Papers Relating to the Foreign Relations of the United States, Transmitted to Congress, With the Annual Message of the President, December 8, 1885

No. 166.

Mr. Scruggs to Mr. Bayard.

[Extract.]

Legation of the United States,
Bogota, September 17, 1885. (Received October 26.)

No. 234.]

Sir: The capture of the rebel flotilla and the opening of the Magdalena River to navigation, as reported in my No. 230, of the 29th August last, is now confirmed by official reports. The report of the capture of Ricardo Gaitan, the “general” in command of the rebel forces on the river, was, however, premature. It was another Gaitan who was captured. Ricardo made his escape, and is now supposed to be somewhere in the State of Antioquia.

With the exception of a few small bands of guerrillas in the remote districts (which are rapidly disappearing) the civil war is considered over for the present. I say “for the present,” because there seems to be a very general impression here that we are to have another “revolution” soon. * * * *

I have, &c.,

WILLIAM L. SCRUGGS.