The 'Mexican Adventure' was a tragedy of the first order, born of a romantic view of Mexico shared by many Europeans. This school of thought took for granted that most Mexicans were barely capable of governing themselves and that a 'generous intervention' could only be beneficial to all concerned. For the French Emperor it would be a master stroke: a vast new vassal empire in America. RenГ© Chartrand examines the organisation, weapons and uniforms of the forces who fought on both sides of the conflict in a text accompanied by numerous contemporary photographs and illustrations including eight full page colour plates by Richard Hook.