Belgian Legion



Several military units have been known as the Belgian Legion. The term "Belgian Legion" can refer to Belgian volunteers who served in the French Revolutionary Wars, Napoleonic Wars, Revolutions of 1848. More prominent the The Belgian Legion of 1864-1867, also called the Régiment Impératrice Charlotte (Empress-Charlotte Regiment), was an expeditionary corps of 1,500 Belgian volunteers formed in 1864 and fought alongside the Imperials during the Mexico Expedition. The unit suffered 204 deaths, 148 of which were due to illness. After the republican victory, the legion was back in Belgium in early 1867, a few months before the execution of Emperor Maximilian of Mexico.

Quotes

 * Certainly, in such conditions there is enough to seduce those of our young officers whom Belgian neutrality condemns to a rest of which they are somewhat impatient. The honor of carrying with dignity abroad the name of the fatherland and that of defending the august daughter of a beloved sovereign will soon, we have no doubt, fill the ranks of the Belgian-Mexican legion.
 * The Mexican adventure of Maximilian and Charlotte through Belgian eyes. The Mexican Empire in the Newspaper Press (1864-1867). (Wim Bouw), Belgian volunteers for their princess On March 24, 1864, the formation of a Belgo-Mexican Volunteer Legion was announced. Immediately positions were taken. The Liberals supported the formation of the regiment despite their doubts about the establishment of the Empire. The legion could also count on Catholic support, albeit with some reservations. However, others immediately launched a campaign against the formation of the legion. L’ Indépendance Belge, 25 maart 1864.


 * Whatever opinion one forms of the enterprise to which Archduke Maximilian has just devoted his life, it is not possible for us Belgians to forget that the princess who shares the destinies of the new emperor is also the beloved daughter of our king, that she grew up among us, that our homeland is her own, and that she has the right to count on the sympathies and the wishes of her compatriots.
 * The Mexican adventure of Maximilian and Charlotte through Belgian eyes. The Mexican Empire in the Newspaper Press (1864-1867). (Wim Bouw), Belgian volunteers for their princess On March 24, 1864, the formation of a Belgo-Mexican Volunteer Legion was announced. Immediately positions were taken. The Liberals supported the formation of the regiment despite their doubts about the establishment of the Empire. The legion could also count on Catholic support, albeit with some reservations. However, others immediately launched a campaign against the formation of the legion. L’ Indépendance Belge, 25 maart 1864.


 * It is understandable that a colonial establishment organized under such conditions cannot fail to prosper. We are also convinced that the example of the Empress' s guards will be followed by a large number of our compatriots who, trusting with reason in the new situation in Mexico, will take advantage of all this set of circumstances so exceptionally advantageous, to to go bring the contribution of their arms and their intelligence to the beautiful work of civilization undertaken by the emperor Maximilian and the empress Charlotte, his august companion.
 * The Mexican adventure of Maximilian and Charlotte through Belgian eyes. The Mexican Empire in the Newspaper Press (1864-1867). (Wim Bouw), Belgian volunteers for their princess On March 24, 1864, the formation of a Belgo-Mexican Volunteer Legion was announced. Immediately positions were taken. The Liberals supported the formation of the regiment despite their doubts about the establishment of the Empire. The legion could also count on Catholic support, albeit with some reservations. However, others immediately launched a campaign against the formation of the legion. L’ Indépendance Belge, 25 maart 1864.


 * This is no proof that our Belgian people are not as foolish as some think, and that there are few in Belgium who voluntarily play soldier.
 * The Mexican adventure of Maximilian and Charlotte through Belgian eyes. The Mexican Empire in the Newspaper Press (1864-1867). (Wim Bouw), Belgian volunteers for their princess Maximilian's Mexico was in conflict with the United States and the newspapers feared that Belgium would be dragged into a possible war. The lack of volunteers was reported triumphantly to her readership. Het Handelsblad, 20 augustus 1864.


 * Almost all the Belgian officers intend to leave Mexico in November 1866, at the end of their military service. They will be followed by many soldiers, because it is all too good for the Belgians in this land of promises!
 * The Mexican adventure of Maximilian and Charlotte through Belgian eyes. The Mexican Empire in the Newspaper Press (1864-1867). (Wim Bouw), The long way home. The officers' leave, which was only granted for 2 years, expired in October 1866. Then they had to return to Belgium. But what about the men, who had signed a contract for 6 years. Het Handelsblad, 6 januari 1866.


