Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition
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The Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition (french: Médaille commémorative de l'expédition du Mexique) was a French commemorative campaign medal established by
decree A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used ...
of French emperor
Napoleon III Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A neph ...
on 29 August 1863 to recognize military service during the 1862-1863 French intervention in Mexico.
Musée de la Légion d'Honneur The Musée national de la Légion d'honneur et des ordres de chevalerie ( French for "National museum of the Legion of Honour and of orders of chivalry") is a French national museum of orders of merit and orders of chivalry. It is located in th ...
permanent exhibit, Paris The Mexican expedition was undertaken in 1862 on order of emperor Napoleon III following a financial dispute with the
Republic of Mexico Mexico ( Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guate ...
and his personal desire to create a Catholic empire on the continent to counterbalance U.S. influence. On 7 January 1862, approximately 3,000 French soldiers landed at Vera Cruz. Small British and Spanish contingents that were originally part of the adventure preferred to withdraw quickly leaving only the French forces assisted by small numbers of Austrian, Belgian and Turkish troops. These forces, whose numbers would later rise to approximately 38,000 men, were successively placed under the command of generals
Charles de Lorencez Charles Ferdinand Latrille, Comte de Lorencez (23 May 1814 –16 July 1892) was a French Army general under Napoleon III during the 19th century. He was a relative of the Empress Carlota of Mexico, who was the only daughter of King Leopold I, ...
,
Élie Frédéric Forey Élie Frédéric Forey (10 January 180420 June 1872) was a Marshal of France. Biography Elie Frédéric Forey was born in Paris. He studied at the French military academy Saint-Cyr and was commissioned a lieutenant in the 2nd Light Infantry Regi ...
and finally
François Achille Bazaine François Achille Bazaine (13 February 181123 September 1888) was an officer of the French army. Rising from the ranks, during four decades of distinguished service (including 35 years on campaign) under Louis-Philippe and then Napoleon III, he ...
. The campaign was the scene of some of the most notable battles in
French military history The military history of France encompasses an immense panorama of conflicts and struggles extending for more than 2,000 years across areas including modern France, Europe, and a variety of regions throughout the world. According to historian ...
, such as the glorious struggle for the village of Camaron where, on 30 April 1863, sixty two
legionnaires The French Foreign Legion (french: Légion étrangère) is a corps of the French Army which comprises several specialties: infantry, cavalry, engineers, airborne troops. It was created in 1831 to allow foreign nationals into the French Army. It ...
resisted bravely for nine hours against over two thousand Mexicans, allowing for the capture of the city of
Puebla Puebla ( en, colony, settlement), officially Free and Sovereign State of Puebla ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla), is one of the 32 states which comprise the Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 217 municipalities and its cap ...
on 17 May 1863 thus paving the way to
Mexico Mexico (Spanish language, Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a List of sovereign states, country in the southern portion of North America. It is borders of Mexico, bordered to the north by the United States; to the so ...
. In the capital, an assembly of notables recognized Archduke Maximilian of Habsburg, brother of
Emperor Franz Joseph Franz Joseph I or Francis Joseph I (german: Franz Joseph Karl, hu, Ferenc József Károly, 18 August 1830 – 21 November 1916) was Emperor of Austria, King of Hungary, and the other states of the Habsburg monarchy from 2 December 1848 until his ...
of
Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
, as
Emperor of Mexico The Emperor of Mexico ( Spanish: ''Emperador de México'') was the head of state and ruler of Mexico on two non-consecutive occasions in the 19th century. With the Declaration of Independence of the Mexican Empire from Spain in 1821, Mexico b ...
. However, even with the support of 20,000 Mexicans who embraced the new emperor, Maximilian's forces were harassed in their work of pacification by the troops of President
Benito Juárez Benito Pablo Juárez García (; 21 March 1806 – 18 July 1872) was a Mexican liberal politician and lawyer who served as the 26th president of Mexico from 1858 until his death in office in 1872. As a Zapotec, he was the first indigenous pre ...
who had the support of the United States. In February 1867, Emperor Napoleon III ordered the repatriation of all remaining French troops from Mexico, the last elements left the port of Vera Cruz on 12 March 1867. An abandoned Emperor Maximilian, defeated and captured near the city of
Querétaro Querétaro (), officially the Free and Sovereign State of Querétaro ( es, Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro, links=no; Otomi: ''Hyodi Ndämxei''), is one of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities. Its cap ...
, was executed in June of that year.


Award statute

The Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition was awarded by the emperor, to all those who took part in the Mexico Expedition, upon nomination and approval by the minister under which the corps or service of the potential recipient was attached. The medal was to be worn on the left breast. No minimum time of service was mentioned in the award statute. A later decree of 16 April 1864 added the Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition to the list of previous awards that could be revoked following a condemnation to a fixed prison term of one year or more for a crime committed by the recipient.


