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Don Bernardo's wife, Doña Carmen Tarelo y Segundo de la Calleja, was a delicate and sensible woman; she was short of height with clear and expressive eyes and long and abundant black hair, with sparkles of premature white hair, combed in form of a perfect braid. She gave her husband ten children, three girls and seven boys; one of them, was the one born on November 1831, who was christened at the church of the "Santa Veracruz" and was named Miguel Gregorio de la Luz Atenógenes; he would be called just Miguel.
A month before Miguel entered the Military College, Mexico had got involved in a war agaisnt the United States, caused by the anexation of Texas to the States, which Mexico refuse to accept since it meant for the country the loss of this territory. The American president, James Knox Polk, was following an expansionost policy and the anexation of Texas was not enoigh for him. He sent General Zachary Taylor with his troops to occupy the north-east part of Mexico. In February 1846 Polk received a pretended agent of the exiled Mexican president General Antonio López de Santa Anna, to inform hi of the good disposition of Santat Anna to promote the sell to the States of all th Meixican territries t the north of the rivers Bravo and Colorado for thirty thousand dollars. Polk sent back a message to La Habana (where santa Anna was exiled), expresssing the General his support to recover the presidence of Mexico and that if he wished to enter Mexico by Veracruz, he would be given free access by the American squadron that was blocking the port.
Santa Anna landed on Veracurz without difficulty but as he entered Mexico City on September 15 1846, he organized an army of ragged men and confronted General taylor in La Angostura near Saltillo.
Both armies suffered great losses but to Taylor's surprise, Santa Anna suddenly retireds, arguing that his army had suffeed several casualties and the lack of food. It was a pathetic view of the Mexican army marcing to the south.
Santa Anna assumed the presidence in March 1847. He couldn't (or maybe he didn't want) stop the American advance and by September 6 Mexico City was occupied by the American army. On September 13th. the troops of Lieutenent Ullyses Grant attacked the Military College at Chapultepec, defended only by eight hundred men and group of young cadets, leade by General Nicolás Bravo. Among the young cadets there was Miguel Miramón, who at the time he was fifteen years old.
During the battle Miramón was taken prissoner by the american soldiers. He was release on june 1848 by a decree signed by the Mexican and American armies, which established the release of all political prissoners. Miguel returned to the Military College where he remained until November 1851 when he was appointed artillery lieutenant and was assigned to the 1st. battery on the 2nd division, billeted in Perote, Veracruz, so he left Mexico City to begin his life in the army. He returned to the Military College on April 13th 1853 to impart the profesorship of Infantry Tactics. It was by this time when Miguel first met the woman to whom he would be married: Concepción Lombardo Gil de Partearroyo, familiarly named Concha.
Concha was born on November 8 1835 in a fmaily composed by twelve children, six males and six females. Her father, Francisc María Lombardo, who was born in Villa Chilcuautla in 1799, was a distinguished lawyer who had been deputy in the First Mexican Congress, organized by Emperor Agustín de Iturbide, whose enemity he won because of the articles he wrote against Iturbide's policy. Don Francisco María was then deputy in the Congress of 1853 and Minister of the Ecxchequer and Foreign Relations during President Santa Anna's administration. Concha's mother, Germana Gil de Partearroyo was a beautiful woman, descendant of the Spanish house of the Marques of San Felipe; she had just died on April 6 1853.
One day in the summer of 1853, Concha, her sister Lupe and a friend of them. Mrs. Velazquez de la Cadena, paid a visit to the Military College. The director offered them en exhibition of gimnastics performed by the cadets. These exhibition was directed by young captain Miguel Miramón, who was then twentuy twio years old. Miguel was a young man of medium height, dark skin, beautiful dark eyes, wide mouth with an incipient moustache, who did not pass without notice for young Concha. Once the exhibition ended, the young captain accompanied the ladies to their carriage.
Some days later Miguel appeared at the Lombardo's residence accompanied by a mutual friend, who was also Lupe Lombardo's pretender, named Romualdo Fagoaga. During the visit Miguel did not put his eyes away from Concha for a moment and suddenly, without any shame, he declare that he wanted to marry her. Concha tought he was joking and she replied:
-" Do you want to marry me to take me to the war, holding the child and with the parrot on the shouder?
-"Generals do not take their woman to the war, answer Miguel, and much less with the parrot on hte shoulder".
-"Then we wil get married when you become general" answered Concha cheerfully.
In that moment entered Concha's father, Don Francisco María, who although not being a tyrannical father did not like to find his daughters accompanied by gentlemen. Romualdo, trying to save the situation, introduced Miguel to Mr. Lombardo.
-"What can I do for you Captain?" asked Don Francisco.
Miguel, not knowing what to answer, left the house offering any apology.
Some time passed until Concha saw Miguel again, but Romualdo constantly talk her about him, saying the Captain was deeply in love with her.
