Christophe Vuillaumes efterslægt - Christensen, Erichsen ...

He sent an officer (the same Thomas Montilla whom he bad sent to general Miranda in June 1812, after his
desertion from Porto Cabello) to the government at Carthagena, in order to demand from it arms, ammunition,
&c. of which be was in great need, as he pretended, to enable him to carry on the siege of Santa Martha. This
demand greatly surprised the government of Carthagena, as its members were well aware that general Bolivar
was amply provided with all the necessary means to besiege Santa Martha; it appeared to them strange, too,
that the general sent this letter after a stay of about a fortnight at Mompox, and that he had not applied in
embarking at Honda. More strange did it appear to them, how he should not have known as positively as they
did in Carthagena, the miserable state of Santa Martha, and the readiness of its inhabitants to open the gates to
him as soon as he should present himself with an imposing number of troops. All these considerations together
gave rise to many suspicions, and the men best informed, considering the character of general Bolivar,
suspected ―that his real intention was to render himself master of Carthagena, to displace Castillo, and to
punish him in revenge for the affront received in January 1813; to change afterwards the existing government
in recalling the banished brothers Pineres, and finally to march with the troops of Carthagena united with his
own, and the means which this well furnished fortress could afford him, a second time against Caracas to free
his native land, and then re-establish his lost dictatorship.
As soon as this letter was received, the general Manuel Castillo and the lieutenant colonel Marino Montilla
(brother of Thomas) at that time a bitter enemy to Bolivar, suggested to the governor, what might be the real
intentions of the general. It was, therefore, concluded to send an officer who could be relied on to general
Bolivar at Mompox. The bearer of these letters was one of the aid-de-camps of general Castillo, captain
Manuel Davilla. - The general wrote in his letter to Bolivar: that he would supply him, with pleasure, with all
that he wanted; he would find in the magazine at Savanilla, a small fort and sea port at twenty leagues distant
from Mompox, between that city and Santa Martha, all that he demanded, and that he, Castillo, had already
delivered the necessary orders to that effect; he could nevertheless assure him positively by all the secret
intelligences received from Santa Martha, that its inhabitants were waiting for him, and his army, and ready to
open the gates as soon as he would present himself. He added: ―he could easily convince himself of the truth,
if he would solely advance with his troops, as far as the banks of the Cienega river,‖ &c.
The governor Juan de Dios Amador confirmed, in a separate letter, all that general Castillo had stated, and
urged Bolivar in a very pathetic and strong, but obliging manner to lose not a single moment in advancing
against Santa Martha, the inhabitants of which would receive him as their liberator.
Captain Davilla met with a very harsh reception in delivering his letters to general Bolivar, who was still at
Mompox. When Davilla came back to Carthagena he repeated to various of his friends some expressions
which were not very polite, nor worthy to be used in the ordinary way of conversation. He added that various
of Bolivar's officers insulted him, and proposed to the general to arrest and treat him as a spy, sent expressly
from Carthagena to examine what was passing in their head quarters! This party spirit, this hatred, this
unworthy treatment of an officer in mission, deserving at least a civil, though it should be a cool reception, was
communicated from the commander-in-chief to the subalterns, and showed clearly the vindictive character of
Bolivar against Castillo and all who came from him. Davilla was dismissed without any answer!
The festivals, balls, dinners, &c. at Mompox, of which Bolivar is a passionate friend, lasted during the whole
time of his stay; and the attack upon Santa Martha was delayed. It appears that in leaving Mompox, he had
already determined to act hostilely against Carthagena; and in descending the river from Mompox to
Magdalena, he gave orders to seize all the armed gun-boats which general Castillo had established on the
river, to keep the communication open between Carthagena, Honda, and Bogota. He declared the officers to be
his prisoners, and gave the command to others chosen out of his army. This manifestly hostile act against
Carthagena showed clearly his real intentions.
He debarked his troops at the little fort called Carabano, and instead of marching directly against Santa
Martha, where all were in the greatest consternation, he left it behind and directed his inarch through
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