"Notes on the War with Mexico" Topic

"The U.S.-Mexican War, 1846-1848, is a complex and interesting event that can be understood today only by considerable study and reflection. Today's United States and today's Mexico are very different from what they were then, and the war itself is very different from today's wars. Nevertheless, the consequences of this war resonate even today. The partisan politics of the time seems strangely similar to today's.

I heartily recommend the reading of References 1-3 as a basis for understanding the times and the war. The work by Smith (Reference 2) is probably the best general history of the war, though the reader should carefully notice Smith's biases and attitudes, which were typical of his time and position. He calls mestizos "half-breeds," and denigrates them as stupid and worthless, while in fact they were a vigorous and capable class, among which have been found many of the most outstanding Mexicans of those times and afterwards, such as Morelos and Díaz. He copies the attitude of upper-class Spanish and Creoles in this. Blacks appear not at all in his history, except once in an anectode about General Scott's body slave. The relative positions of blacks in Mexico and the U.S. are not explored, nor things like the toleration of slavery in Mexican Texas to appease the U.S. settlers. The niños heroes of Chapultepec appear only in a statement that "most" of the cadets were sent away from the battle.That some died bravely for their country is ignored. In spite of such omissions and biases, the work was very carefully researched and contains copious notes and references. Smith, although a Republican, is probably seldom in error about questions of fact. Unlike many American writers on the war, he could and did read Spanish.

The recent book by Stevens (Reference 3) casts bright light on the actual conditions in the U.S. Army, especially as regards nativism and anti-Catholicism, which not only contaminated the army, but the country as a whole in those times. The story of the Battallón de San Patricio, and the plague of desertion among regular army units, scarcely appears in Smith, but is essential reading for an understanding of the war. Smith alludes to Catholic priests for the army, but there never were Catholic chaplains, and the roles of the priests that were employed is told in Stevens…"
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Amicalement
Armand

For such a brief piece, this is a remarkably even handed and fair account of the war, though in the broadest terms.

Some of the author's criticisms of Justin Smith's more or less definitive history seem niggling. While accurately sited as "failings," and fairly laid at the feet of Smith's day and age, none actually influenced the course and outcome of the war.

The necessarily brief description of the US Marines is short some information regarding appearances, and the author's dismissal of the effectiveness of the Navy is at least subject to some debate.

If anyone wants a short but pithy account of the Mexican War as a whole, bookmark or print this article.

TVAG

Glad you enjoyed it my friend.

Amicalement
Armand