Today is Mexican Independence Day – the day that Mexico was granted independence from Spain.
Many Americans think that Cinco de Mayo is the day of independence. That day actually honors a single victorious battle against 8,000 French troops armed with modern weaponry on May 5, 1862. There were only about 4,000 Mexican troops, but you always give at least a 2:1 handicap to the French or the Girl Scouts. After all, 400,000 French troops were defeated by a few Cossack goat herders and a little snow 50 years prior to this battle on a little jaunt to Moscow and (for a lucky 4000 troops) back. At least the line waiting to walk through the Arc de Triomphe was shorter and easier to limp through on the return home.
I digress. Napoleon III detested the US (go figure – the French hating Americans), so maybe we are lucky that Mexico killed most of them before they made it up here to surrender to us, too, beginning a long and distinguished history of surrender.
Actually, that wasn't the French plan at all, and here's why Americans celebrate Cinco de Mayo: In keeping with a long standing tradition of supplying weapons and training to the enemy (e.g. Viet Nam's Khmer Rouge), Napoleon had decided to lend a hand to General Lee, create a super-army of rednecks, er, bluecoats, and squash the US. Thanks to the courage of General Zaragosa and his Mexican troops, Lee never received his infusion and surrendered 14 months later. After our Civil War ended, we made our own little delivery of weapons and troops through the Texas border to help mop up the French that the Mexican troops may have missed. Mexico is a big place. About the time that French troops were losing toes to frostbite in Russia 50 years earlier, Mexico was on a 11-year mission to find the last of the Spanish occupation soldiers and tell them that it was time to punch the clock and go home (don't laugh - we've been looking for one man for 14 years - at least they were looking in the right country). Uniformed American troops were honored alongside Mexican troops as heros in Mexican parades and celebrations in honor of the battle of Cinco de Mayo.
Ain't payback a bitch? Happy birthday, Mexico!
Bob Peeples, PE
16 Septiembre, 2008
A side note to Monty Python fans: That French castle scene in Search for the Holy Grail where they catapult a cow over the wall may be a reference to a tactic used against the French in this very battle. Armed only with machetes, a band of Indians stampeded a herd of cattle right in to the French troops, scattering them in every direction. You can't run very fast dragging a cannon or a gatling gun, so the French just scampered for the trees - thus supplying their own enemy.