Miramón, Miguel
Born in Mexico City on September 29, 1832, he studied in
the Escuela Militar de Chapultepec and was one of the cadet defenders of
Chapultepec against the United States army when it invaded and attacked Mexico
City in 1847. Miramón was captured.
He was a conservative in his politics and an ardent defender
of the cause against the liberals who sought to create equality before the law
and the abolition of special privilege. He was imprisoned on April 27, 1857 for
plotting to overthrow the government of President Ignacio
Comonfort. Freed, he
served as a lieutenant to General Luis G. Osollo in the War of the Reform
between the conservatives and liberals. He distinguished himself in battle and,
upon the death of Osollo on June 18, 1858, was seen as the logical person the
lead the conservative army. He became head of the Army of the North.
Conservatives, disappointed with Félix
Zuloaga , had him named President
of the Republic; he served from March, 1859 until December 24, 1860. The United
States gave diplomatic recognition to his government, rather than that of the
liberal Benito Juárez, for he controlled the capital and much of central
Mexico. When US Ambassador McLane tried to obtain transit rights and land on the
Isthmus of Tehuantepec, Miramón refused. McLane then negotiated a treaty with
the Juárez government in exchange for diplomatic recognition.1
Miramón protested both acts and, in reprisal, voided the decrees which
allowed the sales of clerical property. Miramón realized that the Juárez
government could continue indefinitely because it controlled the Veracruz
customs house, always the chief source of revenue for a Mexican
government. He tried to strike a decisive blow but was foiled by the
liberal army aided by the USS Saratoga which drove off the two ships of the
conservatives. He continued to fight, winning a victory at times, but was
defeated by Jesús González Ortega on December 22, 1860. He fled to Mexico City
and, finally, escaped to Havana, Cuba with the aid of the French emissary. He
went to France where he was well received by Napoleon III. He tried to return to
Mexico when the French, Spanish, and English landed a debt-collecting expedition
in 1861 but the English admiral would not let him land. He then lobbied the
French government to intervene and establish an empire. When France did
establish the Empire of Maximilian, Miramón again went to Mexico City,
entering the country from the north, and offered his services to this Austrian
ruler. He was promoted to a Gran Marshall and sent ton Berlin to study military
tactics. The Juárez government continued to resist the foreign invasion and,
after French troops were recalled to Europe, had Maximilian on the run. Miramón
returned to lead an army. He won several battles but was defeated by Mariano
Escobedo. After a trial, he was executed along with Maximilian on June 19, 1867.
He was 35.
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1. The US Senate, however, rejected the McLane-Ocampo Treaty, thus saving the
reputation of Juárez and his government. The US wanted to build an
inter-oceanic canal across Mexico.
Don Mabry
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