Violence broke out in and around Panama City, then a part of Columbia, and six white residents of the town were killed in the resulting crossfire. To prevent further bloodshed, sailors and marines from the U.S.S. St Mary's, commanded by Commander William D. Porter, together with men from H.M.S Clio, landed in the town to restore order. They remained in the city for around ten days and re-embarked on October 7, 1860. (By John Osborne)
Source Citation
E. Taylor Parks, Colombia and the United States, 1765-1934 (Durham, NC: Duke University Press,1935), 224.