Siege of Mexico City facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Siege of Mexico City |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Second French intervention in Mexico | |||||||
 Austrian volunteers in Mexico, 1866 |
|||||||
|
|||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
 Mexican Empire French Empire Austria-Hungary |
 Mexican Republicans American volunteers |
||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
|
Leonardo Márquez Johann Karl Khevenhüller  Armin Freiherr von Hammerstein-Equord † Alfons von Kodolitsch
János Csizmadia |
Porfirio Díaz John Sobieski |
||||||
| Units involved | |||||||
|
 18th regiment of infantry Regiment of chasseurs á cheval (French light cavalry) Regiment of gendarmes
Regiment of hussars |
Eastern Army American Legion of Honor |
||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 5,000 troops 1,100 troops 600 troops |
25,000 troops 3,000 troops |
||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 100+ killed 304 wounded 1,000 captured |
Unknown | ||||||
The siege of Mexico City was a major military event in 1867. It happened during the Second French intervention in Mexico. Mexican Republican forces, helped by the United States, fought against Emperor Maximilian's troops. Maximilian's side was supported by the French Empire and Austria-Hungary. This siege was the last big fight of the Second Mexican Empire. When the city fell, it marked the end of the Empire. Mexico then became a Republic again, led by Benito Juárez.
Contents
Why the Siege Happened
Mexico City was controlled by the French Army. But the French decided to leave Mexico. Their last soldiers left on February 5, 1867. A week before, Emperor Maximilian also left Mexico City. He went to Querétaro with his guards.
On February 21, Republican Generals Vicente Riva Palacio and Diego Álvarez Benítez arrived near the city. They had about 4,000 soldiers. On the other side, Imperial General Leonardo Márquez was on his way to take charge of the city's defense. But General Porfirio Díaz defeated Márquez at San Lorenzo. Márquez escaped with his cavalry, leaving his soldiers behind.
By May 12, foreign commanders in Mexico City made a plan. They wanted to be ready if Márquez's actions put their men in danger. They chose Colonel Khevenhüller as the temporary leader. They also agreed to work together if they needed to negotiate a ceasefire.
The capital city had 400 cannons to defend it. On May 2, Republican forces took control of the railroad line near Apisaco. This allowed them to bring war supplies from Puebla by train. On May 15, General Porfirio Díaz arrived near Villa Guadalupe. He tried to surround the area. However, the Imperial artillery stopped him. French soldiers defending the village moved back to strongholds called garitas. These were at San Lázaro, Vallejo, and Peralvillo. About 500 Austrians and 200 Mexicans defended these spots. The Austrian commander, von Hammerstein, was shot there on May 25, 1867. By May 18, Díaz's 12,000 soldiers had cut off all communication and supply lines to the capital.
The Republicans wanted the city to surrender quickly. They knew the rainy season would soon make fighting difficult. Díaz announced that he wanted to arrest General Márquez and others. He also said that Austrian soldiers would be captured. However, French soldiers would be spared. This was because many of his own cavalry were French soldiers who had joined his side. On April 20, Princess Agnes Salm-Salm, who worked for the Emperor, visited Díaz's camp. She offered to have the European troops leave if Maximilian and their lives were guaranteed. Díaz did not accept her offer.
The Siege Begins
On May 17, Querétaro fell, and Maximilian was captured. General Mariano Escobedo then sent his 15,000 troops to help with the siege of Mexico City. By May 23, Porfirio Díaz tightened his hold around the city. He moved towards Tacubaya. On May 30, French soldiers fought Díaz's forces at Belen. They held them back until June 9.
Life inside the city became very hard. Many people were starving. It was reported that half of the city's 220,000 residents had left during the siege. One day, 14,000 people left. The lack of food caused a small uprising among the people. On June 8, rumors spread that a lot of grain was hidden in the Theatre Iturbide. A crowd broke into the building and took the grain. The riot grew and threatened to loot the marketplace. To stop more conflict, Austrian-Hungarian cavalry rode into the crowd and broke it up. They did not use weapons to avoid causing panic. To prevent more riots, all hidden food stores were found and given to the people by soldiers.
