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The Mexican-Confederate War was a military conflict that occurred from January 24, 1870 to September 17, 1870. Initially, the Confederate States of America, at the request of France, entered the war in support of the Second Mexican Empire against revolutionary forces. As the war evolved and the French Empire fell in Europe, the Confederacy fought against both sides in Mexico and took several Mexican states for themselves.
Background[]
Ever since the Second French Intervention in Mexico, republican forces in Mexico had been fighting against the Second Mexican Empire, led by Emperor Maximilian I. French forces supported the Mexican Empire until 1870, when they had to withdraw in order to prepare for the planned French war with Prussia. Despite the withdrawal, France did not want to abandon their hopes for a monarchist ally in the Americas, and so asked the Confederate States of America to support the imperial Mexican regime.
Benito Juárez, leader of the Mexican republicans
As France had played a pivotal role in winning the C.S.A.'s independence, it was expected that the Confederacy would return the favor by entering the Mexican war. Some sources claim that France even offered control of the northern Mexican states to the Confederacy before they entered the war. That claim is disputed and it is unknown if the French offer was actually made. Confederate President Robert E. Lee did not personally want to bring the country into another war despite it only having barely recovered from the last one. Diplomatically, however, he understood the importance of his nation's relationship with France. The potential of gaining a Pacific port was also tantalizing for Confederate leadership. Even if no territory was actually gained, helping the imperialists to victory would establish a new Mexican state that would be indebted to and closely linked with the Confederacy.
Emperor Maximilian, ruler of the Mexican Empire
The Confederate Congress declared war on January 24, 1870. They promised a quick offensive war that would not bring destruction or economic disarray as the war of independence had. The public was generally enthusiastic.
The War[]
President Lee immediately raised state militias. He placed famous General and future President Stonewall Jackson in charge of the entire war effort. Notably, former President Jefferson Davis was also made a general and given command of his own army, at his request.
On the day of Confederate intervention, the imperial forces were solidly losing and on their back foot. Direct Confederate aid was seen as their only chance at victory.
Confederate armies attacked from Texas and the Arizona Territory. With the Mexicans unprepared for the attack, the Confederates saw light resistance until they were already many miles passed the border. Jackson's army made its way down Mexico's East coast, while Davis marched down the Baja California Peninsula. Another army, led by James Longstreet, made up the Center, taking on West and Central Mexico. All three armies made quick work of every opponent they encountered- the disorganized rebel force was simply no match for the greater numbers and experience of the Confederates.
Baja California was completely under Confederate control by June. Though they were nominally fighting on the Mexican Empire's side, the Confederates made little distinction between the two Mexican factions. If they spoke Spanish and stood in the Confederate army's way, they were treated as an enemy. Davis took his army back into Central Mexico to join with Longstreet and Jackson. By September, they had nearly reached Mexico City. That was when something unexpected happened: the French Emperor Napoleon III was captured by the Prussians. A new French Republic took his place.
General Stonewall Jackson, leader of the war effort
President Lee asked France how the Confederacy should proceed. The new government, much more focused on other issues, simply responded that they didn't care anymore what the Confederates did in Mexico. This began a debate in the C.S. Some politicians wanted to continue the war until all of Mexico was captured, and then have the C.S.A. annex it all. Others wanted no part in any Mexican territory, not wanting the Confederacy to become involved in imperialistic behavior and add millions of foreign Catholics to the population. Lee decided that he only wanted the less populated northern Mexican states and the much coveted Pacific port. He asked to make peace with the Mexican republicans.
The republican forces, exhausted and knowing they had no chance of winning the war if the Confederates stayed in, immediately accepted the peace offer. They agreed to cede the states of Tamaulipas, Nuevo Leon, Coahuila, Chihuahua, Sonora, and Baja California to the Confederacy. Realizing that this deal may not be widely seen as legitimate, the Confederates also sought a peace deal with the Mexican Empire. The imperialists also knew that they had no chance of beating the C.S., and they soon added their name to the treaty. The deal was done, and the Confederacy left the war on September 17th, 1870.
Aftermath[]
The Mexican Civil War continued after the Confederate withdrawal. The republicans were now in a much weakened position compared to before the intervention and the imperialists saw their chance to strike. The war continued for seven more bloody years before the republicans finally triumphed in 1877. Having been on the verge of victory before the Confederates arrived, the new Mexico deeply resented their northern neighbors for causing so much unnecessary bloodshed and taking their integral territory away.
The successful Confederate armies returned home as war heroes. The fame of the three main generals, Jackson, Longstreet, and Davis, was increased even further. Both Jackson and Longstreet would use this boost in popularity to attempt a run for president, though only Jackson was successful. President Lee also saw a large boost in his already strong popularity. The war was often called a reunion of the war of independence, with old colleagues fighting alongside each other for the first time in five years. The war had been short and successful as promised, and everyone in the Confederacy was satisfied.
Lee suffered a severe stroke mere weeks after the war and died in October 1870. A somber mood overtook the previously celebratory nation. Judah P. Benjamin rose to the presidency and set to work integrating the new lands into the Confederacy.
The new Mexican territory was organized into three territories: Tamaulipas, Sonora, and Baja California. Almost immediately after the war, thousands of Southern settlers began flowing into the land. They hoped to establish their own profitable plantations to rival the old ones in the East. Mexicans native to the area passionately resisted their new masters, wishing to instead be united with their republican comrades in the South. They were now being treated as second tier citizens (not even citizens, in fact) in their own homeland. The Confederate government, not wanting to ignite more resentment than necessary, tried to allow Mexicans to remain on their property when it was prudent. Some Mexicans saw opportunity and began plantations of their own, hoping to quickly be accepted into Confederate culture. The influx of new plantations and farms led to an expansion of the slave trade inside the Confederacy.
Territorial aftermath of the war
Up to 100,000 Mexicans left the territories in favor of remaining within their native country. Others stubbornly remained on their family estates. Numerous resistance cells were organized and put down harshly by Confederate soldiers, who would occupy the area for decades after the war was over. Once the republican government was established in Mexico, they began to support their brothers across the border with arms and munitions.
The Confederate government rabidly encouraged white settlement of the area. Slowly but surely, the white Confederate population began to equal the native Mexican population. Some of the Confederate settlers married Mexican women and formed mixed race families. Citizenship was not granted to any Mexicans in these initial decades. Their religion and culture was suppressed, sometimes violently. White settlers took matters into their own hands, harassing and sometimes murdering Mexicans in order to keep them in check and remove them from the land. The 4th Amendment to the Confederate constitution, ratified in 1923, officially made it illegal for any Mexican to hold citizenship. Mexicans continued to leave these lands over the years, wishing to live in a country where they would be treated as people. Every Mexican government wished to regain the lost territories. Internal instability meant that none of them were in a position to try until World War II, when a fascist Mexico attacked the Confederacy in hopes of liberating their people.
For the Confederates, the Mexican territory became a source of prosperity and growth. New markets and new opportunities opened up, giving poor whites in the east the opportunity to make their own living. Slavery easily expanded into the area. The port of Ensenada in Baja California became one of the Confederacy's busiest ports, allowing goods to be bought and sold from previously inaccessible Asian markets. They briefly lost Baja California to the United States after World War I. The U.S. worked towards citizenship and representation for the Mexicans in this area, as well as trying to integrate the sizeable white Confederate population who resisted their rule. Mexicans saw little difference between the two American occupiers. The Confederacy regained Baja California in 1926 after the Second American Revolution, only having lost it for five years.
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