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Chapter 87 So Close Yet So Far
Chapter 87 So Close Yet So Far
"You folks don't need to worry one bit about the war. Those Rio Grande folks love us and they'll be begging to save them from Benito."- President Davy Crockett 1862
"We must never forget the state of peril that Mexico lies. To the north is the Gringo Texan bastards with the Tejano traitors. To the South lie the Yucatan who mix with the savage Indians. You must give your life to Mexico if we are to survive against the world."- President Porfirio Diaz 1896
"The reason that the Mexican War did not end in a total victory is because all of the participants did not have the means to conquer one another. If we went to war today, then Mexico would see its downfall by Christmas."- General Dwight D. Eisenhower 1961
Rio Grande: On Septmember 23rd the Second Battle of El Paso began when skirmishes took place between elements of the Republican Guard and Texas Rangers about 10 miles east of El Paso. For weeks Johnston and his men had traveled west along the Rio Grande river, liberating any towns and settlements that they came across in an effort to secure the eastern borders of Texas once and for all. The Mexican garrison had advance warning of the Texans thanks to RG scout units and notices from sympathetic Tejanos, however while the garrison commander Phillipe Castanzo had requested for numerous reinforcements in order to hold El Paso, President Juarez was adamant on preventing any men from marching to the city in order to establish a clear line of resistance in the former Republic of the Rio Grande. Since the capture of the city earlier in the year, El Paso had been extensively fortified with each pueblo within the city becoming its own barracks and multiple storehouses erected in a top example of well organized logistics. The main problem facing Castazno though was the fact that El Paso's 10,000 citizens had been an immense drain on the resources of the 7500 men army and when supplies came from central Mexico, they had to be rationed with the civilian in order to set up an image of liberators instead of conquerors. Castanzo was also outnumbered by Johnston 3 to 1 with the Texan force of 23,000 men. Unless Benito Juarez sent at least two or three regiments to help, then the odds would be in the favor of the Texans. For the next three days multiple skirmishes would be waged on the cities limits as the Texan infantry moved forward against the Mexican defenses while cavalry struck key points in the city. The Mexicans were able to put up a well defense with several well put tactical charges and a system set up of mini forts with each one being defended long enough to bleed the Texan's dry and then retreat to the next line of earthworks. However the battle would keep on going in the Texans favor thanks to their larger numbers putting up replacements, and the increasing destruction of buildings and cover in El Paso. Facing little choice but defeat but having no desire to surrender, Castanzo made a bold move. On the night of the 26th Castanzo gathered his men and told them that they would create two distractions in order to keep the Texans occupied and allow the army to escape. The first would be the setting up of a wildfire with the water having been removed from the wells and setting aflame the dry plants in the area, burning multiple homes in the process. The second and nearly controversial, would be a suicide charge of a group of men to the Texans to prevent them from entering the city and escaping the fire. Castanzo compared this act to the glory of the Mexican patriots in the war of independence, but that he would not force volunteers and that if enough men did not come forward then he would abandon the plan. Surprisingly a group of 600 moved forward and volunteered to be the bait, knowing full well that almost none would make it. These men were given their last rites by the brigade's chaplain, then marching forward to battle while they sang the national anthem. Around 10:23 P.M, reports came from the Texan lines of fires being sighted within the city. Desiring not to have El Paso be destroyed before its capture, General Johnston quickly rallied his men and ordered a charge forward. By then the group of volunteers who would later be known in Texan and Mexican history as "The Bold 600" had moved forward and were beginning to engage the Texans in close combat, often using their own hands when running out of ammunition. Out of the 600 that volunteered only 21 survived due to the rest being killed in action, being mortally wounded, or controversially being executed by rogue Texan soldiers for the act of the burning of El Paso. By the time the 600 were dealt with it was too late as thousands of panicked Texan citizens were fleeing towards Johnston's army and most of the paths into the city were destroyed, Castanzo fleeing with his men. The Second Battle of El Paso is considered a victory to Texas, albeit a high Pyrrhic one. Casualties for the Texans were high with 513 killed, 564 wounded. Mexican casualties were even higher with 1,021 killed, 378 wounded, and 136 taken prisoner. To this day the Second Battle of El Paso remains a controversial point of relations between Texas and Mexico with Texans considering Castanzo a war criminal while to many in Mexico he is a patriot, having avoided any charges at the Treaty of Havana. Thankfully though the Battle of El Paso was able to result in Texas securing their borders and having no other major battles within their territory for the rest of the war.