On June 14, General Ramirez Arellano entered the city in disguise. He reported on the Empire's situation. Márquez used this to spread false rumors. He claimed the Emperor had won in Querétaro and was coming to help the capital. When these rumors spread, a big celebration was held in the city. Díaz saw this as a chance to attack. At noon, he suddenly attacked San Cosme and Belen. His soldiers sneaked in through an aqueduct. Local people and French soldiers fought back. They used cannons and cut off the escape route. The Republican forces tried to attack three times but were pushed back. Many Republican soldiers died in this attack.
On June 18, French and Austrian commanders met. The Austrians said the Emperor was captured. They declared they would be neutral for the rest of the battle. They were already talking with the Republicans. The French commander reminded them of their earlier agreement not to surrender without each other's consent. The next day, all European soldiers put down their weapons. They waited for the siege to end. The French stayed at San Pedro y San Pablo. Other Europeans were at the National Palace.
Money was running out. General Márquez took money from a company and a bank. No supplies could reach the city. Food became very scarce. Only three bakeries were open for soldiers and the remaining people. Soldiers searched houses daily for hidden food. Hundreds of people died from hunger. All trade stopped completely.
Attempts to Break Out
First Attempt
The first try to break out happened on May 18. The Imperial Mexican soldiers were easily scattered. Cavalry soldiers then attacked Republican defenses. This opened a path for Colonel Kodolitsch to find food nearby. After gathering supplies, the Imperial soldiers returned to the city.
Second Attempt
The second breakout started on June 9, early in the morning. The plan was to take the Santa Fé fort. This would secure a route into the city. Márquez still believed the Emperor would arrive with the rest of the army. At 4 AM, the "red Hussars" joined the French soldiers at San Antonio Abad. At 5 AM, they attacked the Republicans. The French were kept in reserve. At 6 AM, General Tabera ordered a fake attack towards the Piedad river. The operation managed to break through enemy lines. However, all troops had to return to the city.
Third Attempt
The third and last breakout was led by Márquez himself. This was actually a secret attempt for him to escape the capital. He had heard worrying news about the fall of Querétaro and Maximilian's capture. On the night of June 17, he marched with 6,000 men towards La Piedad. General Díaz stopped him there. Díaz had heard the cannon fire and came from Tacubaya. Díaz's artillery caused heavy losses to Márquez's forces. Márquez's soldiers had to go back across the same bridge they came from.
Discussions to End the Siege
Díaz and O'Horán
On June 18, Imperial General O'Horán tried to meet Díaz at night. He used red lights to show his position. But this also revealed Díaz's location to Imperial shooters, who fired at him. O'Horán blamed Márquez for this. The next night, O'Horán met Díaz. He offered to surrender the city, including Márquez and other officers. In return, he wanted a passport to leave the country. Díaz felt this offer was not needed because the city was already helpless. He refused the offer. Díaz warned O'Horán that he would be arrested once the city was captured.
Díaz and Khevenhüller
News spread in the capital that Querétaro had fallen. After his capture, Maximilian wrote to the Prussian minister in Mexico City. He asked for legal help for his trial. Austrian commanders thought the letter might be fake. They asked a Prussian official to confirm it. Local merchants then confirmed the Emperor's arrest. Colonel Kodolitsch insisted that foreign troops would keep defending the city.
On June 17, Baron Eduard Lago, an Austrian official, sent a letter to Colonel Khevenhüller. Lago had been released from Querétaro on June 2. He confirmed that he could get a signed letter from the Emperor. This letter would order all Austrian officers to stop fighting. The Austrians believed this and decided to stop fighting right away. They asked Lago to talk to Díaz. They wanted to keep their military honors and be protected. They also wanted to be escorted to Vera Cruz and have their expenses covered until they left. All these terms were agreed upon.
