[Congressional Record Volume 147, Number 58 (Wednesday, May 2, 2001)] [Extensions of Remarks] [Page E704] From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] IN HONOR OF GENERAL IGNACIO ZARAGOZA SEGUIN, THE HERO OF PUEBLA, AND THE GOLIAD ZARAGOZA SOCIETY ______ HON. RUBEN HINOJOSA of texas in the house of representatives Wednesday, May 2, 2001 Mr. HINOJOSA. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor a true hero who gave his life to free his country from foreign oppression. Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin was born in 1829 at Bahia Del Espiritu Santo, Mexico near what is now Goliad, Texas in my Congressional District. He was the son of a soldier, but was educated as a priest. When the United States invaded Mexico, he tried to enlist but was rejected because of his youth. He was a businessman for a short time, but his passionate support of Mexico's struggle to create a fledgling democracy, made him a soldier. During the years of the War of the Reform in 1857 to 1860, he joined with Benito Juarez and fought in numerous battles including the battle of Calpulalpan, which ended the war. In April 1861, General Zaragoza was appointed Minister of War and the Navy. When Mexican President Juarez was forced to declare a moratorium on Mexico's European debt in order to salvage the bankrupt economy, Spain sent a fleet and forced the surrender of Veracruz. France and England joined Spain in the invasion of Mexico. General Zaragoza resigned from the ministry to lead the Army of the East. Although the English and Spanish reached an agreement with President Juarez and withdrew, the French landed troops and marched toward Mexico City. They met the Mexican forces at the City of Puebla in a battle that lasted the entire day of May 5, 1862. Under General Zaragoza's leadership that vastly outnumbered Mexican army and Puebla townspeople forced the withdrawal of Napoleon III's Army, the premier army in the world. Napoleon's army suffered heavy losses, but Mexican casualties were few. Although the French ultimately captured Mexico City the next year and put Napoleon's nephew on the throne, the costly delay in Puebla and the subsequent guerrilla war waged by Benito Juarez shortened the French intervention. It also helped preserve the American Union, as it kept the French too occupied to directly aid the Confederacy with troops in the U.S. Civil War, which was being waged at the time. General Zaragoza received a hero's welcome in Mexico City. While visiting his sick troops, he contracted typhoid and died on September 8, 1862 at the age of 33. He received a state funeral and on September 11, 1862, President Juarez declared May 5, Cinco de Mayo, a national holiday. Today Cinco de Mayo is celebrated throughout Mexico and around the world. This weekend I will be joining in the festivities being sponsored by the Goliad Zaragoza Society at the birthplace of this great man. The Goliad Zaragoza Society was founded in 1944 by a group of Mexican Americans to pay tribute to the legacy of General Zaragoza by showing respect and pride for their culture. Today the Society's primary mission is providing scholarships to help students pursue their education. ____________________