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vessel. Gaining soldiers from the local population, Bonilla's rebels captured
Trujillo and Iriona, and cemented their victory at the Battle of La Ceiba on January 25, 1911. Christmas used his machine guns for fire support of the infantry with interlocking fields of fire, inflicting some six hundred
281:
desired to change regimes in
Honduras, because Dávila's government was planning financial deals that would increase Zemurray's business costs. Zemurray hired Christmas to organize a military coup that would install Bonilla back in power, against the wishes of the United States government. Christmas
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until 1897, when he fell asleep at the controls after 54 hours on duty and caused a collision with an oncoming train. He was fired by
Illinois Central and found odd jobs for the next three years, until he demanded an investigation of his collision. Because he had been on duty for 54 hours, he was
215:. Again employed as a railroad engineer, his train was captured by rebels at Laguna Trestle on April 14, 1897, and Christmas joined their cause. He exhibited dashing bravery in his first battle on that day, and was congratulated by the revolution's leader,
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After
Bonilla's death in 1913, Christmas lost his influence and worked odd jobs. He attempted to volunteer for World War I, but was rejected because he was over 50 years old. He eventually acquired patents as an inventor, developing a
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The
University of Tennessee has papers donated by Mrs. Marion Samson of Abilene, Texas in 1958. They include correspondence to and from Christmas, and an invitation to his wedding to Ida Culotta at
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Marion Samson
Collection of General Lee Christmas and President William Walker, MS-0014. University of Tennessee Libraries, Knoxville, Special Collections. Used with permission.
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This is believed to be the first time automatic weapons were so used, and La Ceiba was studied by military professionals in Europe and the
Americas. This tactical use of
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234:, in May 1902. Defecting again in 1903, Christmas accepted a position as aide to rebel Bonilla. When Bonilla became president of Honduras, he appointed Christmas a
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Marion Samson
Collection of General Lee Christmas and President William Walker, MS-0014. University of Tennessee Libraries, Knoxville, Special Collections
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472:"LEE CHRISTMAS DIES, SOLDIER OF FORTUNE; General Succumbs in New Orleans to Disease Contracted in Central America Jungles"
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The group attempted revolution a second time the following year, with a reorganized force using US Army surplus
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Christmas lived in New
Orleans, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, attempting various investments and business schemas.
290:. Zemurray supplied the weapons and transportation. Their first attempt at revolution in 1910 was a failure.
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238:. Perhaps to assert his toughness or to intimidate the natives, Christmas had been known to chew on glass.
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exonerated, but then was unable to be re-hired as an engineer because he could not pass a new test for
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that needed no bait, and a railroad safety device to prevent accidents when engineers fell asleep.
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219:. He earned the nickname "the Incredible Yanqui", and Bonilla immediately made him an officer.
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Christmas was widely written about in his lifetime, and is believed to be the inspiration for
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The fish that ate the whale: the life and times of
America's banana king
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Christmas defected to the government forces in 1899 and was appointed a
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Mercenary: The hard-drinking drifter who changed the fate of a nation
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Lee Christmas was born on February 2, 1863, on a plantation on the
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Inevitable Revolutions: The United States in Central America
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hired about 100 mercenaries in New Orleans, including famed
534:(1931), Hermann Bacher Deutsch, Longmans, Green and Company
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While in Central America, Christmas began to suffer from
163:. As a young man, he worked as a pilot on tugboats on
139:(February 2, 1863 – January 21, 1924), was an American
249:. Christmas was wounded in the fighting and exiled to
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531:The Incredible Yanqui: The Career of Lee Christmas
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340:some months later, on January 21, 1924, of acute
167:and later became a railroad brakeman living in
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556:The Hoghead Who Became Dictator of Honduras.
177:Louisville, New Orleans and Texas Railroad
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601:People from Livingston Parish, Louisiana
245:in 1907 led to his overthrow by General
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309:would become standard practice in the
581:20th-century deaths from tuberculosis
540:(2015), David Gaughran, Lexington, KY
302:casualties on the government forces.
211:In November 1894, Christmas moved to
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551:"From a Whorehouse to a White House"
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265:Christmas led a coup that installed
190:Christmas ran locomotives between
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616:American expatriates in Honduras
611:Tuberculosis deaths in Louisiana
175:in 1879. He helped to build the
241:Bonilla's abortive invasion of
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344:brought about by the disease.
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591:American locomotive engineers
297:and transported on a former
295:Colt Model 1895 machine guns
161:Livingston Parish, Louisiana
56:Livingston Parish, Louisiana
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606:People of the Banana Wars
479:. New Orleans. 1924-01-22
28:
430:, January 22, 1924, p. 9
273:In 1910, banana magnate
269:as president of Honduras
364:Puerto Cortés, Honduras
226:and chief of police of
213:Puerto Cortes, Honduras
173:Illinois Central System
133:Leon Winfield Christmas
42:Leon Winfield Christmas
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78:New Orleans, Louisiana
349:Richard Harding Davis
279:Cuyamel Fruit Company
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151:Early life and career
596:American mercenaries
460:. 2nd Edition, p. 45
389:Cohen, Rich (2012).
183:and was promoted to
357:Soldiers of Fortune
169:McComb, Mississippi
586:American inventors
514:2011-07-16 at the
445:2011-07-16 at the
299:United States Navy
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257:Battle of La Ceiba
165:Lake Pontchartrain
103:Battle of La Ceiba
95:in Central America
60:Confederate States
16:American mercenary
406:978-1-250-03331-4
135:, usually called
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201:color-blindness
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72:(1924-01-21)
576:1924 deaths
571:1863 births
366:, in 1914.
338:New Orleans
228:Tegucigalpa
196:New Orleans
187:by age 22.
157:Amite River
113:Ida Culotta
565:Categories
483:2021-03-22
370:References
288:Sam Dreben
171:, for the
89:Occupation
48:1863-02-02
415:809411728
351:' novels
251:Guatemala
243:Nicaragua
141:mercenary
93:Mercenary
512:Archived
443:Archived
286:soldier
185:engineer
397:Picador
324:rattrap
236:general
224:colonel
192:Memphis
181:fireman
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342:anemia
284:Jewish
108:Spouse
119:(
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411:OCLC
401:ISBN
355:and
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67:Died
38:Born
277:of
159:in
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377:^
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121:m.
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46:(
Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
