"Perhaps the most colorful and controversial of those who fought on behalf of the Mexican Empire was the French cavalryman Charles Dupin. At the time of the campaign in Mexico he was already a decorated veteran of the war in China where he had earned something of an unsavory reputation. He was a zealous participant of the looting of the Summer Palace when French and British forces occupied Peking and he brought back a number of pilfered Chinese art treasures as spoils of war. When he openly advertised these items for sale in Paris he was dismissed from the army for conduct unbecoming of an officer. However, he had gained a reputation as a cunning and hard fighting commander.
When the war in Mexico, particularly along the northern frontier, degenerated into guerilla warfare it was Emperor Napoleon III himself who recalled the aging Dupin for service in Mexico. Emperor Maximilian though actually singled out Dupin for exclusion from his service since, although he had a reputation for courage and fearlessness, he was also known to employ methods ranging from extremely harsh to downright brutal. Nonetheless, Colonel Dupin came to Mexico and was given command of the contra-guerillas operating on the coast and along the Texas border. He cut an imposing figure in his braided uniform, wide sombrero and a cigar always clenched in his teeth. His mission was to fight fire with fire, to wipe out the bandits and Juaristas in the region and he had no qualms about returning harshness with harshness and cruelty with cruelty.
When the contra-guerillas seized a local village, their commander often issued a statement to intimidate the public such as this: "I am Colonel Dupin. Obey or you are dead! All resistance is futile…I protect the good but have no mercy for evil men. I kill men, I rape women, I murder children; I exterminate the enemy by fire, by steel and by blood; remember my words!" How much of these were serious threats or simply fearsome bombast is hard to say, but it all took place in an area where brutality was the order of the day on both sides. It must also be remembered that Dupin was based at Ciudad Victoria, operating in an area long held as the territory of the notorious bandit leader Juan Cortina. The men Dupin was up against also behaved in the most brutal fashion…"
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The Red Devils
"During the period of the French intervention and second Mexican Empire of all the units of the Mexican Imperial Army none were so feared or hated by the republican revolutionary forces as the contra-guerillas commanded by the notorious Colonel Charles Dupin. Operating mostly in north and northeast Mexico the contra-guerillas were formed in October of 1862 as a modest force of two cavalry squadrons. They proved so ruthlessly effective however and became such an elite force (with better pay, better food but riskier service) that by the summer of 1864 the force had grown to 850 soldiers organized into the two cavalry squadrons plus four infantry companies and a two gun mountain artillery battery. Today it is common to portray the contras as a French force but, in fact, they were part of the Imperial Mexican Army and, despite being commanded by a French officer, most in the French army viewed the contras with considerable distaste.
Emperor Maximilian did as well and at one point had the brutal commander of the contras relieved of duty. However, though harsh and even ruthless in their methods Colonel Dupin and his contras were frighteningly effective. Dupin has been described as savage and brilliant, courageous and brutal. The contras came from an extremely diverse background; mercenaries, regular soldiers of various nationalities, frontier ruffians and even a few Americans after the civil war there. Discipline was harsh for such a rowdy bunch but they had to be for the type of war they were fighting. The contras essentially employed the same brutal tactics used by the republican bandits against them. The fighting on the northern frontier was particularly brutal and both sides could be equally merciless. Dupin himself purposely encouraged the popular image of himself and his contras as invincible and bloodthirsty, employing a little wild-west type psychological warfare that ensured they were feared all across northern Mexico.
Early on the contras wore a uniform that consisted of a rather simple grey outfit trimmed in blue with a silver-laced sombrero. After 1864 they took on a more outlandish appearance with the cavalry wearing grey or black sombreros, a bright red dolman with black lace and bright red sashes. Foot soldiers wore uniforms similar in style to the French zouaves and when the second squadron was raised they wore sky blue dolmans but it was the red jackets and the red sashes that all the troops wore that their republican enemies named them los diablos colorados or "the Red Devils". As stated, the contras could attract a very tough brand of soldier because of the better pay and equipment they received. Yet, there were drawbacks. Because of their fierce reputation they could expect no mercy if they were ever taken by the enemy and with their bright red hussar jackets and red sashes they were pretty easy to spot in a crowd of prisoners. After the disastrous battle of Santa Gertrudis for example a contingent of contras participated and were more willing to fight to the death than others and those who were captured were summarily executed by the Juaristas, sometimes brutally and then mutilated. It was also said that the widows of some of the Juaristas whose husbands had lost their lives to the contras raised funds to put prices on their heads. Needless to say, most chose not to stay on once the French had decided to cut their support and pull out of Mexico…"
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Amicalement
Armand
reveals a long-lost Martian tripod.
