Burning of Colón
| Burning of Colón | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of 1885 Colombia civil strife and Panama crisis of 1885 | ||||||||
Sailors of the USS Galena in the 1880s | ||||||||
| ||||||||
| Belligerents | ||||||||
|
Colombia Supported by: Chile | Panamanian rebels | United States | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | ||||||||
|
Rafael Núñez Ramón Santodomingo Vila |
Rafael Aizpuru Pedro Prestan |
Grover Cleveland James Edward Jouett Theodore Kane | ||||||
| Strength | ||||||||
| unknown |
~100 militia 1 artillery piece |
Land: ~500 marines ~200 sailors 2 artillery pieces Sea: 1 frigate 1 steamer | ||||||
| Casualties 18 killed | ||||||||
The Burning of Colón, or the Panama Incident, was a major event of the Colombian Civil War of 1885. Panamanian rebels loyal to Pedro Prestan destroyed the city by committing arson before retreating from a battle with federal Colombian troops. The episode also included a landing by United States Navy sailors and marines from two warships after the rebels seized American citizens.