EVACUATION OF MEXICO BY THE FRENCH. Message from the President of the United States [House of Representatives. 39th. Congress Ex. Doc. No. 93. Washington, April 23, 1866

[Washington]: GPO, 1866. First Edition. Very good. 8vo. 47, [1] pp. (final page blank), textblock browned. Modern sympathetic wrappers, upper cover with title in manuscript. SECOND FRENCH INTERVENTION OF MEXICO, A MAGNIFICENT FAILURE.

This fascinating document contains abundant diplomatic correspondence and translations of strictly contemporary foreign newspaper reports; in it United States Government reports its enormous concern about French troops permanently occupying Mexico. These troops were but a few months away from withdrawing and returning to France, with the inevitable defeat of the Second Mexican Empire and the execution of Maximilian in June 1867. The position of Andrew Johnson and his Secretary of State William Seward was made perfectly clear: "The U.S. government considers it necessary for France to stop insisting on imposing imperialism on our sister republic of Mexico..." [...] "Also, warn Austria that she should not continue to sponsor the government of Prince Maximilian, who flaunts himself as an emperor of Mexico." The American Civil War had only just ended, and therefore the U.S. Government now found itself in a position to exert severe pressure on France to leave Mexico.

Indeed, four years of fighting against President Juarez were destined to end in the evacuation of Mexico by the French troops, early in 1867, and the execution of Maximilian, brother of the Emperor of Austria, whom France had caused to be proclaimed Emperor of Mexico. The impression created by this disaster notably increased the strength of the opposition in France against the Emperor of the French, Napoleon III.

"At the opening of the French chambers in January 1866, Napoleon III announced that he would withdraw French troops from Mexico. In reply to a French request for neutrality, the U.S. Secretary of State William H. Seward replied that French withdrawal should be unconditional. Napoleon assured the American government that the withdrawal would no longer be deferred, laying out a plan to reduce the troops in phases starting in November 1866 and ending one year later in November 1867. Seward then requested that French reinforcements to Mexico should now cease, and that Austria should stop recruiting volunteers for the Mexican expedition. The French and Austrian governments subsequently complied."

Ours appears to be the only copy of the "Evacuation of Mexico by the French" U.S. Document in private ownership.