alternatehistory.com
Chapter 13 Growing Wounds
Chapter 13 Growing Wounds
"Within my country 1836 is a year of independence, freedom, and liberty.To the Mexicans it was a year of hell and chaos."- Juan Seguin 1886
"If we are to preserve Mexico then the rebel scum must be exterminated."- General Antonio Bustamente on the eve of the Battle of Guanajuanto 1836
"While i did wish for our people to stay in union with Mexico, the revolution brought me great hope that my people can finally live in a nation where their children may not be judged on their native origin." Andres Quintana Roo 1848
For the Centralists and Federalists each had two different agendas that needed to be completed in order to take control of Mexico. For Farias, in order for the Federalists to have any form of legitimacy then Mexico City would have to be captured, then the Federalists could easily claim victory and get the remaining states to surrender under their rule. Since the Centralists had control of Mexico City then all they had to do was buy time and crush the Federalist armies in open battle. Since most of the regular army (or what remained of it after Texas) was loyal to Corro then this plan should have been easy to undertake. Unfortunately for both sides there were now three independence movements growing in Mexico, each day meant one more territory was in open risk of rebellion and that by the end of the day whoever won wouldn't have mattered as there would be no more Mexico to govern. This didn't already take into effect that neighboring powers might come down in and intervene in Mexico at any time of their leisure (as Mexico would unfortunately learn at the beginning of next year). With time running out Farias had the whole of the Federal army, a grand total of 8000 men (mostly untrained peasants), march onto Mexico City to "liberate" the capital from the Corro regime. Corro meanwhile stood would make one last gamble with 5000 of his best regulars. He planned to take out the source of the rebellion in Zacatecas. With the Republic of the Rio Grande being popped up the Federalist home front would start to crumble and their territories start to decay into anarchy. By wiping out the rebel armies there was no chance that they could rise back up. With Bustamente leading the Centralists and the Federalists under Pedro de Ampudia, the fate of the war would be decided in the Battle of Guanajuanto, located in a state that was midway between Zacatecas and Mexico City. The two sides met each other on August 16th when both scouting patrols trading fire approximately 7 miles south east of the city. Both sides raced to be able to become the first to reach the city and on the morning of the 17th an artillery barrage from positions near the nearby mines started from both the North and the South in order to make the city undefendable to the other side. Both sides rushed in and a deadly battle of street fighting ensued between the two sides. Eyewitness accounts from the surviving civilians detail of the chaos that took place as the central regulars unleashed wave after wave of firepower upon the rebels, while the rebels overwhelmed loyalists with sheer numbers and beat many to death with handcrafted weapons or nearby objects. The situation was rather sad to say the least considering that Father Hidalgo made the city the start of his revolution over 25 years prior. The tide of the battle turned when a loyalists artillery position struck a church and caused it to collapse, entraping dozens of civilians inside who had sought sanctuary from the bloodshed. As news of this action spread the people of Guanajuanto rose up in collusion with the Federalist and attacked the loyalist groups in mass mobs, eager to take vengeance on the wrongdoings the central government had committed. Due to orders by Bustamente the loyalist army was saved from total annihlation as snipers were placed among the rooftops providing covering fire for the retreating soldiers as the cavalry jumped in and protected the infantry. Meanwhile the artillery camps on the mountainside diverged their fire on the entire city to lay it to rubble and prevent any chance of a rout. While this can be described today as a heinous war crime it did manage to save what was left of the Central Mexican army from being obliterated. The end of what would become the bloodiest battle in the civil war showed that in many ways both sides had lost. On the rebels side 5328 casualties were taken with 4000 civilians dead from the fight. The Loyalists had no right to claim any victory as 2489 were killed with 568 wounded and 241 taken prisoner. For now this group retreated back to Mexican City to prepare for a siege and try to recuperate from the horrible loss. While this presented the rebels with the perfect opportunity to follow there would be no chance for the capitol to be conquered. The best veterans of the army perished during the fighting and many of the survivors were either too wounded or filled with PTSD to fight. What made the situation worse was that the day before the army would move out on the 31st, word had arrived of the Rio Grande's deceleration of independence. So Ampudia decided to send 1000 men to Mexico city while the rest would be sent back either to Zacatecas or to the east to quell the Rio Grande rebellion. While both sides strategies had been achieved with the Federalists taking a huge blow to their millitary capacity, and a federal force being sent to Mexico City. The Battle of Guanajuanto caused a quick solution to the war to be made impossible. This would take Mexico down to new lows as the French were just months away before arriving.
