The Mexican-American War by Reginald Jayne

1. Quill and Musket Guest Lecturer Series The Mexican-American Warby Reginald Jayne

2. Background (part 1) • President James K Polk had won the 1844 Presidential candidate as a dark horse candidate. • Polk was an annexationist – he supported annexation of the Republic of Texas. • Polk’s campaign directly led to the decision to annex Texas as a state (*important note – congress accepted Texas into the Union a few days before Polk’s inauguration). James K. Polk 11th President of the United States

3. Background (part 2) • One critical error made by Polk was the assumption that Mexico would willingly allow the annexation of Texas. • The President of Mexico, General José Joaquin de Herrera hotly objected to the annexation plan and reminded the American government that in the eyes of Mexico, the “Texas Situation” amounted to nothing more than a temporary rebellion and thus Texas was not, in the eyes of Mexico, a nation that could be annexed. It was part of Mexico. They informed the American Government that Mexico viewed the annexation of Texas as “an act of aggression, the most unjust that can be recorded in the annals of modern history” • The reality was that any concession of that magnitude would have, likely, cause an uprising in Mexico. • Polk attempted to negotiate to no avail.

4. Military Movements • In June of 1845, Polk ordered Brigadier General Zachary Taylor with 1,400 U.S. Calvary to protect the southern Texas/US border. Brigadier General Zachary Taylor

5. The Texas Mexico Border • The first issue faced by Taylor was – Where is actual border? The Texans contended that the Rio Grande was the southern Border of Texas. The Mexicans (not especially ready to go to war right away) insisted that if there were a border to Texas, it would be the Nueces river – NOT the Rio Grande. • Taylor initially set up camp on the Nueces border Nueces as Border Rio Grande as Border

6. Into the borderlands • Taylor had, happily, set up camp along the Nueces River because in addition to avoiding a possible fight with a much larger Mexican force, it allowed him time to train those men he had and to wait for possible reinforcements. • In February of 1866, Taylor was ordered to move his men down to the Rio Grande. • The idea was that by sending Taylor, and his troops, to the Rio Grande, it would establish that principle that the Texas Border did, in fact, extend to that river. • On March 8th, Taylor send some advance troops below the Nueces River toward the Rio Grande. In route those troops would meet with Mexican troops and there were some brief skirmishes. • On April 24th, Mexican Troops ambushed an American Scouting party.

7. The Battle of Resaca de La Palma • On May 8th, Taylor moved roughly 2,000 American reinforcements up to Resaca de La Palma to offer battle to the Mexicans. The Mexican’s numbered between 4000-5000. • Though a tough fight, Taylor won the Battle.

8. Word reaches Washington • On the same day as the battle, word reached Washington, DC about the earlier ambushes on April 24th. • The next day (May 10th) Polk sent a war message to congress. • “People here are all in a state of delirium about the Mexican War,” reported one politician. “A military order pervades all ranks, militia colonels wax red in the coat facing, and apprentice boys are running off to the wars by scores; nothing is talked of but the halls of Montezuma.”

9. American War Readiness • In 1846, the United States Army numbered roughly 6,500 men ready for duty. • The tactical doctrine of the U.S. Army had changed very little from the time of the Revolution. • In many cases American soldiers were using Brown Bess muskets left over from the Revolution. • Most of the Generals in the American Army had been commissioned officers in the War of 1812 and had no experience commanding anything larger than a few companies in combat.

10. Mexican War Readiness • The Mexican Army had been in and out of combat steadily over the preceding 25 years. • The Mexican army was 4 times the size of the American Army • Still – where the Mexican Army had numbers and experience, their moral of their army was poor. Ulysses S. Grant later wrote about the men, “The Mexican army of that day was hardly an organization. The private soldier was I picked up from the lower class of the inhabitants when wanted. His counsel was not asked. He was poorly clothed, worse seldom paid. He was turned adrift when no longer wanted and yet with all of this I have seen as brave stands some of these men as I have seen made by soldiers.” • The Mexicans also had no factories for creating supplies and most officer commissions were based on personal connections and not aptitude.