The storming of El Paso with the city burning in the distance
Further down south General Travis was making his way with 30,000 men in an attempt to liberate the Rio Grande from Mexican rule. Unlike the last invasion which ended in a failure, the Texans would make their place slowly this time, going a few miles a day while capturing each settlement as a supply stop to the garrison at Laredo. Most of the invasion force was placed within the state of Coahuila while 5,000 men along with over 2,000 of the Texas marines would travel along the coast and prevent any supplies from coming into Mexico. Mexican resistance was stiff along the way with 6 major battles occurring in the second half of 1862, 2 of them being Mexican victories at the Battles of Sabinas and Palau; while the Texans won the Battles of Zaragoza, El Infante, El Judio, and La Cuidad de Cardenas. The Mexican victories on the campaign were little more than minor roadblocks metaphorically as the only major accomplishments were stalling the Texan force for days at a time and causing some loss of supplies in men. Out of all these battles the Texans suffered 3,000 casualties while the Mexicans suffered 5,000. What came as a general surprise to the Texan force during the campaign is the virtual lack of support by the native population. Instead of being hailed as liberators, the Texans were jeered and cursed at in liberated towns for taking them away from Mexico, most assuming that power would be given back to the now defunct Rio Grande Republic. Resistance movements were set up in coordination with the Mexican Army which costs the Texans about a tenth of their casualties. On October 8th an important achievement occurred with the capture of Satillo in the Second Battle of Satillo where the Texan forces were able to liberate the city from the Mexican defenders. The battle was costly thanks to a week long siege and a final assault which saw heavy hand to hand combat. In the end the Texans suffered 647 killed, 532 wounded, and 39 captured. The Mexicans suffered 721 killed, 644 wounded, and 406 taken prisoner from a force of 5,000. After Satillo the Texan offensive virtually stopped due to the strain of the supply lines and the increased partisan resistance in captured territory with several uprisings occurring. The Texan Army would be dispersed throughout the state and operations with multiple regiments would see the securing of the territory and capture of the cities of Matamortos and Torreon. By the end of the year a conundrum rose up for both sides. For the Texans they would not be able to secure the entirety of the Rio Grande without an estimated strength of at least 200,000 men and the costs of the occupation force would rack up tens of thousands in debt for the Republic. For the Mexicans, their offensive capabilities would be destroyed while the Texans had a deep foothold into their territory and they were economically strained from the blockade and virtual lost of trade. It would be this situation which would force a peace next year.
View attachment 332678
The Texan Army in Coahuila
On the political side of both Texas and Mexico their were two differing situations. While Mexico did face several harsh defeats at the hands of the Texans, the fact that they were able to reconquer the Rio Grande and two states from the Yucatan made Benito Juarez into the most popular man overnight. The Nationalist Populists wiped out the opposition in the 1861 legislative elections which secured Juarez a blank check in order to run the government as he saw fit. Even in the darkest periods of the war, Juarez's name would be chanted throughout the towns and villages of Mexico and tens of thousands of men would sign up to loyally serve El Presidente. Within Texas things were quite the opposite. President Juan Seguin was a beloved figure for his part in the Revolution and extensive service to the people of Texas, specifically to the Tejanos who had benefited much from legislation that Seguin had started. In the 1861 congressional elections the Republicans had a surge of seats gained thanks to the national fire against Mexico with many cheering Seguin to victory. This would all change in the next year. When word came of the extensive defeats in California, Rio Grande, and Texas, Seguin's popularity would drop to its lowest. In the first half of 1862 there were numerous protests against his name with calls of resignation for the poor conduct of the war. The biggest of them all were the Independence Day protests within Austin were 9,000 showed up at the capitol and demanded answers for Seguin for why Texans were losing. The main issue for the Texan psyche was that due to their numerous victories against Mexico and hostile Indians in the past, a mindset had been created that Texans were near invincible and that Mexicans were weak cowards. Reports of massive losses confused Texans as they simply could not comprehend why Mexico could win a single victory. The worst aspect of this dark time in Texan history was the racial violence that rose with nearly 500 racial crimes reported in Texas in 1862 against Tejanos due to their perceived sympathies to Mexico and fears of a hispanic domination against the other races, even though historical accounts point to an overwhelming majority of Tejanos as loyal patriots. Then came time for the Presidential elections. Within the Western Union members were unsure of what to due in large