The Battle of Guanajuanto, also known in Mexico as La Tragedia Gran
Yucatan Front
After the failed assaults on Campeche the Yucatan leaders were divided on what strategy to proceed on. Some of the nationalists under Barbachano advocated for the rebels to go on the offensive by gaining Tabasco as well as Chiapas in order for the country to have access to the pacific (gaining these states would also reunite the Mayan peoples of Mexico), the liberal faction under Santiago Mendez wished for the rebels to stay within Yucatan so that the Republic could be protected from further attacks. Once word of Guanajuanto reached Merida however, the army then decided to march west to Tabasco in order to expand the Republic. Intellegence also indicated that the remnants of the Centralists were also in Tabasco so in a way it would be killing two birds with one stone. When the Yucatan reached the city of villahermosa on October 2nd, they were shocked to find only a small band of Tabascan loyalists left behind that offered minimal resistance. When questioning local authorities the army would learn that the remaining centralists forces under Nicolas Bravo Rueda had actually escaped to sea with a force of 2500 men (1500 being recruits from the surrounding states), the Centralists using their limited naval superiority landed their forces at Telchac Puerto On October 3rd and then proceeding to Telchac Pueblo, Motul, and Tixkokob. After conquering these cities easily due to the army staying in Tabasco the group then marched directly onto Merida, expecting a quick capitulation. What they were suprised to find was a large 12000 Mayan force being stationed within Merida, preparing the city with high defenses. The reason for the heavy Mayan concentration was that within the Yucatan and Southern Mexico emerged a Pan-Mayan movement, the Pan-Mayans expressed a desire to be free from the rule of Creole politicians in Mexico and live together as one people in a Mayan dominated or coexisting society. With the Mayan forces already having made several substantial contributions the the Yucatan independence movement, the Mayans decided that the Yucatec would become the flag that they would rally under and under the leadership of Andres Quintana Roo would become a major force of Yucatan society. Seeing the impossibility of conquering Merida as well as the possibility of encirclement from reinforcements in the west, Rueda called a cease fire and managed to negotiate for his force to withdraw from the Yucatan. The Centralist army would proceed to escape to Veracruz and remain there for the rest of the war. With all primary resistance being wiped out the Yucatan army would proceed to conquer Tabasco and Chiapas by mid-November, their task would be made much easier with the uprising of the Mayan natives. Like Texas the Yucatan would remain in peace for the rest of the war, consolidating their gains as well as trying to balance of power between the two peoples.
