On March 20, 1856, some 400 mercenaries from the U.S., Germany and France arrived at Hacienda Santa Rosa in northwest Guanacaste.
On March 1, Costa Rica declared war on the new regime in Nicaragua, now run by a thin 32-year-old born in Nashville, Wlliam Walker.
The Costa Rican battle plan was simple, ancient and ruthless: Surround the enemy and attack from the front, left and right, with men lying in wait in the rear to kill or capture those who fled.
Kahler, K. (2015). The Story Santa Rosa: Costa Rica’s stunning 1856 victory in 14-minute battle . Retrieved December 12, 2019, from Webmaster website: https://ticotimes.net/travel/santa-rosa-costa-ricas-stunning-1856-victory-in-14-minute-battle
