Mauricio Ramirez (born 1807) was a Mexican revolutionary general who fought for the Juaristas during the Franco-Mexican War.
Biography[]
Ramirez in 1865
Mauricio Ramirez was born in Mexico in 1807, and he became a member of the Liberal Party of Mexico and fought alongside Benito Juarez during both the Reform War and the Franco-Mexican War. Ramirez was an idealist who believed that money alone was not worth fighting for; instead, he believed that a cause was the greatest thing to fight and die for. In 1865, he attempted to force a band of American mercenaries led by Joe Erin and Ben Trane to renege on their agreement with the Marquis Henri de Labordere and fight alongside his Juarista rebels, threatening them with captivity (alongside Labordere and his men) if they refused. However, Erin had his henchmen take a group of children hostage and forced Ramirez to withdraw his men in exchange for the children's lives; Ramirez swore to the Americans that they would meet again.
Ramirez and his lieutenant Pedro tracked the Americans and discovered that Labordere had hired them to escort a large convoy from Mexico City to Veracruz, and Ramirez correctly suspected that the convoy, carrying Countess Marie Duvarre, must be carrying something more valuable because of its large size. His rebels ambushed the convoy several times during its journey, and, when they ambushed the main carriage on a bridge, they found that the gold it was supposed to carry had been switched to another wagon, as Labordere had discovered the Americans' plans to betray him. Ramirez and his men once again surrounded the Americans, but Trane cut a deal with Ramirez; he would return the $3 million worth of Mexican gold to the Juaristas in exchange for $100,000 and their help in storming the Veracruz garrison. Ramirez agreed, and Trane and Erin served as snipers during the ensuing Battle of Veracruz as Ramirez personally led the assault. Ramirez was wounded in the side by cannonball shrapnel, and it was unknown if he survived the storming of the city.