The Panama Crisis of 1885 was an intervention by the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

during a rebellion in

Panama Panama, officially the Republic of Panama, is a country in Latin America at the southern end of Central America, bordering South America. It is bordered by Costa Rica to the west, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north, and ...

, at the time part of

Colombia Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...

, and an ensuing show of force by

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in western South America. It is the southernmost country in the world and the closest to Antarctica, stretching along a narrow strip of land between the Andes, Andes Mountains and the Paci ...

in support of the Colombian government.

Background

The 1846

Mallarino–Bidlack Treaty The Mallarino–Bidlack Treaty (also known as the Bidlack Treaty and Treaty of New Granada) was a treaty signed between New Granada (today Colombia and Panama) and the United States, on December 12, 1846.Kellogg Institute at the University of Notr ...

, signed by

Republic of New Granada The Republic of New Granada was a Centralism, centralist unitary republic consisting primarily of present-day Colombia and Panama with smaller portions of today's Costa Rica, Ecuador, Venezuela, Peru and Brazil that existed from 1831 to 1858. ...

(

and

) and the

, obligated the United States to maintain "neutrality" in the Colombian state of

in exchange for transit rights in the isthmus on behalf of Colombia. Chile's influence in the region followed its victory in the

War of the Pacific The War of the Pacific (), also known by War of the Pacific#Etymology, multiple other names, was a war between Chile and a Treaty of Defensive Alliance (Bolivia–Peru), Bolivian–Peruvian alliance from 1879 to 1884. Fought over Atacama Desert ...

. In this war, Chile defeated

Bolivia Bolivia, officially the Plurinational State of Bolivia, is a landlocked country located in central South America. The country features diverse geography, including vast Amazonian plains, tropical lowlands, mountains, the Gran Chaco Province, w ...

and

Peru Peru, officially the Republic of Peru, is a country in western South America. It is bordered in the north by Ecuador and Colombia, in the east by Brazil, in the southeast by Bolivia, in the south by Chile, and in the south and west by the Pac ...

and gained large swathes of territory from both, removing Bolivia's access to the sea. U.S. sympathies lay with Bolivia and Peru, and Chile rejected American attempts to mediate. A Peruvian attempt to cede a naval base to the U.S. in

Chimbote Chimbote ; ) is a city in northwestern Peru. It is the largest city in the Ancash Region and the List of cities in Peru, tenth most populous in Peru. With a population of 425,367 in 2017, it is the capital of both Santa Province and Chimbote Dist ...

Bay in 1881 was blocked when Chile, learning of the deal, sent marines to occupy Chimbote.

Panama Crisis

In March 1885 Colombia thinned its military presence in Panama by sending troops who had been stationed there to fight rebels in Cartagena as part of the

Colombian Civil War (1884–1885) The Colombian Civil War of 1884–1885 was a conflict that took place in the United States of Colombia (present-day Colombia and Panama). It was the result of the reaction of the Radical faction of the Colombian Liberal Party, which did not agree w ...

. These favourable conditions prompted an insurgency in Panama. The

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

was sent there to keep order, in light of invoking its obligations according to the treaty signed in 1846. The

North Atlantic Squadron The North Atlantic Squadron was a section of the United States Navy operating in the North Atlantic. It was renamed as the North Atlantic Fleet in 1902. In 1905 the European and South Atlantic squadrons were abolished and absorbed into the No ...

of the U.S. Navy, commanded by Rear Admiral James E. Jouett, was ordered to deploy to Panama with the orders to protect American lives and property and to ensure free transit across the isthmus of Panama, while respecting the sovereignty of the Colombian government. A battalion of 234 marines was organized by Major

Charles Heywood Major General Charles Heywood (October 3, 1839 – February 26, 1915) was the ninth Commandant of the Marine Corps. He served as an officer for over 45 years and was the first Marine to reach the rank of major general. During Heywood's term a ...

, and these were eventually joined by another two battalions, under Heywood's overall command as the head of a provisional Marine brigade. It was the first time that the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

assembled a

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

level formation. Along with Heywood there was also another future

Commandant of the Marine Corps Commandant of the Marine Corps may refer to: * Commandant of the Marine Corps (Indonesia) * Commandant of the Netherlands Marine Corps * Commandant of the Philippine Marine Corps * Commandant of the Republic of Korea Marine Corps * Commandant of th ...

, then-First Lieutenant George F. Elliott, deployed in the marine force. The landing force was under the overall command of Navy Commander Bowman H. McCalla. On 7 April, the

screw sloop A screw sloop is a propeller-driven sloop-of-war. They were popularized in the mid-19th century, during the introduction of the steam engine and the transition of fleets to this new technology. The sailing sloop The British sloop in the Age o ...

USS ''Shenandoah'' arrived in

Panama City Panama City, also known as Panama, is the capital and largest city of Panama. It has a total population of 1,086,990, with over 2,100,000 in its metropolitan area. The city is located at the Pacific Ocean, Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal, i ...

and three days later, other American ships started arriving in

Colón, Panama Colón () is a city and Port#Seaport, seaport in Panama, beside the Caribbean Sea, lying near the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal. It is the capital of Panama's Colón Province and has traditionally been known as Panama's se ...

. On 27 April a force of marines was landed in Panama City to help suppress rebels who had taken over the city when local troops had moved out to deal with a revolt in Colón. The next day, federal troops from Colombia arrived from Buenaventura, Colombia's nearest Pacific port. By this time, there was also a small force of the National Army of Colombia supported by a strong contingent of American troops in Colón. In response to the American intervention,

sent the

protected cruiser Protected cruisers, a type of cruiser of the late 19th century, took their name from the armored deck, which protected vital machine-spaces from fragments released by explosive shells. Protected cruisers notably lacked a belt of armour alon ...

, arriving on April 28. The ''Esmeralda''s captain was ordered to stop by any means an eventual annexation of Panama by the United States.William Sater, ''Chile and the United States: Empires in Conflict'' (Athens, GA: University of Georgia Press, 1990), 52. . According to a U.S. publication in August 1885, right after the Panama events, " he ''Esmeralda''could destroy our whole navy, ship by ship and never be touched once." By the time the ''Esmeralda'' arrived to Panama, however, the conflict had already been resolved as the United States withdrew from Panama and the Colombian government retook control of the city on April 30th.

Aftermath

Commander Bowman McCalla submitted a report to the

United States Secretary of the Navy The Secretary of the Navy (SECNAV) is a statutory officer () and the head (chief executive officer) of the United States Department of the Navy, Department of the Navy, a military department within the United States Department of Defense. On Mar ...

on the performance of the Marines during the expedition. He criticized the Marines for their lack of training in land warfare, especially in tactics and their handling of machine guns and artillery, and concluded that they spent too much time in barracks when they could be training. McCalla proposed having annual war games with the fleet and the

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

that would prepare marines for expeditionary operations. These changes were rejected at the time by the Commandant of the Marine Corps, Charles Grymes McCawley, who held the view that the marines must prioritize the limited duties of providing security aboard ships and at naval bases rather than landing operations. For the rest of the 1880s and 1890s, up until the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

, McCawley and his successor Charles Heywood continued to maintain these as the key missions of the Corps, as they believed that if the expeditionary role of the Marine Corps was developed, the branch risked being absorbed into the Army.

Notes

{{reflist 1885 in Colombia 1885 in Panama Chile–Colombia relations Chile–United States relations Colombia–United States relations 1885 in Chile 1885 in the United States History of United States expansionism United States Marine Corps in the 18th and 19th centuries Military history of the Pacific Ocean Military history of the Atlantic Ocean

Background

Panama Crisis

Aftermath

See also

Notes