View attachment 286285
Map of the Republic of the Yucatan during the war. Gains highlighted in Red
Rio Grande Front
With the Federalists focused on the South there was relatively little conflict within the Rio Grande. Most of the population were rather confused as until that point they had been fighting for the sake of de-centralization and greater autonomy. Now a group of men suddenly decided that they were their own country apparently based around the Rio Grand river. While many Federalists in the area were against separation there was little they could do to stop them as most of the available manpower had been sent off to Zacatecas. Indeed the Rio Grande army was primarily rather focused with quelling dissidents than fighting in open conflict. The only major battle of note took place on October 14th when a small federal force of 600 men had been sent to try and rally the states against the traitors and return them back to the federalist camp. They camped out at Morelos, Coahuila, where they planned to march into Laredo. Unfortunately this group was made up of the weakest and lowly trained of the federalist reserves and expected little fighting. When a Rio Grande force under Colonel Jose Antonio de Zapata met them on the 16th, a battle ensued where the ill-prepared Federalists were caught off guard and surrounded by Zapata while personally leading the cavalry. After taking losses of up to 100 men the Federalist leader Major Juan Gonzales surrendered and agreed to withdraw to Zacatecas. After the battle the Republic faced their most unexpected enemy yet, Texas. 1000 men lead directly by Brigadier General Travis had received orders from Houston to march directly to Laredo and force all Rio Grande forces out of Texas. The main issue was that the two countries had claims that overlapped each other where Texas was directly on the Rio Grande whereas the Rio Grande Republic claimed lands to the Nueces. In the battle of Laredo on November 1st the far more experienced Texan force crushed the local garrison and held the government of the Republic captive. While Cardenas and his cabinet feared that this was the end of their venture, Houston had other plans. The Texan government was never against the direct existence of the Rio Grande but actually encouraged it, by setting up another country from the ashes of Mexico, the border would be further secured with a friendly nation and there would be no chance of reconquest. Therefore Travis laid out these terms to Cardenas:
View attachment 286286
Laredo, Texas. One time capitol of the Rio Grande and currently one of the largest trade cities in North America
With 1836 approaching its end it appeared to be the worst year in existence for Mexico. The country was torn apart in civil strife with thousands dead and three new nations springing up from their territories. No matter what both sides agreed the war would end next year. The federal forces established a "siege" upon Mexico City (in reality just an encampment a few miles from the capitol), preparing for reinforcements to conquer the capitol and bring the Corro regime down. Corro also planned to scrap whatever men he had left that could be spared from the cities defense and task them to capture the lightly defended Zacatecas before the rebels assaulted. It was a race against time that would decide which path the nation would take. Ultimately it would prove to be fruitless. The French landed at Veracruz on February 1st.
"Within my country 1836 is a year of independence, freedom, and liberty.To the Mexicans it was a year of hell and chaos."- Juan Seguin 1886
"If we are to preserve Mexico then the rebel scum must be exterminated."- General Antonio Bustamente on the eve of the Battle of Guanajuanto 1836
"While i did wish for our people to stay in union with Mexico, the revolution brought me great hope that my people can finally live in a nation where their children may not be judged on their native origin." Andres Quintana Roo 1848
For the Centralists and Federalists each had two different agendas that needed to be completed in order to take control of Mexico. For Farias, in order for the Federalists to have any form of legitimacy then Mexico City would have to be captured, then the Federalists could easily claim victory and get the remaining states to surrender under their rule. Since the Centralists had control of Mexico City then all they had to do was buy time and crush the Federalist armies in open battle. Since most of the regular army (or what remained of it after Texas) was loyal to Corro then this plan should have been easy to undertake. Unfortunately for both sides there were now three independence movements growing in Mexico, each day meant one more territory was in open risk of rebellion and that by the end of the day whoever won wouldn't have mattered as there would be no more Mexico to govern. This didn't already take into effect that neighboring powers might come down in and intervene in Mexico at any time of their leisure (as Mexico would unfortunately learn at the beginning of next year). With time running out Farias had the whole of the Federal army, a grand total of 8000 men (mostly untrained peasants), march onto Mexico City to "liberate" the capital from the Corro regime. Corro meanwhile stood would make one last gamble with 5000 of his best regulars. He planned to take out the source of the rebellion in Zacatecas. With the Republic of the Rio Grande being popped up the Federalist home front would start to crumble and their territories start to decay into anarchy. By wiping out the rebel armies there was no chance that they could rise back up. With Bustamente leading the Centralists and the Federalists under Pedro de Ampudia, the fate of the war would be decided in the Battle of Guanajuanto, located in a state that was midway between Zacatecas and Mexico City. The two sides met each other on August 16th when both scouting patrols trading fire approximately 7 miles south east of the city. Both sides