Ramón Belloso

Ramón Belloso (1810 – 27 June 1858) was a Salvadoran military officer born in

San Salvador San Salvador () is the Capital city, capital and the largest city of El Salvador and its San Salvador Department, eponymous department. It is the country's largest agglomeration, serving as the country's political, cultural, educational and fin ...

who helped expel the

filibuster A filibuster is a political procedure in which one or more members of a legislative body prolong debate on proposed legislation so as to delay or entirely prevent a decision. It is sometimes referred to as "talking a bill to death" or "talking ...

William Walker William Walker may refer to: Arts * William Walker (engraver) (1791–1867), mezzotint engraver of portrait of Robert Burns * William Sidney Walker (1795–1846), English Shakespearean critic * William Walker (composer) (1809–1875), American Bap ...

from

Nicaragua Nicaragua, officially the Republic of Nicaragua, is the geographically largest Sovereign state, country in Central America, comprising . With a population of 7,142,529 as of 2024, it is the third-most populous country in Central America aft ...

. In the presence of

in Nicaragua, on June 25, 1856, the supreme head of El Salvador made a proclamation where he declared war on the invader: :''No Central American who has feelings of patriotism can remain a cold spectator of such a scandalous attack, and the government of El Salvador is no longer only ready to powerfully assist the Government and people of Nicaragua, but to raise its protest and voice before the civilized nations of Europe and America... To arms: the Homeland orders us to fight as good and loyal children of its own..."''. As a representative of the Salvadoran government forces, Belloso arrived in León among expressions of sympathy on July 12. On the 18th, El Salvador,

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Ocean at the Gulf of Fonseca, ...

and

Guatemala Guatemala, officially the Republic of Guatemala, is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico, to the northeast by Belize, to the east by Honduras, and to the southeast by El Salvador. It is hydrologically b ...

jointly declared war on the illegitimate 'government' of the

usurper A usurper is an illegitimate or controversial claimant to power, often but not always in a monarchy. In other words, one who takes the power of a country, city, or established region for oneself, without any formal or legal right to claim it a ...

Walker.

Patricio Rivas Patricio Rivas (1810 – July 12, 1867) was a wealthy liberal Nicaraguan lawyer and politician, member of the Democratic Party (Nicaragua), Democratic Party, who served as Acting President of Nicaragua, Supreme Director of Nicaragua from June 30, ...

, recognized as the legitimate President of Nicaragua, appointed Belloso General-in-Chief of the allied forces on the 27th of that same month; despite this, there were signs of disagreement by the Guatemalan military delegate. However, Belloso filed his offices so that local political rivals reached an agreement to fight against the filibuster. Gradually the allied forces advanced over the territory: after taking

Managua Managua () is the capital city, capital and largest city of Nicaragua, and one of the List of largest cities in Central America, largest cities in Central America. Located on the shores of Lake Managua, the city had an estimated population of 1, ...

(September 24) they passed to

Masaya Masaya () is the capital city of Masaya Department in Nicaragua. It is situated approximately 14 km west of Granada, Nicaragua, Granada and 31 km southeast of Managua. It is located just east of the Masaya Volcano, an active volcano ...

(October 2) without the filibusters presenting resistance. These withdrew to

Granada Granada ( ; ) is the capital city of the province of Granada, in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Andalusia, Spain. Granada is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevada (Spain), Sierra Nevada mountains, at the confluence ...

and attempted a failed attack on the allies. Another attempt was made on November 15 with no results. At that time, a plague of

cholera Cholera () is an infection of the small intestine by some Strain (biology), strains of the Bacteria, bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea last ...

spread in Central America. Subsequently, the

Costa Rica Costa Rica, officially the Republic of Costa Rica, is a country in Central America. It borders Nicaragua to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the northeast, Panama to the southeast, and the Pacific Ocean to the southwest, as well as Maritime bo ...

m troops were placed under the command of Belloso on November 7; the filibusters, already in a demoralized state, destroyed Granada on the 20th of that month reducing it to ruins. Belloso attacked on the 24th and his troops evicted the filibusters three days later. However, he faced new internal disputes of the political factions and new disobedience to his command. The conflict continued with Walker's factions resisting until he was finally captured by U.S. forces and taken prisoner to the United States (December 12, 1857). On March 16, 1857, Belloso was received with samples of joy in

Cojutepeque Cojutepeque () is the capital city of El Salvador's Cuscatlán department. It also served as the capital of San Salvador during several years. It also serves as the administrative centre for the surrounding municipality of Cojutepeque. Its popu ...

. The following month he was sent to make an inventory of the troops in Nicaragua.

Gerardo Barrios José Gerardo Barrios Espinoza (September/October 1813 – 29 August 1865) was a Salvadoran military officer and politician who served as president of El Salvador on three occasions between June 1858 and his overthrow in October 1863. Born in 1 ...

was for that time head of the Salvadoran army in that same country. Once Belloso arrived to fulfill his mission, he learned of Barrios' intentions to overthrow the then-president Rafael Campo. Belloso refused and left back for El Salvador to report on Barrios' plans. On the other hand, the soldiers who returned with this soldier from Nicaragua spread cholera in the country. The Salvadoran president along with Belloso prepared to face the Barrios rebellion, but in the end he declined his claims. On June 16, 1857, Belloso was granted the withdrawal from active service in recognition of his military campaigns and loyalty to the government. At the same time, cholera disease was risening in the country, taking victims from all social strata, including Belloso who died on June 27. Salvadoran military personnel 1810 births 1858 deaths Deaths from cholera {{ElSalvador-bio-stub