The agreement stated that Austrian soldiers would stop fighting immediately. If they left the capital on June 20, General Porfirio Díaz would allow them to go to Vera Cruz freely. The officers could keep their weapons and horses. Other weapons would be given to Díaz. If they did not leave by then, but gathered in the palace and raised a white flag during a fight, Díaz would only guarantee their lives. All non-Mexican soldiers under the same command were included in these terms. Díaz could not make promises for Mexican soldiers. This agreement was put into action on the day of the surrender. The Austrian soldiers presented themselves without weapons at the National Palace.
Díaz and Tabera
On June 17, General Ramon Tabera, a commander for the Imperial side, tried to contact Díaz. He failed. Tabera took over command when Márquez disappeared from the city on the evening of June 19. Some believed Márquez was smuggled out in a coffin. Others said he dressed as a fruit seller to reach Vera Cruz. The United States Consul General tried to offer a truce. He suggested the city surrender if no death sentences were given to the soldiers. Díaz refused this offer.
After Márquez's absence was clear, white flags were raised on city buildings. A call for surrender was sent to the attackers. The official message was given to Díaz by Miguel Peña and others, on behalf of Tabera. The agreement stated that all fighting would stop. The lives, property, and freedom of Mexico City's people would be protected by General Porfirio Díaz. General Ramon Tabera would appoint three people to hand over the city to Díaz. These people would manage the troops, government property, and weapons. The Mexican Imperial forces would go to the Citadel. French soldiers would gather in San Pedro and San Paulo. Foreign troops would go to the palace. Commanders and officers could keep their swords.
Díaz and Csizmadia
After the siege, General Díaz learned that Hungarian troops were in the city. The Hungarian cavalry was at the National Palace. Díaz personally sent for Major Csizmadia and met with him. The two had known each other for a long time. Csizmadia was a prison lieutenant in Puebla when Díaz was held captive there. Csizmadia had treated Díaz kindly. He even invited Díaz to lunch and they attended a bullfight together. Díaz later wrote in his memoirs about Csizmadia's generous attitude. On September 20, 1865, Díaz escaped from prison with Csizmadia's help. Because of this past kindness, Díaz looked for Csizmadia after the siege. He allowed him and his Hungarian regiment to go to Vera Cruz. They were taken home on an Austrian ship, the SMS Novara, along with the other Austrian soldiers. Csizmadia also helped negotiate the surrender terms for the Austrians.
The Last Days
Feeling that the end was near, Leonardo Márquez escaped from the capital. He went into exile. He passed leadership to Ramon Tabera on June 20. Tabera immediately negotiated a surrender. Díaz accepted and entered the city the next day. Díaz then worked to keep order and provide food for the people. He asked all Imperial officers, ministers, and administrators to come forward within 24 hours. Only General Tabera and a few others did so. Díaz prepared three prisons for the high-ranking officials of the Empire. Unfair punishment of prisoners was not allowed. Their families and friends could visit them. Sick prisoners could stay at home. Many officials did not show up, so search groups were formed to find them. Many were later arrested.
On June 21, Juan José Baz, the new Chief of Police, made an announcement. He ordered everyone who worked for the "Empire" to report to headquarters within 24 hours. Those who did not would be seen as enemies and face serious consequences. High-ranking officials would remain in prison. Captains and lieutenants could be free if they reported and had not committed bad acts. People were ordered to allow house searches if officers had written orders. Those who resisted would face fines or imprisonment. Hiding people included in the decree would also lead to punishment, unless it was a close family member. People with national property or weapons had to turn them in or face punishment.
Finally, President Juárez visited the city on July 21. He offered a general pardon to many. The army was reduced to 18,000 soldiers.
|
See also
In Spanish: Toma de la Ciudad de México (1867) para niños