raced to be able to become the first to reach the city and on the morning of the 17th an artillery barrage from positions near the nearby mines started from both the North and the South in order to make the city undefendable to the other side. Both sides rushed in and a deadly battle of street fighting ensued between the two sides. Eyewitness accounts from the surviving civilians detail of the chaos that took place as the central regulars unleashed wave after wave of firepower upon the rebels, while the rebels overwhelmed loyalists with sheer numbers and beat many to death with handcrafted weapons or nearby objects. The situation was rather sad to say the least considering that Father Hidalgo made the city the start of his revolution over 25 years prior. The tide of the battle turned when a loyalists artillery position struck a church and caused it to collapse, entraping dozens of civilians inside who had sought sanctuary from the bloodshed. As news of this action spread the people of Guanajuanto rose up in collusion with the Federalist and attacked the loyalist groups in mass mobs, eager to take vengeance on the wrongdoings the central government had committed. Due to orders by Bustamente the loyalist army was saved from total annihlation as snipers were placed among the rooftops providing covering fire for the retreating soldiers as the cavalry jumped in and protected the infantry. Meanwhile the artillery camps on the mountainside diverged their fire on the entire city to lay it to rubble and prevent any chance of a rout. While this can be described today as a heinous war crime it did manage to save what was left of the Central Mexican army from being obliterated. The end of what would become the bloodiest battle in the civil war showed that in many ways both sides had lost. On the rebels side 5328 casualties were taken with 4000 civilians dead from the fight. The Loyalists had no right to claim any victory as 2489 were killed with 568 wounded and 241 taken prisoner. For now this group retreated back to Mexican City to prepare for a siege and try to recuperate from the horrible loss. While this presented the rebels with the perfect opportunity to follow there would be no chance for the capitol to be conquered. The best veterans of the army perished during the fighting and many of the survivors were either too wounded or filled with PTSD to fight. What made the situation worse was that the day before the army would move out on the 31st, word had arrived of the Rio Grande's deceleration of independence. So Ampudia decided to send 1000 men to Mexico city while the rest would be sent back either to Zacatecas or to the east to quell the Rio Grande rebellion. While both sides strategies had been achieved with the Federalists taking a huge blow to their millitary capacity, and a federal force being sent to Mexico City. The Battle of Guanajuanto caused a quick solution to the war to be made impossible. This would take Mexico down to new lows as the French were just months away before arriving.
The Battle of Guanajuanto, also known in Mexico as La Tragedia Gran
Yucatan Front
After the failed assaults on Campeche the Yucatan leaders were divided on what strategy to proceed on. Some of the nationalists under Barbachano advocated for the rebels to go on the offensive by gaining Tabasco as well as Chiapas in order for the country to have access to the pacific (gaining these states would also reunite the Mayan peoples of Mexico), the liberal faction under Santiago Mendez wished for the rebels to stay within Yucatan so that the Republic could be protected from further attacks. Once word of Guanajuanto reached Merida however, the army then decided to march west to Tabasco in order to expand the Republic. Intellegence also indicated that the remnants of the Centralists were also in Tabasco so in a way it would be killing two birds with one stone. When the Yucatan reached the city of villahermosa on October 2nd, they were shocked to find only a small band of Tabascan loyalists left behind that offered minimal resistance. When questioning local authorities the army would learn that the remaining centralists forces under Nicolas Bravo Rueda had actually escaped to sea with a force of 2500 men (1500 being recruits from the surrounding states), the Centralists using their limited naval superiority landed their forces at Telchac Puerto On October 3rd and then proceeding to Telchac Pueblo, Motul, and Tixkokob. After conquering these cities easily due to the army staying in Tabasco the group then marched directly onto Merida, expecting a quick capitulation. What they were suprised to find was a large 12000 Mayan force being stationed within Merida, preparing the city with high defenses. The reason for the heavy Mayan concentration was that within the Yucatan and Southern Mexico emerged a Pan-Mayan movement, the Pan-Mayans expressed a desire to be free from the rule of Creole politicians in Mexico and live together as one people in a Mayan dominated or coexisting society. With the Mayan forces already having made several substantial contributions the the Yucatan independence movement, the Mayans decided that the Yucatec would become the flag that they would rally under and under the leadership of Andres Quintana Roo would become a major force of Yucatan society. Seeing the impossibility of conquering Merida as well as the possibility of encirclement from reinforcements in the west, Rueda called a cease fire and managed to negotiate for his force to withdraw from the Yucatan. The Centralist army would proceed to escape to Veracruz and remain there for the rest of the war. With all primary resistance being wiped out the Yucatan army would proceed to conquer Tabasco and Chiapas by mid-November, their task would be made much easier with the uprising of the Mayan natives. Like Texas the Yucatan would remain in peace for the rest of the war, consolidating their gains as well as trying to balance of power between the two peoples.