parts due to the chaos of a changing administration in wartime. Overtures were made to Davy Crockett to take the reigns of the presidency once more, but the former president refused due to his old age and desire not to interfere with Seguin's leadership. With a highly confused election on what to due, the final outcome was in favor of Senator Pendleton Murrah who was the most energetic and vocal member of the party in favor of running and declared that he woudl right the wrongs of Seguin. On the Republican side party leaders were unsure of whether or not they would nominate Seguin due to feelings that his position on the ballot would cause him to lose the election, however at the same time no one decided to run against him for fear of setting up a precedent against wartime leaders in the future. In the end the Republicans cast their ballots and Seguin was very reluctantly nominated on the ticket again. In the months leading up to the election, the tide began to turn in favor of Seguin. When news spread of the Texan victories at Los Angeles, Tucson, El Paso, and Coahuila, faith in the office of the president was once more restored and Seguin's popularity began to rise again with protests virtually ceasing except for Deseret and Eastern Texas. Pendleton Murrah also made several critical mistakes in campaigning due to his perception that he would win in a landslide during the war. Murrah rarely made any speeches and refused to campaign in around Texas with the exception of a few major cities such as San Antonio and Galveston. What was most damaging of all to the man was his bigoted comments toward the Tejano community with suggestion that marshal law should be installed in southern Texas in order to make sure that the Tejanos would not rise up in support of Juarez, virtually eliminating what little Tejano support the Western Union had. Thanks to the war and the newly obtained citizenship of several Texans, the elections were the largest yet with nearly 200,000 votes. In the end Seguin won with a 54% majority of 102,950 to Murrah's 85,691. Unfortunately for Seguin the elections were not a complete victory as the Western Union had managed to obtain majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives, proving for complications after the war until 1868 when the issue of the Southern Exodus entered the forefront of Texan politics.
1862 Texas Presidential Elections
Seguin/Pease: 102,950 Votes (Republican) 54.29 %
Murrah/Sawyer: 86,691 Votes (Western Union) 45.71%
Seguin (Left) Murrah (Right)
Yucatan: With the launching of Operation Cortez the Yucatan hoped to liberate the entirety of their nation and achieved the same amount of success as the Texans had in California, launching on July 4th, Cortez would see the usage of 75,000 Yucatan and French troops launching an invasion into Tobasco and Chiapas in the war to liberate the two states. Much like how the war had occurred down south, a bloody guerilla war ensued between the two sides. Massacres of any remaining Mayan populations continued in the land due to fears that they would be used as a base of manpower for the Yucatan, while a state of civil war emerged among the Creole between Unificationists and Loyalists. While the presence of the French forces assured that the Yucatan would dominate all open battles, Mexican leadership switched tactics to a hit and run strategy that also employed brutal usage of total warfare with burning fields and jungles and sacked homes. By the end of the year Tabasco would be liberated with the usage of the Texan and French navies assuring a domination on the coast and a quick advance through the rural cities. The city of Ciudad del Carmen was taken on August 2nd while the capitol of Villahermosa was captured on September 5th. The decision would be made to move forwards into Veracruz for a possible capture of the territory with the Battles of Cardenas and Paraiso occuring on October 6th and 10th respectively. Both were bloody battles with burned earth tactics being used in entrapments to cut off the Mexican defenders from supplies. The towns would then be heavily bombarded for about a day, then allowing for the infantry to enter into swarms and kill any resistance. Down south was a whole other story as the Mexicans were able to hold their ground against the Yucatan. Chiapas was a state that was less affected from the blockades like Tobasco due to its location next to the Pacific and low roads and development in the state. By this time the Mexican Army had learned of the guerilla tactics from the Yucatan and were able to coordinate an effective resistance with the local Creoles. Major General Pancho Morales is credited with the Mexican victories within Chiapas due to his virtually lack of restraint on the rules of war and favoring of dispersing his large army into small bands which would attack any stray Yucatan units and eliminate sympathetic civilian holdouts. While the war in the Yucatan is considered today to be one of multiple warcrimes and brutalities, for the Mexicans and Yucatans it was a fight of sheer survival as both saw the potential collapse of their nations in the outcome of a defeat. The actions taken within these jungles would begin a large hatred between the Yucatan and Mexico which still occurs today along the borders. For the Yucatan was the bloodiest fight of the war with 12,000 Yucatan and 15,000 Mexican casualties in the second half of 1862.
