After the highly acclaimed book Abraham Lincoln and Mexico, Michael Hogan has written another paradigm smashing book on US-Mexican relations. Using important primary and secondary sources, Hogan shines a bright light on a tireless Mexican ambassador to the United States and an American administration that viewed the French occupation of Mexico with great concern. Fighting a civil war, Lincoln was sympathetic yet hobbled by the demands of the war he intended to win. In this vacuum, civil organizations in the United States shared a sense of solidarity with the embattled Mexican State. Fund raisers, discharged union soldiers, and concerned citizens defending the tenets of the Monroe Doctrine organized and armed the American Legion of Honor and the colored troops to defend Mexico. Within a brief period those American troops came to the aid of the embattled Mexican president Juarez and helped oust the occupation forces from Mexico.
Not only is this story of US-Mexican military cooperation virtually unknown, but this is an important history that stands in stark contrast to current US-Mexican tensions. It is the story of a neighbor coming to the aid of another. Hogan does a brilliant job describing the key players in both countries, their personalities, motivations, accomplishments, and sacrifice. The book puts blood and flesh on these historical figures. A gripping read!