Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Mexico 1865.

This is coolbert:

As extracted to a large extent in entirety and without shame from the outstanding Internet web site The Mad Monarchist we have:

"Foreign Influence in the Mexican Empire"

Particular emphasis in this instance to American involvement in what is variously described as "The second French intervention in Mexico/Maximilian Affair/Mexican Adventure/the War of the French Intervention/the Franco-Mexican War/the Second Franco-Mexican War" The Mexican republicans of Juarez versus the French imperialism of Napoleon III

American military involvement extensive and highly instrumental to the final victory of the Mexican republican forces.

From the Mad Monarchist:

"Most of the non-Mexican forces among the republicans of Benito Juarez were Americans, predominately former U.S. Army troops from north of the Mason-Dixon line who viewed the French Emperor Napoleon III as their enemy because of his perceived sympathy with the Confederacy of southern states. The establishment of a monarchy in Mexico was also seen by many in the northern states as a challenge to American republicanism and a threat to U.S. domination of North America. A large percentage of those Union troops who went to Mexico to fight for Juarez were African-Americans who tended to be even more sympathetic to Juarez than their other comrades in blue, seeing him, a Zapotec Indian, and his fight against the Austrian Maximilian as a struggle by a dark-skinned native against White, European domination"

"Although thousands of American veterans served with Juarez, the greatest support from the United States was not in men but in weapons, uniforms, equipment and the diplomatic pressure they brought to Paris to force Napoleon III to withdraw his support for Maximilian and his struggling empire . . .  It must have seemed a strange sight given the long history of antagonism between the United States and Mexico to see so many Mexican troops who could have been mistaken for U.S. Army regulars, wearing complete U.S. Army uniforms, carrying American rifles, complete with ammo boxes and belt buckles stamped 'US'”

. . . .

"About the only foreign country solidly on the side of the Mexican republicans was the United States but, of course, that was the one country that mattered the most for Mexico . . . This is important to remember since the conflict in Mexico is so often portrayed as 'Mexico versus the foreigners' . . . the ultimate victory of the republic of Benito Juarez is owed entirely to the United States. Mexican patriots would do well to give that some serious thought even today."

Counter-insurgency units of Emperor Maximilian and the French army using draconian and scorched-earth methods to fight the republicans and those allied with them.  See previous blog entries regarding this topic also thanks in each instance to Mad Monarchist:

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/10/red-devils.html

http://militaryanalysis.blogspot.com/2016/10/dupin.html

coolbert.

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