View attachment 286285
Map of the Republic of the Yucatan during the war. Gains highlighted in Red
Rio Grande Front
With the Federalists focused on the South there was relatively little conflict within the Rio Grande. Most of the population were rather confused as until that point they had been fighting for the sake of de-centralization and greater autonomy. Now a group of men suddenly decided that they were their own country apparently based around the Rio Grand river. While many Federalists in the area were against separation there was little they could do to stop them as most of the available manpower had been sent off to Zacatecas. Indeed the Rio Grande army was primarily rather focused with quelling dissidents than fighting in open conflict. The only major battle of note took place on October 14th when a small federal force of 600 men had been sent to try and rally the states against the traitors and return them back to the federalist camp. They camped out at Morelos, Coahuila, where they planned to march into Laredo. Unfortunately this group was made up of the weakest and lowly trained of the federalist reserves and expected little fighting. When a Rio Grande force under Colonel Jose Antonio de Zapata met them on the 16th, a battle ensued where the ill-prepared Federalists were caught off guard and surrounded by Zapata while personally leading the cavalry. After taking losses of up to 100 men the Federalist leader Major Juan Gonzales surrendered and agreed to withdraw to Zacatecas. After the battle the Republic faced their most unexpected enemy yet, Texas. 1000 men lead directly by Brigadier General Travis had received orders from Houston to march directly to Laredo and force all Rio Grande forces out of Texas. The main issue was that the two countries had claims that overlapped each other where Texas was directly on the Rio Grande whereas the Rio Grande Republic claimed lands to the Nueces. In the battle of Laredo on November 1st the far more experienced Texan force crushed the local garrison and held the government of the Republic captive. While Cardenas and his cabinet feared that this was the end of their venture, Houston had other plans. The Texan government was never against the direct existence of the Rio Grande but actually encouraged it, by setting up another country from the ashes of Mexico, the border would be further secured with a friendly nation and there would be no chance of reconquest. Therefore Travis laid out these terms to Cardenas:
1. The Republic of the Rio Grande will surrender all lands east of the Rio Grande to the Republic of Texas and give up any claims to the territory.
2. The Republic of Texas will recognized the Republic of the Rio Grande's independence.
3. In the future should either party wish to expand upon further Mexican territory then the opposite side shall support said endeavor.
Seeing this choice as the best option Cardenas signed the Treaty of Laredo where it would head unto the Texas Senate and be ratified on December 3rd. Travis and his men would withdraw from the former capitol of the Rio Grande and spend Christmas in San Antonio. While the Rio Grande suffered a large defeat their existence was still intact and they would proceed to cement further control over their territory.2. The Republic of Texas will recognized the Republic of the Rio Grande's independence.
3. In the future should either party wish to expand upon further Mexican territory then the opposite side shall support said endeavor.
View attachment 286286
Laredo, Texas. One time capitol of the Rio Grande and currently one of the largest trade cities in North America
With 1836 approaching its end it appeared to be the worst year in existence for Mexico. The country was torn apart in civil strife with thousands dead and three new nations springing up from their territories. No matter what both sides agreed the war would end next year. The federal forces established a "siege" upon Mexico City (in reality just an encampment a few miles from the capitol), preparing for reinforcements to conquer the capitol and bring the Corro regime down. Corro also planned to scrap whatever men he had left that could be spared from the cities defense and task them to capture the lightly defended Zacatecas before the rebels assaulted. It was a race against time that would decide which path the nation would take. Ultimately it would prove to be fruitless. The French landed at Veracruz on February 1st.
- Kaiser Chris
- Word Count: 2.2k