Viva Cinco de Mayo! Viva America!
By Stan Dyer
Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day. Mexico declared her independence from Spain on September 15, 1810 and spent 11 bloody years securing her sovereignty. Cinco de Mayo, rather, celebrates May 5, 1862 when Mexican forces commanded by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin defeated the French at the Battle of Puebla, but, more than that, it celebrates Latino pride and our immigrant nation, America.
In January 1862, troops from Great Britain, Spain and France landed in Mexico to collect old debts from the newly elected government. The British and Spanish were satisfied and left, but the French had other plans. Seeing an easy opportunity to expand her empire at the expense of a bankrupt and disorganized Mexico, the French under Napoleon III stayed behind.
The French at the time had the strongest and best-equipped army in the world. They had not lost a battle since Wellington outmaneuvered them at Waterloo in Belgium nearly 50 years earlier This was also the time of the American Civil War, and the French looked to position themselves to assist the Confederate forces in their struggle against the Union. They thought if they could capture the capital, Mexico City, Mexico would surrender. With conquest in mind, they began the march from Vera Cruz near the coast toward the inland capital. They never made it.
Halfway between Vera Cruz and Mexico City sits the city of Puebla. On May 5, 1862, 4,500 Mexican troops commanded by General Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin met the French and their 6,500 troops. Zaragoza's skilled cavalry baited the French Dragoons into an ill-fated swing toward the flank, and routed them. The French Infantry tried to move through a muddy field, but they became trapped in a quagmire by a rag-tag army with machetes who cut them to pieces. Later, Indians stampeded cattle on the battlefield to secure the French defeat. Their advance halted, the once proud, colorful army of the French retreated in humility to safety. Although most were unaware at the time, this victory also assisted Union forces in the American Civil War and the cause of Emancipation. .
In the 1860's, the British textile industry relied on the southern United States for 1.4 billion tons of cotton a year, or 80% of their supply. The British, already angry at the northern United States over the Trent Affair and the Morrill Tariff, saw the Union blockade of southern ports during the Civil War as a serious threat to their own economy, and considered siding with the Confederates. The British, however, abolished slavery in 1834, and could not "morally" join in a struggle to preserve a society committed to human bondage. The French also abolished slavery, but they were ready to fight if only Britain would lead the way. The Southern successes in 1862 appeared to open the door until September 17, 1862.
The American Civil War began as a war to preserve the Union. The country was so split, Lincoln knew he could never muster support for a war to "free the slaves". He could, however, gain significant support for a war to preserve the "stars and stripes", a patriotic war that everyone could back. In 1862, things looked bad for Lincoln. Southern victories in the Seven Days' Campaign and the Second Bull Run opened the door for foreign intervention on the side of the Confederacy, as Lee's forces appeared unstoppable. Then, on September 17, 1862 at Sharpsburg on Antietam Creek, the Union forces stopped Lee's advance in the bloodiest one-day battle of the American Civil War. Lincoln used this opportunity to issue his preliminary Emancipation Proclamation requiring the release of all persons held as slaves in all the states named in the Proclamation by January 1, 1863. Compliance was mandatory to show allegiance to the Union. This Proclamation made the American Civil War a war to free the slaves and eliminated the chance that Britain or France would assist the Confederates. Without the industry of Europe, the agricultural South was doomed.
If the Mexican forces had not defeated Napoleon III at Puebla earlier in May, the French most likely would have controlled Mexico and been in a better position to assist Confederate forces in the United States. As a result, the Battle of Antietam might have gone differently, Lincoln might never have issued the Emancipation Proclamation, and the Civil War might have lasted a lot longer with varied results. Unwittingly, the rag tag, Mexican army's victory assisted both the Union victory in the Civil war, and our country's progress toward freedom through emancipation.
This is only one interpretation of the events, and one person's opinion. It's true that Cinco de Mayo may have developed into a celebration of Latino pride, and most have forgotten any of the true history of the event, but that's OK. Cultural diversity is a part of America, always has been, and always will be. It is a good thing to remember and celebrate one's cultural heritage. I know because my family came from Austria-Hungary through Ellis Island in the late 19 th century. I celebrate both my European heritage, and my being American. For me, the Cinco de Mayo celebration is a celebration of many cultures living and working together in harmony in America. That is America: The Nation of Immigrants. Viva Cinco de Mayo! Viva America! Where would either of us be without our mutual friendship?