Award description

The Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition was a 30 mm in diameter circular silver medal. Its
obverse Obverse and its opposite, reverse, refer to the two flat faces of coins and some other two-sided objects, including paper money, flags, seals, medals, drawings, old master prints and other works of art, and printed fabrics. In this usage, ...
bore the left profile of Emperor Napoleon III crowned with a laurel wreath surrounded by the relief inscription "NAPOLEON III" "EMPEREUR" ( en, "NAPOLEON III EMPEROR"). A 4 mm wide relief laurel wreath ran along the entire circumference of both the obverse and reverse of the medal. On the reverse, within the laurel wreath, the circular relief inscription " * EXPEDITION DU MEXIQUE * 1862•1863" ( en, "MEXICAN EXPEDITION 1862•1863"), two small five pointed stars separating the text from the dates. At the center, the relief inscription on five lines of the campaign's major battles "CUMBRES" "CERRO-BORREGO" "SAN-LORENZO" "PUEBLA" "MEXICO". The medal hung from a 36 mm wide white silk moiré ribbon bearing 5 mm red and green stripes arranged at a 45 degree angle forming a cross, over which was superimposed a black eagle, its wings spread and holding a green snake in its beak and talons, a design inspired by the coat of arms of Mexico. Image:Expedition du Mexique 1863 revers.jpg, Reverse of the Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition Image:Médaille Mexique 02.jpg, Award certificate. Image:Coat of arms of Mexico (1823-1864, 1867-1893).svg, Coat of arms of Mexico File:Emperador Maximiliano I de Mexico.jpg, Emperor Maximilian File:Adolphe Yvon - Portrait of Napoleon III - Walters 3795.jpg, Emperor Napoléon III


Notable recipients (partial list)

*
Marshal of France Marshal of France (french: Maréchal de France, plural ') is a French military distinction, rather than a military rank, that is awarded to generals for exceptional achievements. The title has been awarded since 1185, though briefly abolished ( ...
Élie Frédéric Forey Élie Frédéric Forey (10 January 180420 June 1872) was a Marshal of France. Biography Elie Frédéric Forey was born in Paris. He studied at the French military academy Saint-Cyr and was commissioned a lieutenant in the 2nd Light Infantry Regi ...
*General Pierre Émile Arnaud Édouard de Colbert-Chabannais *General Gustave Léon Niox *General Jean François Jules Herbé *General Armand Alexandre de Castagny *General Philippe Marie André Roussel de Courcy *General
Auguste Mercier Auguste Mercier (8 December 1833 – 3 March 1921) was a French general and Minister of War at the time of the Dreyfus Affair. Military career Auguste Mercier was born in Arras. He entered the École Polytechnique at the age of 19 in 1852, a ...
*General Édouard Aymard *Admiral
Henri Rieunier Henri, Adrien, Barthélemy, Louis Rieunier (6 March 1833, Castelsarrasin – 10 July 1918, Albi) was a French admiral and politician, most notable for his involvement in Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Soc ...
*Rear admiral
Benjamin Jaurès Admiral Constant Louis Jean Benjamin Jaurès (3 February 1823 – 13 March 1889) was a French Navy officer and politician. Born in Albi, Tarn, he was a senator for life and active in Japan during the 1863 Shimonoseki campaign and the Boshin ...
*Colonel Charles Nicolas Friant *Colonel Charles Paul Narcisse Moreau *Navy captain Henri Rivière *Major Napoléon Charles Bonaparte, 5th Prince of Canino *Ottoman general Vitalis Pacha


See also

*
1st Foreign Regiment The 1st Foreign Regiment (french: 1er Régiment étranger, 1er RE) and the 2nd Foreign infantry Regiment are the original and most senior founding regiments of the Foreign Legion in the French Army. The regiment is also responsible for running sp ...
*
Battle of Camarón The Battle of Camarón (french: Bataille de Camerone) which occurred over ten hours on 30 April 1863 between the Foreign Legion of the French Army and the Mexican army, is regarded as a defining moment in the Foreign Legion's history. A small ...
*
List of battles of the French intervention in Mexico The French intervention in Mexico (1862–1867) was an invasion of the Republic of Mexico by the army of the Second French Empire in 1862. It resulted in the establishment of the Second Mexican Empire in 1864, which was supported by many conser ...
*
History of Mexico The written history of Mexico spans more than three millennia. First populated more than 13,000 years ago, central and southern Mexico (termed Mesoamerica) saw the rise and fall of complex indigenous civilizations. Mexico would later develop ...
*
Pastry War The Pastry War ( es, Guerra de los pasteles; french: Guerre des Pâtisseries), also known as the First French Intervention in Mexico or the First Franco-Mexican War (1838–1839), began in November 1838 with the naval blockade of some Mexican po ...
* Reform War


References


External links


Museum of the Legion of Honour
(in French) {{DEFAULTSORT:Commemorative medal of the Mexico Expedition Awards established in 1863 1863 establishments in France French campaign medals Second French intervention in Mexico