Federal Army

Federal Army
Ejército Federal
Federales in Torreón, Coahuila c. 1914, during the presidency of Victoriano Huerta
Active	1876–1914
Disbanded	August 13, 1914
Country	Mexico
Allegiance	Porfirio Díaz (1876–1911) Francisco I. Madero (1911–1913) Victoriano Huerta (1913–1914)
Engagements	Mexican Revolution

The Mexican Federal Army (Spanish: Ejército Federal), also known as the Federales (English: Federals) in popular culture, was the military of Mexico from 1876 to 1914 during the Porfiriato, the long rule of President Porfirio Díaz, and during the presidencies of Francisco I. Madero and Victoriano Huerta. Under President Díaz, a military hero against the French Intervention in Mexico, the Federal Army was composed of senior officers who had served in long ago conflicts. At the time of the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution most were old men and incapable of leading men on the battlefield.^[1] When the rebellions broke out against Díaz following fraudulent elections of 1910, the Federal Army was incapable of responding.^[2] Although revolutionary fighters helped bring Francisco I. Madero to power, Madero retained the Federal Army rather than the revolutionaries. Madero used the Federal Army to suppress rebellions against his government by Pascual Orozco and Emiliano Zapata. Madero placed General Victoriano Huerta as interim commander of the military during the Ten Tragic Days of February 1913 to defend his government. Huerta changed sides and ousted Madero's government. Rebellions broke out against Huerta's regime. When revolutionary armies succeeded in ousting Huerta in July 1914, the Federal Army ceased to exist as an entity, with the signing of the Teoloyucan Treaties.^[3][4]