11. War Plans • Polk made the call for 50,000 new men to be drawn from the states. • The main American force would be the forces led by Zachary Taylor with about 3,000 U.S. troops and several thousand of those volunteers. • Taylor’s mission was to capture northern Mexico and specifically the city of Monterrey. • Taylor attacked Monterrey 0n September 21st and fought for three days. The battle was, according to Taylor, a draw. Luckily for Taylor, the Mexican defenders surrendered first. • With little practical alternative, Taylor allowed the Mexican troops to march our with their weapons.

12. Battle of Monterrey

13. Battle of Monterrey

14. Battle of Monterrey

15. Battle of Monterrey

16. Aftermath • After the Battle of Monterrey, the Mexican government fell apart. General Santa Anna returned to power with a promise that he could turn the war around. • Taking loans and pledging his own personal fortune, Santa Anna was able to amass 21,000 soldiers to battle the United States forces.

17. Santa Anna’s advance • In January of 1847, Santa Anna began moving north to offer battle to Zachary Taylor. • They met at the Battle of Buena Vista • Taylor had about 4,500 men • Santa Anna had just under 20,000 men. • By all rights is should have been a crippling Mexican Victory, but Taylor and the U.S. forces managed to with the battle. • The deciding factor was the American use of artillary

18. The American West • In the American West, Colonel Stephen W. Kearney and his mounted Dragoons marched from Ft. Leavenworth (modern Day Kansas) to Santa Fe. • He was able to capture Santa Fe without a battle. • He then took part of his forces west to support the pro-American revolutionaries in California who had formed the Bear Flag Republic. • Some of his other forces were able to take El Paso as well.

19. Battle of Veracruz • General Winfield Scott led one of the more dramatic campaigns in the Mexican American War with his attack on Veracruz. • Scott proposed to take 12,000 Americans and launch a coastal invasion of the city of Veracruz.

20. Battle of Veracruz & Mexico City • Scott shipped his men in over 200 ships and landed them, under fire, on to Mexico. • While the Battle of Veracruz was noteworthy, it was not Scott's primary objective. His objective was the capital of Mexico at Mexico City. • Santa Anna attempted to move the remainder of his troops left over from his encounters with Taylor. While Santa Anna was successful in slowing Scott’s advance, it proved only to be a delay and Scott was able to take the capital.

21. Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo • The Mexican-American War officially ended with the Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo in February of 1848. • As part of the treaty, Mexico ceded roughly 40% of its territory to the United States. The territory acquired included not only Texas, but also modern-day California, New Mexico, Arizona, and parts of Nevada and Utah. • Mexico was given $15,000,000 to settle all claims and debts of the United States.

22. Things to consider • Only a few years after the Mexican-American was gold was discovered in California. That population boom in the west effectively populated the western United States and ensured that Mexico would not be able to mount a military reconquista. The economic boom that America experience might have been enjoyed by Mexico instead of the united States had it not been for this war. • The decision to ask states for 50,000 volunteers was an interesting one. Because Polk asked the states to provide their volunteers in already formed units, it gave the states a history of being able to raise an army on their own. This would later have consequences in the American Civil War. • The Mexican-American War has been seen by most as nothing more than a land-grab war by the united States. American/Mexican relations are still strained over this war which stripped Mexico of 2/5 of its territory. • Perhaps most important – the acquisition of this western territory allowed for the discussion of expanding slavery to be brought to the forefront of American political life.

23. Bibliography • Grant, Ulysses S. Ulysses S. Grant : Memoirs and Selected Letters.Library of America. Mary D. McFeely and William S. McFeely. New York: Library of America, 1990. • Henderson, Timothy J.. A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and Its War with the United States. Hill and Wang, 2008. • Johannsen, Robert W. To the Halls of the Montezumas: The Mexican War in the American Imagination. New York: Oxford University Press, 1988. • Merry,Robert W. A Country of Vast Designs: James K. Polk, the Mexican War and the Conquest of the American Continent. New York: Simon & Schuster , 2009.