Two years later Don Francisco María Lombardo died, leaving just a phantom heritage to his daughters, which never apeared.
Meanwhile, on March 21 1854, Don Juan Alvarez, old soldier of the Mexican Independence War, who had fought besides Morelos, together with General Ignacio Comonfort and others, proclaimed the Plan of Ayutla, which neglected the govenrment of General Santa Anna, who was ruling the country for eleventh time since April 1853.
At the beginning of 1853, Miguel Miramón was comissioned by Santa Anna to command the Baja California troop to fight the supporters of the Plan of Ayutla. Being in Toluca with his troops, Miramón participated in a fight, probably because of an honour situation or because of a love affair, and severely wounded a man, for whta he was processed. Fortunately for him, the man recovered and Miramón was indulted, joining to his regiment which was going to the state of Guerrero to gulfill its mission.
Miramón fought bravely in several battles and got the grade of lieutenant colonel for his action in the battle of Tepehuajalco. But the Plan of Ayutla succeded and Santa Anna hads to leave Mexico on August 21 1855 never to figure again in the political life of the country.
Two men became sucesively provisional presidents at the Plan success, General Martin Carrera, from August to September and General Rómulo Díaz de la Vega, from September to October. Then Don Juan Alverez was elected definitive president, forming his cabinet with notable liberals like Melchor OPcampo, Ponciano Arrianga, Guillermo Prieto, Ignacio Comonfort, Santos Degollado and Benito Juárez.
The change of Governemnt did not affect Miramón's military situation; his appoitment of lieutnenant colonel was ratified on December 10th 1855 by Don Juan Alvarez's Government.
The first thing Miguel did when he came back to the Mexico City was to visit Concha.
-"Mademoiselle, he said, I have known of your sorrow and I came to give you my support (refering to Mr.Lombardo's death).
Concha asked him to leave since she was alone, but Miguel refused and said he wouldn't leave if she didn't kiss him before. She, annoyed, insited him to leave at once, but him getting his sword out exclaimed: "If you don't kiss me I will kill you".
-"Then kill me" Concha replied, opening her arms. Miguel kept his sword and went away, laughing. That same day, he sweared that Concha would be his wife.
Their father's death had left Concha and her sisters in a difficult finnancial situation, so they were forced to leave their house in the La Cadena Street and move to smallest one in the nearby town of Tacubaya. Soon after beimng installed in her new home, Concha recieved Miguel's visit again; by that time he was billeted at tacubaya with his troop. Miguel acompanied her in an excursion she made with her sisters and some friends to the Tacubaya estates; during the excursion he saved her of falling down her horse.
During the following weeks Miguel insisted in her pretensions towards her, without success. By that time Concha had another suitor, an English man named Edward Perry. with whom she was engaged; Their engagement would only last a year.
On Novemeber 23 1855, Don Juan Alvarez supported the Law of Administration of Justice, or Ley Juarez, created by Don Benito Juárez, who was Minister of Justice. This law canceled all the privileges of the Church and the Army in political matters. The group of the Moderated Liberals, who were looking for a pacific and harmonic arrengement with the Church, oposed this law. The governor of Guanajuato, Manuel Doblado, pronounced himself against the Ley Juárez and against Alvarez's government and with the Moderated Liberals's support, he proclaimed Don Ignacio Comonfort as President of Mexico, who until then had been in charge of the Ministery of War. Don Juan Alvarez, tired of all the pressures to which the Moderarted Liberals submitted him, recognized Comonfort as leader of the nation. Don Ignacio suumed the Presidence on December 11, 1855.
The following day, December 12 a revolt sprang out in Zacapoaxtla, a small town in the middle in mountain chain of Puebla, leaded by the priest of the place, as a protest against the elections to form the new Costituent Congress, from which the priests had been unabled to vote or be voted. The Plan of Zacapoaxtla, signed by Francisco Ortega and Lorenzo Bulnes did not recognized Comonfort's government and adopted the Organic Bases of 1836.
On December 14th, the regiment ot which Miguel Miramón belonged, under the command of Colonel Rafael Benavides, was sent to Zacapoaxtla to fight against the revolt. Miramón and most of his companions agreed with the substance of the Plan of Zacapoaxtla and did not want to fight against the men who sustained it.. On December 19th some militars like Juan Olloqui, Francisco Güitian and Luis G. Osollo, who was mate and friend of Miramón since the times in the Military College, joined the Plan, which then suffered some modifications like adopting the Organic Bases of 1843 instead of the ones of 1836.
When Miramón and his brigade arrived to the town of Tatlaquitepec, an humid and warm place, with precipices covered with exhuberant vegetation, Miguel incited his man to rebellion and imprissoned Colonel Benavides, to joined the rebels of Zacapoaxtla. It was December 25 1855.
