France invaded Mexico in 1861 on the pretext of collecting past-due debts.
President Benito Ju rez personally commissioned the American Legion o.
But following the surrender of the Confederacy in 1865, ex-Union soldiers, including members of the US colored troops, volunteered to help Mexico fight the invaders.
The United States, busy with its Civil War, couldn\'t provide much help.
Their armies overran the country as Napoleon III imposed a new emperor, Austrian nobleman Maximilian, upon Mexico.
France invaded Mexico in 1861 on the pretext of collecting past-due debts