the small town of Masaya, northwest of William Walker’s filibuster capital, Granada. It was part of Walker’s efforts to dislodge the resurgent Allied Central American Army from its fortifications in Masaya, which lay within a day’s march of his capital. After significant initial filibuster advances were made, Walker’s army was forced to retreat towards Granada after receiving notice that the city was under attack.
The Second Battle of Masaya took place in the town of Masaya, northwest of William Walker’s filibuster capital, Granada. Having fought an inconclusive battle there the previous month, Walker again aimed to capture the valuable fortified town. The assault and subsequent siege of the town was inconclusive, as the heavy losses suffered on both sides still did not produce a definitive result, with Walker’s men withdrawing back to Granada after three days and nights of fighting. This loss drove Walker to not only abandon his vulnerable capital at Granada, but also to burn it to the ground.
The action of 23 November 1856 was a minor naval engagement during the Filibuster War between the Nicaraguan (Filibusters) schooner Granada and the Costa Rican brig Once de Abril, which took place off San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua.
Democrats 
Filibusters 