On Janaury 23 the rebels, headed by Antonio Haro y Tamáriz, who was accompanied by Luis G.Osollo, Severo del Castillo and Miguel Miramón took Puebla City. Once he knew what was happening in the capital of Puebla, President Comonfort movilized his troops against the rebels, whjo inexplicably remained unactive in Puebla instead of advancing to Mexico City and when they decided to do it they had already Comenfort's tropps over them. Miramón and his men tried to evacuate the enemy from the Ocotlan hill. After two hours of fiercely battle, Haro y Tamáriz ordered to return to the city and soon they were besieged; they resisted for eighteen days after which they had to surrender.
By Comonfort's decree the beaten officers remained at the Government's disposition as mere private soldiers. Osollo and Del Castillo succeded in escaping to Veracruz from where they sailed abroad while Miramón remained hidden in Puebla until October that same year. During this period he devoted himself to conspire agaisnt the Government together with other Conservative leaders that were hidden as him. Puebla was occupied by Comonfort's troops, who had comitted abuses with the tithes and all the Church's propertiee; the Bishop of Puebla, Pelagio Antonio de Lbastida y Dávalos, had been expelled form the city, where many the people was displeased.
The conspirators were decided to attack in the night of October 19, for which they had the aid of Captain Leónides Campo, who was in charge of guardig the Palace of Puebla. At one in the morning of October 20, Miguel Miramón and Fracisco Vélez got into the Palace, accompnied by Leónides Campo, who ordered the guard's commander to imprison both men. The commnader answer that there was no place buit one in the cell of liutenent colonel Luis Reyes, who must remian alone, according to given oreders. Campo ordered him to take Miramon to that cell; the commander obeyed and when he and Miramón arrived to the cell, the later threatened the commnader with a gun.
Miramón, Vélez and others, commanded by Joquín Orihuela, took the Palace and the city, but they let the Government troops and authorities to run away, so the rebels looked themselves biseiged by the enemy once more, and they couldn't took any action against Mexico City.
On October 25 the federal troops of General Tomás Moreno, formed by four thousand men with thirty pieces of artillery, surounded Puebla. The rebels resisted until Deceember fifiteen. When the federal troops took the city, Joaquín Orihuela and Miguel Miramón escaped without signing the surender act. Orihuela was captured and ejecuted some days later in san Andrés Cahlchicomula, whole Miramón. followed by a hundred men ran away to Toluca. Among the men who followed him were Francisco Vélez and Manuel Ramírez Arellano.
In spite of the lack of armament and supplies, Miguel decided to took Toluca. Together with Vélez, Arellano and part of his men, he assaulted the city quarter and stole arms and food. Then they ran away to the state of Guerrero, being persecuted by Don Plutarco González, who was commnader of Toluca and with whom they confronted in Sultepec on January 21 1857. Miguel was wounded on a leg and bleeding heavily, he was taken to the estate of Atenco. The wounded seemed to be worsening making an amputation to be possible, so it was necessary to take him to Mexico City, in the middle of several difficulties. He was lodge in the house of Don José Cervantes where he began to recover thanks to the extreme cares of his hosts. Being Miguel almost recovered, someone betrayed him and denounced him. Juan José Baz, governor of the City, accompanied by the police, appared in Cervantes's house and arrested Miramón, who was taken to the Acordada prisson.
Althogh he was under severe vigilance at the beginning, MIguel obtained permission to go out to the yard, where he made several friends among the prissoners, most of them criminals. He promised them that when he had escaped form the prisson, he would take them out. He began to think in plan to escape. Some versions say that an old subordinated of him, now guardd of teh prisson, lent him a his own uniform, others say that Doña Carmen Tarelo, his mother, brougth him, piece by piece, a complete uniform, similar to those of the prisson's guards; whatever had happened, the case is that Miramón ran away, dressed like a prisson guard, while the patrol was making the change of guard. Once free, he took refuge in the estate of Pablo del Miedo, owned by a friend of him, Raymundo Mora. There he recovered completely and soon he was all right to make contact with other rebel chiefs that operated in the south.
Menawhile, on February 5, 1857, Comonfort and his government swore the first completely liberal Constitution, to which the Ley Juárez and the Ley Lerdo, about disentailment of properties administrated by the Church, were added.The latter was promulgated in order to liberate the several Church's porperties to estimulate the national economy. This properties were on sale to be bought by their leaseholders or by other people.
On December 1st. Ignacio Comonfort swore to repsect the new Constitution and took official possesion as Comnstitutional President of the Mexican Republic. Nevertheless he was not at all happy with the anticlerical laws that the Constitution established; as a Moderated Liberal, he wanted a pacific arrangement between Conservatives and Liberals and with the Church. Beisdes, his mother, Doña Guadalupe de los Reyes, to whom he was very attached, pressured him to suspend all the anticlerical meassures.