Cinco de Mayo and The Civil War

For many Americans and Latinos living in the United States Cinco de Mayo (May 5th) is a day of celebration, cultural awareness and great importance in Mexican History. The date is actually a rememberance of the Battle of Puebla which was fought in 1862 by revolutionary/republican forces loyal to Benito Juarez against the French. Contrary to the sense of some, this event is not Mexican Independence Day which is actually on September 16th. It is helpful to understand that Cinco de Mayo did not occur in a vacuum, it can be seen in the context of great events that occurred during this era. The most important of these events is the American Civil War although events in Europe were a major factor as well. Before we consider those outside factors it is vital to refresh our memories on the relevant aspects of Mexican History.

The Mexican Revolution began on September 16th, 1810 when Father Miguel y Hildago Castillo uttered his famous, "Grito de Dolores" call which could be very loosely interpreted as a, "tearful cry for independence" from Imperial Spain. The time was ripe for this ideal of freedom because Spain was badly weakened after Napoleon I's 1808 invasion which led to, "The Peninsular War" (France vs. Spain, Portugal & England). Although Spain with the help of England eventually drove the French out, liberal and Enlightenment concepts somewhat ironically were spread in part by Napoleon's soldiers. In fact, liberal revolutions spread all across Latin America during this period. In the case of Mexico, it took a very long time, victory and independence finally came on September 27th, 1821.

The Civil War (1861-65) was fought during the same period as the struggling Mexican Republic strove to throw off the rule of Maximilian, a Hapsburg noble and naval officer who was placed on the throne of Mexico by Napoleon III. This nephew of the great Bonaparte had little of his uncle's genius in battle or politics although he did on occasion match the first Napoleon in deviousness. The problems for Mexico began because that nation was greatly in debt to England and France. While England decided to withdraw, or rather not to invade to enforce monetary claims, Napoleon III decided to use the debt problem as a reason to stay. The Battle of Puebla was fought at a time when the French forces were uncertain whether to return to the coast at Vera Cruz or proceed and take Mexico City. 4,000 Mexican revolutionary/rebels loyal to Benito Juarez did defeat 8,000 French at Puebla. However; eventually the French took Mexico City, won the war and Maximilian came to power. In spite of being a somewhat well-meaning ruler who instituted a few liberal reforms his rule was consistently opposed until he found himself in front of a firing squad in 1867. Oddly enough, the same type of resistance arose in Spain against Napoleon I's brother, Joseph when he supplanted an almost totally misguided monarchy (on the orders of his powerful brother). This is a good example of nationalism whether or not a new regime placed in power has some good ideas. Joseph (and many members of this large, Corsican family) did survive his famous brother.

Texas was a Confederate state. This posed a problem for Abraham Lincoln and an opportunity for Jefferson Davis. The last thing Lincoln and the North wanted to see was an alliance between the South and Maximilian.
In this the United States was greatly helped by the diplomatic ambivalence towards the Confederacy on the part of Great Britain. While England needed Southern cotton and felt some sympathy and admiration for the Confederacy, British liberals were determined that the South would not be diplomatically recognized due to slavery. The South had dreams of taking a big chunk of the South-West (as the United States had done during the Mexican-American War of 1846-48) but the Rebels never got farther than a brief penetration of New Mexico early in the war. However; Texas supplied troops, beef, and other foodstuffs to the Confederate war effort. In addition there was a busy, thriving trade between the Southern Rebels and Mexico along that border.

Napoleon III and his wife Eugenie were more sympathetic to the South than the British. Yet, there were other great events in Europe that caused Napoleon to waffle (much to the frustration of Confederate envoys)and constantly look warily over his imperial shoulder. Otto von Bismark as Foreign Minister and then Chancellor was in the process of unifying Germany and Prussia. Using a squabble involving noble titles as a pretext he grabbed the provinces of Schleweig and Holstein from Denmark. Thus, Germany was growing stronger (and would come to prove it in three major European wars) while Napoleon felt a little shaky on his throne. In addition; Czar Alexander II of Russia granted increased but limited freedoms to the serfs. This moved the Russia closer to the North and proved to be another diplomatic headache for the South.

Lincoln wanted to knock Texas out of the war for both geo-political and strategic reasons. The North found ways to support Benito Juarez and his revolutionaries against Maximilian. The President felt that the time had come once General U.S. Grant took Vicksburg on the Mississippi River on July 4th, 1863 (one day after General Robert E. Lee suffered defeat at Gettysburg). The Confederacy was effectively cut in half with Union control of the great river. The president determined that the, "Trans-Mississippi Department" of the severed Confederacy be conquered over the objections of many of his generals who preferred to go after Mobile, Alabama. Once decided, the thing became much harder to do than anticipated leading to many spectacular Union defeats. The worst was an expedition up the Red River led by General Nathaniel P. Banks. The Red did all it could not to cooperate and Banks was basically routed and humilated by Confederate General Richard Taylor who had learned the art of war from Stonewall Jackson and was a grandson of President Zachary Taylor. Other blows to the Union cause were dealt by Gen. John B. Magruder (who had been transferred to Texas after becoming rattled during the brutal Seven Days battles in Virginia). Still, the North gained some foot-holds on the Texas coast which while not important in the military sense did provide some political or diplomatic relief. The Rebel general who was in charge of the Trans-Mississippi, Kirby Smith never lost Texas or much of the surrounding areas to the North. The other Southern state that was never conquered was Florida.

As we know, the South lost the war. In a stubborn, bitter-ender sort of way Confederate General Jo Shelby and a few hundred of his troopers crossed the Rio Grande and tossed their battle flags into the river. He offered his services to Maximilian who rather wisely declined but granted the Rebels some lands. This leads to another bit of romance about the Civil War and Mexico. There are small towns in the mountains near Vera Cruz and Guadalajara where blue-eyed blond people can be found. It may be myth or it may be reality but it is possible that these people are descendents of Confederates and possibly Mennonites (a pacifist, Christian sect). Once all Confederate armies surrendered and the South was fully subdued, the United States ordered troops to patrol the border between Mexico and the now re-unified United States to keep Napoleon III and Maximilian in check. Benito Juarez never cooperated with the French and was re-elected President of Mexico in a disputed election in 1867.

It is an unfortunately true fact that problems remain between the United States and Mexico. Cinco de Mayo is celebrated as a fusion of the two cultures. Beyond that we should recall that the two nations, the two peoples are linked in history and that the future calls to us to remember that we live on the same continent. It will be in the best interest of all to cooperate, to attempt to understand each other and work together as peoples of the Americas. So, enjoy Cinco de Mayo and remember that it is part of a bigger picture -common to us all.

Note: I plan to post future, "blogs" on the Civil War as we pass various annniversaries of that massive conflict that did so much to change America while leaving other differences in our polity still pending. In addition; I would like to discuss the career of Aaron Burr as it pertains to his two main foes, Thomas Jefferson and Alexander Hamilton (who represented opposing traditions in American politics that we argue about to this day).