The Battle Of Palo Alto

The Battle of the Alamo is probably the most famous battle to take place in the history of, and in the state of, Texas. The battle has given Texans the will to persevere against tough odds and the courage to endure through seemingly impossible situations for many generations. Many a Texan would draw inspiration during the fights following the defeat at the Alamo. This inspiration eventually led them to victory during the Texas Revolution following the Battle of San Jacinto. Had the Texas military correctly utilized their intelligence and combat assets available to them at the time, they would have been able to properly reinforce the Alamo. This would have allowed Texan leadership to develop an effective strategy to defeat the Mexican army

According to James Polk’s War Message,Washington, May 11, 1846, he states “I had ordered an efficient military to take position between the Nueces and the Del Norte.” This quote proves that between the Nueces and the Del Norte was Mexico’s land, that Mexico was just trying to protect. According to Jesus Velasco-Marquez from “A Mexican Viewpoint on the War With the United States”, Jesus states, “In the eyes of the [Mexican] government, the mobilization of the US army was an outright attack on Mexico.” This evidence shows that Mexico viewed the mobilization of the U.S army as an attack on them, and that Mexico wasn’t trying to escalate things, they were just trying to protect their

In this paper, I will be summarizing the following chapters: Chapter 3: "A Legacy of Hate: The Conquest of Mexico’s Northwest”; Chapter 4: “Remember the Alamo: The Colonization of Texas”; and Chapter 5: “Freedom in a Cage: The Colonization of New Mexico. All three chapters are from the book, “Occupied America, A History of Chicanos” by Rodolfo F. Acuna. In chapter three, Acuna explains the causes of the war between Mexico and North America. In chapter four, Acuna explains the colonization of Texas and how Mexicans migrated from Mexico to Texas. In chapter five, Acuna explains the colonization of New Mexico and the economic changes that the people had to go through.

Yet another reason why Texans might have revolted was that they were trying to preserve and maintain the political values and economic gain while under the Constitution of 1824. It gave Texas a steady population flow of American migrants moving onto Texas soil. It also gave them political liberty, freedom to own slaves and a steady economic progression. But Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, president of Mexico, wished to impose a stricter rule which could also explain why Texas felt the need to separate from Mexico.

Mexico also had a system of railways which connected to the United States at key points which made invading the Mississippi valley, to in essence cut the nation in two plausible with a Mexican ally. Mexico also faced the nationalistic advantage and the Yankee hatred which fueled much of the war talk of murdering the gringos. The Mexicans had justified reasons to hate the gringos. During the latter stages of their civil war the US bombarded the city of Veracruz in order to destroy munitions supplying Huerta's forces. The US also launched an invasion involving twenty thousand men or two thirds of the regular forces to invade Mexico and capture Mexican generalismo Poncho Villa. These forces were led by Gen. Pershing and were ultimately unsuccessful on their 3 month trek in the deserts of Mexico. This sense of nationalism would be essential if Mexico were to launch an offensive campaign against the US, but without strong leadership they would fail miserabliy. Mexico lacked a strong central figure for over twenty years. Mexico had been going on an on going struggle with a three prong civil war between Huerta, Villa and Caranza. Forces from former governments were still lingering about and occasionally one leader would seize power for a short time just to be ousted. Because of Mexico's geographical advantages it would be perfect for fighting a war with the US but because of what it lacked in stability it could never fight any war. The situation is best described in some

Operational Environment. The Battle of San Jacinto took place in Harris County, Texas near the Buffalo Bayou. The battlefield is a coastal prairie bordered on one side by the Buffalo Bayou and the other side by the San Jacinto River. Marshland and a lake enclose the third side. The fourth side opened onto a grassland that stretched for miles until it ends with another river with one bridge to cross it. The Texans made camp in a wooded area along the bank of the bayou which provided good cover and concealment. It also helped hide their strength, but did not leave them with a retreat route. The Mexican Army made camp in a plain near the San Jacinto

The perception of history is often crafted by the information given and the information available, however, almost too often the facts accessible are warped by the viewpoints of others before they can be properly assessed. Differing outlooks thus explicate the controversial nature of historical events and why the motives and conclusions behind certain occurrences are called into question. The Mexican American war as many American historians would call it ushers a contrary tone in Mexico as their own historians would claim the “war” as United States invasion; the difference in referral is based on the different perceptions of the conflict. In the American viewpoint, the Mexican American War was driven by economic, social and political pressures to bolster United States territories, through the annexation of Texas. In the converse, it could be argued that Mexico did not declare a formal war against the United States but rather was interested in defending their country’s territorial integrity and resisting United State’s invasion. In a Mexican viewpoint then, the war was not a result of arrogance but a consequence of defending Mexican territory from United States invasion. Nonetheless the aftermath of the war produced immense repercussions, furthering American exceptionalism, slavery, and disregard for international borders prompting the inquiry of not only the unjust methods applied but the unjustified results.