 * Thanks to the care of the Belgian military authorities, the volunteers returned to their homeland, we were able to find asylum in the barracks in Antwerp.
 * The Mexican adventure of Maximilian and Charlotte through Belgian eyes. The Mexican Empire in the Newspaper Press (1864-1867). (Wim Bouw), The last stretch for the volunteers The ship arrived in Antwerp on 9 March. The volunteers were taken to the barracks in the city. Their festive reception was described in detail, but there was very little opinion. Le Journal de Bruxelles, one of the newspapers that had accused the government of its involvement, now praised the same government for making the barracks available. Le Journal de Bruxelles, 12 maart 1867.


 * The moment the remnants of the Belgian legion are going to return to their country, it is necessary to demonstrate all the folly of the undertaking, not to fall out against the foregoing, but to keep public sentiment on its guard against new undertakings. If one were to attempt such. All the dream images that people had conceived of that adventurous expedition have now disappeared.
 * The Mexican adventure of Maximilian and Charlotte through Belgian eyes. The Mexican Empire in the Newspaper Press (1864-1867). (Wim Bouw), The last stretch for the volunteers And on this note, the expedition disappeared from view. The same amount of attention was paid to it, but the newspapers did not draw a final conclusion. Only Het Handelsblad showed up with her lesson about the free peoples. The expedition was over, the volunteers were back at home and the whole affair was left behind. Het Handelsblad, 2 maart 1867.

Battle of Tacámbaro

 * This glorious fight gave the Belgian volunteers a reputation for bravery and dedication that the future will only increase.
 * The Mexican adventure of Maximilian and Charlotte through Belgian eyes. The Mexican Empire in the Newspaper Press (1864-1867). (Wim Bouw), Tacámbaro Le Journal de Bruxelles, 29 mei 1865.


 * Why is it necessary that this precious blood be shed for a cause without a very avowable character, for a cause for which the faults of the emperor Maximilian who personifies her, removed what they could inspire of real interest and of deep sympathy ?
 * The Mexican adventure of Maximilian and Charlotte through Belgian eyes. The Mexican Empire in the Newspaper Press (1864-1867). (Wim Bouw), Tacámbaro Le Bien Public, 30 mei 1865.


 * We have said that the catastrophic question of Mexico is only at the beginning: when eighteen hundred Belgians are thrown into the mouth of that monster they call Mexico, there will be a number of consequences that will fall on our country itself.. After the mourning in the families, perhaps the mourning for the national neutrality, which we have tried to preserve since 1830, because it was indeed our great strength.
 * The Mexican adventure of Maximilian and Charlotte through Belgian eyes. The Mexican Empire in the Newspaper Press (1864-1867). (Wim Bouw), Tacámbaro Het Handelsblad, 31 mei 1865.


 * The Belgian corps is very weak: it has lost a lot of officers; fighting and disease have thinned our ranks to such an extent that if we are not sent reinforcements from Belgium, our body will merge either with the French corps or with the Austrian corps.
 * The Mexican adventure of Maximilian and Charlotte through Belgian eyes. The Mexican Empire in the Newspaper Press (1864-1867). (Wim Bouw), Tacámbaro At Tacambaro the legion had lost much of its fighting power. Belgium feared that the legion would be absorbed into the foreign legion or the Austrian volunteers. Le Bien Public, 2 augustus 1865.


 * As for the Belgians, it seems that, since the unfortunate Tacamburo affair, the Belgian service in Mexico is over.
 * The Mexican adventure of Maximilian and Charlotte through Belgian eyes. The Mexican Empire in the Newspaper Press (1864-1867). (Wim Bouw), The last stretch for the volunteers After the reports about the dissatisfaction of the Belgians with the possible appointment of Mexican commanders, the Belgian press lost sight of the volunteers. For a while there were hardly any messages. Occasionally a letter was published, usually quite old. Recent information, however relative that understanding may have been due to the long communication time, was not available. Le Bien Public, 11 april 1866.