"Much has been written about the Mexican war, but this . . . is the best military history of that conflict. . . . Leading personalities, civilian and military, Mexican and American, are given incisive and fair evaluations. The coming of war is seen as unavoidable, given American expansion and Mexican resistance to loss of territory, compounded by the fact that neither side understood the other. The events that led to war are described with reference to military strengths and weaknesses, and every military campaign and engagement is explained in clear detail and illustrated with good maps. . . . Problems of large numbers of untrained volunteers, discipline and desertion, logistics, diseases and sanitation, relations with Mexican civilians in occupied territory, and Mexican guerrilla operations are all explained, as are the negotiations which led to war's end and the Mexican cession. . . . This is an outstanding contribution to military history and a model of writing which will be admired and emulated."-Journal of American History. K. Jack Bauer was also the author of Zachary Taylor: Soldier, Planter, Statesman of the Old Southwest (1985) and Other Works. Robert W. Johannsen, who introduces this Bison Books edition of The Mexican War, is a professor of history at the University of Illinois, Urbana, and the author of To the Halls of Montezumas: The Mexican War in the American Imagination (1985).

Winner of the Bolton-Johnson Prize Winner of the Utley Prize Winner of the Distinguished Book Award, Society for Military History “The Dead March incorporates the work of Mexican historians...in a story that involves far more than military strategy, diplomatic maneuvering, and American political intrigue...Studded with arresting insights and convincing observations.” —James Oakes, New York Review of Books “Superb...A remarkable achievement, by far the best general account of the war now available. It is critical, insightful, and rooted in a wealth of archival sources; it brings far more of the Mexican experience than any other work...and it clearly demonstrates the social and cultural dynamics that shaped Mexican and American politics and military force.” —Journal of American History It has long been held that the United States emerged victorious from the Mexican–American War because its democratic system was more stable and its citizens more loyal. But this award-winning history shows that Americans dramatically underestimated the strength of Mexican patriotism and failed to see how bitterly Mexicans resented their claims to national and racial superiority. Their fierce resistance surprised US leaders, who had expected a quick victory with few casualties. By focusing on how ordinary soldiers and civilians in both countries understood and experienced the conflict, The Dead March offers a clearer picture of the brief, bloody war that redrew the map of North America.

Presents an account of the Mexican War, providing an analysis of its cause, battles, weapons, and outcome.

Humberto Garza provides the reader with historical facts, discrepancies, and vital information that previously have been blatantly omitted, through error or intentionality, from our history textbooks as to the factors leading to the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848. He uses references, footnotes, and numerous direct quotes to provide the reader with a unique perspective of a series of intriguing events that dramatically altered the course of two nations; and today both nations continue to live with the residual aftereffects. Garza asks intriguing questions: Why were historical figures such as Commodore Stockton, Commodore Sloat, Consul Thomas O. Larkin, and Brigadier General Kearny securing for the United States all of Mexico's territories (Alta California, Nuevo Mexico, and the Southwest) in July 1846, only two months after Congress authorized President Polk "to join an existing war"? How did they know the Mexican-American War had started? The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to end the war was signed on February 2, 1848, almost 2 years later, how did they know the outcome of the war and the terms of the treaty to cede territory? Garza presents a unique and thought-provoking perspective on the real causes of the Mexican American War. He courageously questions the validity of many American historians' assertions as they relate to the causes leading to this war. His research reexamines the United States' reasons for invading Mexico and what really happened at the Thornton Skirmish. He also closely reexamines relevant maps and explains their discrepancies in relation to the "disputed territory" in Texas, the Thornton Skirmish, and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.

The Mexican-American War of the 1840s, precipitated by border disputes and the U.S. annexation of Texas, ended with the military occupation of Mexico City by General Winfield Scott. In the subsequent treaty, the United States gained territory that would become California, Nevada, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, and parts of Wyoming and Colorado. In this highly readable account, John S. D. Eisenhower provides a comprehensive survey of this frequently overlooked war. NOTE: This edition does not include photographs.

The definitive history of the often forgotten U.S.-Mexican War paints an intimate portrait of the major players and their world—from Indian fights and Manifest Destiny, to secret military maneuvers, gunshot wounds, and political spin. “If one can read only a single book about the Mexican-American War, this is the one to read.” —The New York Review of Books Often overlooked, the U.S.-Mexican War featured false starts, atrocities, and daring back-channel negotiations as it divided the nation, paved the way for the Civil War a generation later, and launched the career of Abraham Lincoln. Amy S. Greenberg’s skilled storytelling and rigorous scholarship bring this American war for empire to life with memorable characters, plotlines, and legacies. Along the way it captures a young Lincoln mismatching his clothes, the lasting influence of the Founding Fathers, the birth of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and America’s first national antiwar movement. A key chapter in the creation of the United States, it is the story of a burgeoning nation and an unforgettable conflict that has shaped American history.

This book describes the Mexican-American War which began as a dispute over Texas, California, and other parts of the southwest.

This bibliography of the Mexican War holdings of the libraries at the University of Texas at Arlington is the product of more than forty years' collecting and research. As a result of his recognition that Texana collections would be incomplete without items from the period up to the ratification of the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo by Mexico in May, 1848, Jenkins Garrett began this bibliography in earnest in the 1950s, at a time when Mexican War items were not even listed as a separate category by collectors. Arranged by chapters according to topics or type of holding, the bibliography is designed to give extensive and accurate descriptive information of approximately 2,500 items of interest to scholars and collectors. Each entry thus includes full title page wording, edition information, collation, other library locations, and notes, though the bibliography is not annotated per se. Extensive appendixes present alternate methods of referencing documents and compilations of data that may prove helpful in studying the Mexican War.

For the Mexican government to go to war with its more powerful northern neighbor in 1846 was folly. Mexico surrendered to the United States more than half a million square miles of territory, contributing to a legacy of distrust and bitterness towards the U.S. that has never entirely dissipated. The real prize was California. The Californios--Spanish speaking, non-native inhabitants of the province of Alta (Upper) California--had ambiguous loyalties to the Mexican government and minimal military capabilities. American control of California was considered the keystone of Manifest Destiny, and naval and amphibious operations along the Pacific coast began as early as 1821 and continued for weeks after the end of the war. This book describes the often overlooked military and naval operations in California before and during the Mexican War, and introduces readers to the colorful Californios, the American adventurers who arrived after them, and the Indians, who preceded them both.