"You folks don't need to worry one bit about the war. Those Rio Grande folks love us and they'll be begging to save them from Benito."- President Davy Crockett 1862
"We must never forget the state of peril that Mexico lies. To the north is the Gringo Texan bastards with the Tejano traitors. To the South lie the Yucatan who mix with the savage Indians. You must give your life to Mexico if we are to survive against the world."- President Porfirio Diaz 1896
"The reason that the Mexican War did not end in a total victory is because all of the participants did not have the means to conquer one another. If we went to war today, then Mexico would see its downfall by Christmas."- General Dwight D. Eisenhower 1961
Rio Grande: On Septmember 23rd the Second Battle of El Paso began when skirmishes took place between elements of the Republican Guard and Texas Rangers about 10 miles east of El Paso. For weeks Johnston and his men had traveled west along the Rio Grande river, liberating any towns and settlements that they came across in an effort to secure the eastern borders of Texas once and for all. The Mexican garrison had advance warning of the Texans thanks to RG scout units and notices from sympathetic Tejanos, however while the garrison commander Phillipe Castanzo had requested for numerous reinforcements in order to hold El Paso, President Juarez was adamant on preventing any men from marching to the city in order to establish a clear line of resistance in the former Republic of the Rio Grande. Since the capture of the city earlier in the year, El Paso had been extensively fortified with each pueblo within the city becoming its own barracks and multiple storehouses erected in a top example of well organized logistics. The main problem facing Castazno though was the fact that El Paso's 10,000 citizens had been an immense drain on the resources of the 7500 men army and when supplies came from central Mexico, they had to be rationed with the civilian in order to set up an image of liberators instead of conquerors. Castanzo was also outnumbered by Johnston 3 to 1 with the Texan force of 23,000 men. Unless Benito Juarez sent at least two or three regiments to help, then the odds would be in the favor of the Texans. For the next three days multiple skirmishes would be waged on the cities limits as the Texan infantry moved forward against the Mexican defenses while cavalry struck key points in the city. The Mexicans were able to put up a well defense with several well put tactical charges and a system set up of mini forts with each one being defended long enough to bleed the Texan's dry and then retreat to the next line of earthworks. However the battle would keep on going in the Texans favor thanks to their larger numbers putting up replacements, and the increasing destruction of buildings and cover in El Paso. Facing little choice but defeat but having no desire to surrender, Castanzo made a bold move. On the night of the 26th Castanzo gathered his men and told them that they would create two distractions in order to keep the Texans occupied and allow the army to escape. The first would be the setting up of a wildfire with the water having been removed from the wells and setting aflame the dry plants in the area, burning multiple homes in the process. The second and nearly controversial, would be a suicide charge of a group of men to the Texans to prevent them from entering the city and escaping the fire. Castanzo compared this act to the glory of the Mexican patriots in the war of independence, but that he would not force volunteers and that if enough men did not come forward then he would abandon the plan. Surprisingly a group of 600 moved forward and volunteered to be the bait, knowing full well that almost none would make it. These men were given their last rites by the brigade's chaplain, then marching forward to battle while they sang the national anthem. Around 10:23 P.M, reports came from the Texan lines of fires being sighted within the city. Desiring not to have El Paso be destroyed before its capture, General Johnston quickly rallied his men and ordered a charge forward. By then the group of volunteers who would later be known in Texan and Mexican history as "The Bold 600" had moved forward and were beginning to engage the Texans in close combat, often using their own hands when running out of ammunition. Out of the 600 that volunteered only 21 survived due to the rest being killed in action, being mortally wounded, or controversially being executed by rogue Texan soldiers for the act of the burning of El Paso. By the time the 600 were dealt with it was too late as thousands of panicked Texan citizens were fleeing towards Johnston's army and most of the paths into the city were destroyed, Castanzo fleeing with his men. The Second Battle of El Paso is considered a victory to Texas, albeit a high Pyrrhic one. Casualties for the Texans were high with 513 killed, 564 wounded. Mexican casualties were even higher with 1,021 killed, 378 wounded, and 136 taken prisoner. To this day the Second Battle of El Paso remains a controversial point of relations between Texas and Mexico with Texans considering Castanzo a war criminal while to many in Mexico he is a patriot, having avoided any charges at the Treaty of Havana. Thankfully though the Battle of El Paso was able to result in Texas securing their borders and having no other major battles within their territory for the rest of the war.
