The War of Reform (1857 - 61)

The reforms embodied in the Mexican constitution of 1857 were supported by the liberals and opposed by the conservatives. Mexico's liberal president, Ignacio Comonfort (1812-63), was forced into exile by conservative general Félix Zuloaga (1814-76), who took control of the capital, Mexico City, and assumed presidential powers in early 1858, until he was replaced by Miguel Mirarnon (1832-67), a conservative. A rump congress met in Querétaro and proclaimed Benito Juarez (1806-72), a liberal, president in 1858.
In Mexico City, the conservatives controlled the regular army and were supported by the church and the wealthy. The government of the liberals, who had a poorly equipped militia, was forced to flee from Querétaro to Guadalajara, from there to the Pacific coast and then to Panama. Finally, it made its capital the Mexican port of Veracruz on May 4, 1858. The United States recognized the Mexican government there in 1859 and gave arms to the liberals. The liberal army under Santos Degollado (d. 1861) fought in the west but lost every major battle, includ- ing notable defeats at Tacubaya (April 11, 1859) and Celaya (November 1859). Miramon and his forces attempted to drive Juarez out of Veracruz in early 1859, but many of his men sickened and died in the lowland.
Degollado marched on Mexico City but suffered defeat at Chapultepec in April 1859. Desperately needing money, Juérez's government confiscated church property and thus was able to better arm and equip its armies. Jesus Gonzalez Ortega (1824-81) led liberal troops to victory near Guadalajara and afterward at Calderon (1860). 0rtega's decisive defeat of Miramon's forces at the Battle of Calpulalpam on December 20, 1860, opened the way to Mexico City, which Juarez entered on January 1, 1861; he then assumed full control of the country and put into effect the reforms in the constitution.

Abraham and Benito
A Juarez-led liberal coalition triumphed over conservatives attempting to defend the privileges of the Church. The latter were particularly enraged by the Ley Juarez (the Juarez Law), legislation that restructured the judicial system to limit the authority of military and ecclesiastical courts, and by the liberal constitution of 1857.
Though Abrahama Lincoln and Juarez never met personally, they formed a lifetime, long-distance mutual admiration society. Lincoln's attitude toward Juarez was no doubt shaped by the friendly feeling he perennially entertained toward Mexico. Lincoln strongly opposed the U.S.-Mexican War of 1846-1848, characterizing it as "a war of conquest brought into existence to catch votes," and adding that, "Mexico was in no way molesting or menacing the U.S."
While it is not known exactly when Juarez came to Lincoln's attention, we do know that Lincoln was a strong Juarez supporter by 1857, eve of the Reform War. When Juarez was temporarily driven out of Mexico City by the conservatives, Lincoln sent him a message expressing hope "for the liberty of . . . your government and its people."
The bond between the two leaders was greatly strengthened during the American Civil War. In 1861, the year the Civil War began, Juarez was elected president of Mexico. The Reform War had bankrupted Mexico's treasury and Juarez suspended debt payments to Mexico's chief European creditors, France, Britain and Spain. The European powers organized a punitive expedition, seizing Veracruz. But Britain and Spain pulled out when they learned of Napoleon III's desire to install a puppet government in Mexico City. The French, defeated at Puebla in 1862, poured in reinforcements and captured Mexico City in 1863. Fleeing the capital, Ju&aacut;erez organized resistance in the north.
Though Lincoln obviously had his hands full during the Civil War, he still did what he could to help Juarez. Union General Phil Sheridan wrote in his journal that, "we continued covertly supplying arms and munitions to the liberals, sending as many as 30,000 muskets from the Baton Rouge alone." To Sheridan came this order from General Grant, which of course originated from Lincoln: "Concentrate at all available points in the States an army strong enough to move against the invaders of Mexico . . . "
Illustrative of how Juarez reciprocated Lincoln's friendly attitude was his response to an ill-advised overture he received from the Confederate government. The South had sent a delegation, under John T. Pickett, to try and win over the juaristas, Juarez, to put it mildly, sent the Confederates a message--throwing Pickett into a Mexico City jail for thirty days and then expelling him from the country.