"We Take Nothing by Conquest, Thank God" Topic

"Colonel Ethan Alien Hitchcock, a professional soldier, graduate of the Military Academy, commander of the 3rd Infantry Regiment, a reader of Shakespeare, Chaucer, Hegel, Spinoza, wrote in his diary:

Fort Jesup, La., June 30, 1845. Orders came last evening by express from Washington City directing General Taylor to move without any delay to some point on the coast near the Sabine or elsewhere, and as soon as he shall hear of the acceptance by the Texas convention of the annexation resolutions of our Congress he is immediately to proceed with his whole command to the extreme western border of Texas and take up a position on the banks of or near the Rio Grande, and he is to expel any armed force of Mexicans who may cross that river. Bliss read the orders to me fast evening hastily at tattoo. I have scarcely slept a wink, thinking of the needful preparations. I am now noting at reveille by candlelight and waiting the signal for muster.. . . Violence leads to violence, and if this movement of ours does not lead to others and to bloodshed, I am much mistaken.
Hitchcock was not mistaken. Jefferson's Louisiana Purchase had doubled the territory of the United States, extending it to the Rocky Mountains. To the southwest was Mexico, which had won its independence in a revolutionary war against Spain in 1821-a large country which included Texas and what are now New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, California, and part of Colorado. After agitation, and aid from the United States, Texas broke off from Mexico in 1836 and declared itself the "Lone Star Republic." In 1845, the U.S. Congress brought it into the Union as a state…"
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Amicalement
Armand

"We Take Nothing by Conquest, Thank God"
Uh, the Indians?

Anyone notice a resemblance between Texas and the Crimea?

We Take Nothing by Conquest, Thank God

Except California, New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, some of Colorado and Utah.

That's from the Mexicans. Most towns of any size have a monument to Los Ninos Perdidos, the cadets who died when Chapultepec (halls of Montezuma) was stormed.

Indeed, Garrison.

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand

The USA did not "conquer" those territories, another state ceded them as part of a negotiated peace treaty.

Now, we can argue the merits of that war and the minutia of the actions on all sides involved, but the land ceded was not, "conquered."

I grant wholeheartedly that the whole idea of being prideful over "not conquering land" is bad judgment and I would have advised against ever stating (and would never state it in this day and age.)

The USA also paid for the territories. Unusual for a Country that won a war at that time.

Indians conquered other Indians territory. The strongest tribe dominating the land. That's why the Crow were allied with the US vs the Sioux. The conquest had very ugly things done and suffered by both sides. Destruction of the Indians way of life was a terrible result for the Indians.

Am I noting a trend in Tango01's posts? They used to be mostly about cool miniatures and military history. Now the majority seem to be condemnations of nineteenth century American events. This is tiresome. I must have missed his post on the Argentinian genocide of the Terra del Fuegians. Not to mention the humane civility of the Dictator Rosas. I despise this looking back at historical civilizations with our "superior" morality. Hmmm, Stalin and Mao and that other guy….

I have wrote some articles about the Indians Genocide in our Pampas… but it's in spanish and very old now… of course the Indians of all the Continent suffered the "white" conquerors agression… but it's the history of the humanity in many other places too…

About our worst "genocide" against the Indians there were not Rosas… it was Roca. (President).

Till today… our poor indians have strong problems…

Amicalement
Armand

I was referring to Juan Manuel Rosas, who killed thousands of Argentines during his dictatorship in the 1830's and 1840's…This is a separate tragedy from the destruction of indigenous peoples in Argentina. Every nation on the planet during the 19th century failed to live up to our "superior" level of sensitivity (satire intended).

My point is that this is a website about miniature wargaming, not a political discussion group focused on the sins committed by nineteenth century nations who lived in a completely different physical and moral universe from ourselves

Mega dittos to Tom on this. Isn't there someplace on the TMP to discuss political issues past and present?

I am a great fan of tango's presentation of historical and fantasy miniature sites, please keep it up.

Most towns of any size have a monument to Los Ninos Perdidos, the cadets who died when Chapultepec (halls of Montezuma) was stormed.

That would be Ninos Heroes, cadets who defended the "castillo" at Chapultepec.