The storming of El Paso with the city burning in the distance
Further down south General Travis was making his way with 30,000 men in an attempt to liberate the Rio Grande from Mexican rule. Unlike the last invasion which ended in a failure, the Texans would make their place slowly this time, going a few miles a day while capturing each settlement as a supply stop to the garrison at Laredo. Most of the invasion force was placed within the state of Coahuila while 5,000 men along with over 2,000 of the Texas marines would travel along the coast and prevent any supplies from coming into Mexico. Mexican resistance was stiff along the way with 6 major battles occurring in the second half of 1862, 2 of them being Mexican victories at the Battles of Sabinas and Palau; while the Texans won the Battles of Zaragoza, El Infante, El Judio, and La Cuidad de Cardenas. The Mexican victories on the campaign were little more than minor roadblocks metaphorically as the only major accomplishments were stalling the Texan force for days at a time and causing some loss of supplies in men. Out of all these battles the Texans suffered 3,000 casualties while the Mexicans suffered 5,000. What came as a general surprise to the Texan force during the campaign is the virtual lack of support by the native population. Instead of being hailed as liberators, the Texans were jeered and cursed at in liberated towns for taking them away from Mexico, most assuming that power would be given back to the now defunct Rio Grande Republic. Resistance movements were set up in coordination with the Mexican Army which costs the Texans about a tenth of their casualties. On October 8th an important achievement occurred with the capture of Satillo in the Second Battle of Satillo where the Texan forces were able to liberate the city from the Mexican defenders. The battle was costly thanks to a week long siege and a final assault which saw heavy hand to hand combat. In the end the Texans suffered 647 killed, 532 wounded, and 39 captured. The Mexicans suffered 721 killed, 644 wounded, and 406 taken prisoner from a force of 5,000. After Satillo the Texan offensive virtually stopped due to the strain of the supply lines and the increased partisan resistance in captured territory with several uprisings occurring. The Texan Army would be dispersed throughout the state and operations with multiple regiments would see the securing of the territory and capture of the cities of Matamortos and Torreon. By the end of the year a conundrum rose up for both sides. For the Texans they would not be able to secure the entirety of the Rio Grande without an estimated strength of at least 200,000 men and the costs of the occupation force would rack up tens of thousands in debt for the Republic. For the Mexicans, their offensive capabilities would be destroyed while the Texans had a deep foothold into their territory and they were economically strained from the blockade and virtual lost of trade. It would be this situation which would force a peace next year.
View attachment 332678
The Texan Army in Coahuila
On the political side of both Texas and Mexico their were two differing situations. While Mexico did face several harsh defeats at the hands of the Texans, the fact that they were able to reconquer the Rio Grande and two states from the Yucatan made Benito Juarez into the most popular man overnight. The Nationalist Populists wiped out the opposition in the 1861 legislative elections which secured Juarez a blank check in order to run the government as he saw fit. Even in the darkest periods of the war, Juarez's name would be chanted throughout the towns and villages of Mexico and tens of thousands of men would sign up to loyally serve El Presidente. Within Texas things were quite the opposite. President Juan Seguin was a beloved figure for his part in the Revolution and extensive service to the people of Texas, specifically to the Tejanos who had benefited much from legislation that Seguin had started. In the 1861 congressional elections the Republicans had a surge of seats gained thanks to the national fire against Mexico with many cheering Seguin to victory. This would all change in the next year. When word came of the extensive defeats in California, Rio Grande, and Texas, Seguin's popularity would drop to its lowest. In the first half of 1862 there were numerous protests against his name with calls of resignation for the poor conduct of the war. The biggest of them all were the Independence Day protests within Austin were 9,000 showed up at the capitol and demanded answers for Seguin for why Texans were losing. The main issue for the Texan psyche was that due to their numerous victories against Mexico and hostile Indians in the past, a mindset had been created that Texans were near invincible and that Mexicans were weak cowards. Reports of massive losses confused Texans as they simply could not comprehend why Mexico could win a single victory. The worst aspect of this dark time in Texan history was the racial violence that rose with nearly 500 racial crimes reported in Texas in 1862 against Tejanos due to their perceived sympathies to Mexico and fears of a hispanic domination against the other races, even though historical accounts point to an overwhelming majority of Tejanos as loyal patriots. Then came time for the Presidential elections. Within the Western Union members were unsure of what to due in large parts due to