American Mexican War

Between 1846 and 1848, two neighbors, the United States and Mexico, went to war. It was a
defining event for both nations, transforming a continent and forging a new identity for its
peoples. By the war's end, Mexico lost nearly half of its territory, the present American
Southwest from Texas to California, and the United States became a continental power.
Mexico and the United States went to war over a vast amount of terrain what would amount
to half of Mexico when it was all over, beginning of course, with Texas, which the United States
annexed. The U.S. interest in expansion is very plain. The U.S. wanted Texas simply for its fine
agricultural production, cotton in particular, which turned out to be the major commodity.
California was the real goal in the far west to have harbors on the Pacific and make the U.S. a
continental empire. Mexico recognized that it needed to hold its northern frontier if for no
other reason than to stop the U.S. from moving even closer to Mexico, then taking the next
inevitable step of moving into Mexico City itself. There was a kind of domino theory at work
here.
Many historians think that Mexico really was not even a nation at this early time but rather a
collection of nations. New Mexico, California, Yucatn, Zacatecas, Oaxaca these distant areas
from the core of the nation were loyal to their own regional governments. This new creation,
this Republic of Mexico, which had no king nor none of the power that the Spanish majesty had
to demand loyalty and authority, was an abstraction. Mexico was a country in the process of
inventing itself, and these different parts simply didn't hold together very well until the center
somehow coalesced. I think at this time the center seemed more of a threat to those parts than
a force to bring those parts together.
Revolts were breaking out in Mexico as the government moved more toward centralism in the
mid 1830s. Revolts were breaking out in Sonora, which included a bit of what is Arizona today.
Revolts in California, revolts in New Mexico, revolts in Texas. The Texas revolt happened to be
the most successful one because Texas was on the very edge of the U.S. and could get arms,
moral support and manpower from the U.S.
John Slidell served as agent to Mexico in the months preceding the outbreak of war between
that nation and the United States. He was a close ally of James Knox Polk, the U.S. president
during the Mexican War. Slidells connections landed him the official task of negotiating a deal
with Mexico. He was instructed to offer a settlement of all U.S. claims against Mexico, in
exchange for recognition of the Rio Grande as the boundary between the two nations. In
addition, Polk instructed Slidell to try and buy California for $25 million. The Mexicans rejected
Slidell and his mission outright. He responded to President Polk by hinting that the Mexican
reluctance to negotiate might require a show of military force by the United States. Based on
this intelligence, Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to advance to Rio Bravo.
This act was considered an open transgression on the territorial integrity of Mexico (since
Mexico had long considered the Nueces River the border of Texas) as well as a violation of the
Treaty of Limits signed on 12 January 1828. When Mexicans learned of the U.S. declaration of
war(requested by the U.S. president and approved by the Congress), the U.S. occupation of
Matamoros, and the blockade of the Mexican ports of Tampico and Veracruz, the Mexican
press questioned whether the U.S. government was really pursuing the defense of its territory
and the redress of supposed offenses, as President Polk had stated. From Mexico's point of
view the U.S. government was using these as excuses to take possession of territory that
rightfully belonged to Mexico.
On 8 August 1846, President Polk asked for an appropriation of $2 million to buy the territory in
dispute, as well as California and New Mexico; this makes clear that his real purpose in
declaring war on Mexico was territorial acquisition.
On May 8, 1846, Brigadier General Zachary Taylor was moving his 2,400-man army to relieve
Fort Texas, when he was intercepted at Palo Alto by 3,400 Mexicans commanded by General
Mariano Arista. In the battle that ensued Taylor defeated Arista, forcing his army from the field.
The battle continued the next day at Resaca de la Palma, with Taylors men routing the
Mexicans and driving them back across the Rio Grande. After being reinforced, Taylor advanced
south into Mexico and, following heavy fighting, captured the fortress city of Monterrey. When
the battle ended, Taylor offered the Mexicans a two month truce in exchange for the city. This
move angered Polk who began to strip Taylors army of men for use in invading central Mexico.
Taylors campaign ended in February 1847, when his 4,000 men won a stunning victory over
20,000 Mexicans at the Battle of Buena Vista.
In mid-1846, General Stephen Kearny was dispatched west with 1,700 men to capture Santa Fe
and California. Meanwhile, US naval forces, commanded by Commodore Robert Stockton,
descended on the coast of California. With the aid of American settlers, they swiftly captured
the towns along the coast. In late 1846, they aided Kearnys exhausted troops as they emerged
from the desert and together forced the final surrender of Mexican forces in California.
On March 9, 1847, General Winfield Scott landed 12,000 men outside of Veracruz. After a brief
siege, he captured the city on March 29. Moving inland, his forces defeated a larger Mexican
army at Cerro Gordo. As Scotts army neared Mexico City, they fought successful engagements
at Contreras, Churubusco, and Molino del Rey. On September 13, 1847, Scott launched an
attack on Mexico City itself, assaulting Chapultepec Castle and capturing the gates of the city.
Following the occupation of Mexico City, the fighting effectively ended. Scott's March on
Mexico City.
The war ended on February 2, 1848, with the signing of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo. This
treaty ceded to the United States the land that now comprises the states of California, Utah,
and Nevada, as well as parts of Arizona, New Mexico, Wyoming, and Colorado. Mexico also
renounced all rights to Texas. During the war 1,773 Americans were killed in action and 4,152
were wounded. Mexican casualty reports are incomplete, but it estimated that approximately
25,000 were killed or wounded between 1846-1848.