     The factors that started the Mexican War lay heavily on American shoulders. Whether if the factors were created by social, political or economical needs, they have all become the center of attention for the question of being a national interest or disgrace. However, the Americans felt that they existed for “…spreading the blessings of peace.” according to Andrew Jackson. There will always be controversy between the two sides of this matter, the Americans who feel that it had to be done, to the Mexicans who felt that it was an injustice done to their nation.

To start, the battle of Palo Alto was a significant event in the history of the United States Army and the division of Field Artillery. We must look at the major events that led up to the battle to see the full extent of the influence it had to the Field Artillery we know today. During the 1840’s the United States was in a position to exert influence over the huge land mass of North America. Traditional Europeans had envisioned the idea of outposts on the unclaimed West. To counter those ideas, the United States began to claim and annex large amounts of territory before any other county could control the unclaimed territory. Once the United States annexed Texas as a Republic of U.S. Territory, Mexican armies began to raid the

The Mexican-American war fought between 1846 and 1848 remains a topic of much contention amongst modern historians. Differing accounts and conclusions of the war are often presented and one must remain pragmatic when analysing both primary and secondary sources regarding the war. There is a clear time line of events that led to the outbreak of the war, but there is one major event, and one minor action, which directly resulted in the declarations of war on both sides of the conflict between Mexico and the United States. Most scholars agree that the annexation of the Republic of Texas by

The author provides background into the events leading up to the war, particularly the collapse, imprisonment, and exile of Santa Anna. Events and key personnel on the American side are also outlined in detail. President Tyler is described as “seizing the initiative” to shift public opinion against Mexico by assigning a troublemaker, Wilson Shannon, as the minister to that country in 1844. Eisenhower provides a detailed description on the implementation of weaponry and tactics during all stages of warfare. He often refers to the performance of the main characters in other conflicts such as the war of 1812 and forward to the civil war. The cause of this war is summed up early in the text followed by

This article contains a discussion strictly about the Mexican-American War and cool facts that we may not know about the Mexican-American War. The first shots of the Mexican-American War were fired on April 25, 1846 near the Rio Grande. Here are a few fascinating facts about the Mexican-American or as it is also called, the forgotten war. The war reduced the size of Mexico by more than half, because the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo also forced Mexico to accept an American payment of $15 million for 525,000 square miles of its territory which was part of mexico. Also before invading Mexico, the U.S. tried to buy some of its territory in late 1845s President James K. Polk sent diplomat John Slidell on a secret mission to Mexico where he offered

The Mexican American war better known as the Mexican war, was a conflict between The united states of America and Mexico. from 1846 to 1848. It followed in the wake of the 1845 US annexation of Texas, which Mexico considered part of its territory, despite the 1836 Texas revolution. After its independence in 1821 and brief experiment with monarchy, Mexico became a republic in 1824, characterized by considerable instability, so that when war broke out in 1846, Mexico was ill-prepared for this conflict. The war with the United States followed in the wake of decades of Indian raids in the sparsely settled north of Mexico, which prompted the Mexican government to sponsor American migration to the Mexican province of Texas to act as a buffer. Americans and some Mexicans revolted against the Mexican government in the 1836 Texas Revolution, creating a republic not recognized by Mexico, which still claimed it as its national territory. The 1845 expansion of US territory with its annexation of Texas escalated the dispute between the United States and Mexico to open war. In 1844 James K. Polk, the newly-elected president, made a proposition to the Mexican government to purchase the disputed lands between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande. When that offer was rejected, troops from the United States commanded by Major General Zachary Taylor were moved into the disputed territory of Coahuila. These troops were then attacked by Mexican troops, killing 12 American troops and taking 52

Fighting for their lives the American and Mexican armies battle for the west side of present day United States. Mexico had claimed Texas, Nevada, and California. The Oregon Territory wasn’t really owned by anyone. Texas gained their independence from Mexico in 1836, and Mexico from Spain in 1821. The U.S. was justified in going to war with Mexico because Mexico let Texas be independent in 1836, Mexico attacked the U.S. first, and Mexico had treated Texas badly before Texas was independent.

A few months later, an angry Mexican Army attacked the camp and killed 11 U.S. soldiers. Polk pushed for a war, and U.S. forces had soon driven the Mexican people out of Texas and California. But, half of Taylor’s army had been taken by Scott to set up camp in Veracruz. During these desperate times, Santa Anna came back and miraculously formed an army of 20,000 to lead into war. Soon U.S. soldiers started to flee, and the hope of an American win decreased greatly. Suddenly, a group of Mississippi volunteers led by Jefferson Davis rode in to assist. The next day, Davis’ group found that the Mexican army had fled. In March 1847, the U.S. army of Winfield Scott arrived in Veracruz, surrounding the city forcing Mexico to surrender. Next, Mexico City was attacked and defeated. Once more, Santa Anna fled when he was needed the most. The last defeat was on Chapultepec, a military academy. With the fall of the academy, the United States had defeated Mexico and took New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, and California.