the chaos of a changing administration in wartime. Overtures were made to Davy Crockett to take the reigns of the presidency once more, but the former president refused due to his old age and desire not to interfere with Seguin's leadership. With a highly confused election on what to due, the final outcome was in favor of Senator Pendleton Murrah who was the most energetic and vocal member of the party in favor of running and declared that he woudl right the wrongs of Seguin. On the Republican side party leaders were unsure of whether or not they would nominate Seguin due to feelings that his position on the ballot would cause him to lose the election, however at the same time no one decided to run against him for fear of setting up a precedent against wartime leaders in the future. In the end the Republicans cast their ballots and Seguin was very reluctantly nominated on the ticket again. In the months leading up to the election, the tide began to turn in favor of Seguin. When news spread of the Texan victories at Los Angeles, Tucson, El Paso, and Coahuila, faith in the office of the president was once more restored and Seguin's popularity began to rise again with protests virtually ceasing except for Deseret and Eastern Texas. Pendleton Murrah also made several critical mistakes in campaigning due to his perception that he would win in a landslide during the war. Murrah rarely made any speeches and refused to campaign in around Texas with the exception of a few major cities such as San Antonio and Galveston. What was most damaging of all to the man was his bigoted comments toward the Tejano community with suggestion that marshal law should be installed in southern Texas in order to make sure that the Tejanos would not rise up in support of Juarez, virtually eliminating what little Tejano support the Western Union had. Thanks to the war and the newly obtained citizenship of several Texans, the elections were the largest yet with nearly 200,000 votes. In the end Seguin won with a 54% majority of 102,950 to Murrah's 85,691. Unfortunately for Seguin the elections were not a complete victory as the Western Union had managed to obtain majorities in both the Senate and House of Representatives, proving for complications after the war until 1868 when the issue of the Southern Exodus entered the forefront of Texan politics.
1862 Texas Presidential Elections
Seguin/Pease: 102,950 Votes (Republican) 54.29 %
Murrah/Sawyer: 86,691 Votes (Western Union) 45.71%
Seguin (Left) Murrah (Right)
Yucatan: With the launching of Operation Cortez the Yucatan hoped to liberate the entirety of their nation and achieved the same amount of success as the Texans had in California, launching on July 4th, Cortez would see the usage of 75,000 Yucatan and French troops launching an invasion into Tobasco and Chiapas in the war to liberate the two states. Much like how the war had occurred down south, a bloody guerilla war ensued between the two sides. Massacres of any remaining Mayan populations continued in the land due to fears that they would be used as a base of manpower for the Yucatan, while a state of civil war emerged among the Creole between Unificationists and Loyalists. While the presence of the French forces assured that the Yucatan would dominate all open battles, Mexican leadership switched tactics to a hit and run strategy that also employed brutal usage of total warfare with burning fields and jungles and sacked homes. By the end of the year Tabasco would be liberated with the usage of the Texan and French navies assuring a domination on the coast and a quick advance through the rural cities. The city of Ciudad del Carmen was taken on August 2nd while the capitol of Villahermosa was captured on September 5th. The decision would be made to move forwards into Veracruz for a possible capture of the territory with the Battles of Cardenas and Paraiso occuring on October 6th and 10th respectively. Both were bloody battles with burned earth tactics being used in entrapments to cut off the Mexican defenders from supplies. The towns would then be heavily bombarded for about a day, then allowing for the infantry to enter into swarms and kill any resistance. Down south was a whole other story as the Mexicans were able to hold their ground against the Yucatan. Chiapas was a state that was less affected from the blockades like Tobasco due to its location next to the Pacific and low roads and development in the state. By this time the Mexican Army had learned of the guerilla tactics from the Yucatan and were able to coordinate an effective resistance with the local Creoles. Major General Pancho Morales is credited with the Mexican victories within Chiapas due to his virtually lack of restraint on the rules of war and favoring of dispersing his large army into small bands which would attack any stray Yucatan units and eliminate sympathetic civilian holdouts. While the war in the Yucatan is considered today to be one of multiple warcrimes and brutalities, for the Mexicans and Yucatans it was a fight of sheer survival as both saw the potential collapse of their nations in the outcome of a defeat. The actions taken within these jungles would begin a large hatred between the Yucatan and Mexico which still occurs today along the borders. For the Yucatan was the bloodiest fight of the war with 12,000 Yucatan and 15,000 Mexican casualties in the second half of 1862.
- Kaiser Chris
- Word Count: 2.9k