"Mexican infantry uniforms in the MAW" Topic

Contemporary prints of the Mexican American War show the Mexican infantry in green coats with white trousers. However, most of what I am finding shows them in dark blue coats and trousers, or dark blue coats and white trousers (like those found in illustrations of the siege of the Alamo), or a more summer uniform of white shirt and white pants. Can anyone provide some help on a typical Mexican infantry uniform?

Do you have pics or a link? The Mexican army did not wear green coats. Are you sure they are not dismounted cavalry, or troops from the Franco-Mexican War, where some green was worn?

Sure:

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Currier and Ives aren't quite contemporary (dating from 1854) and wouldn't be my choice for accurate depictions in any case. My guess, somebody in the New York establishment decided that if both sides were dressed in blue, the unwashed public wouldn't be able to tell them apart, so decided to put the Mexicans in green.

Go to TVAG:

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and get a copy of Hefter's The Mexican Soldier. If you're doing MAW, it's a must have.

I remember in Hefter's book that the Mexican Marine Corps wore green coats and a rather elaborate uniform. I second getting hold of this work. Full color illustrations but my copy was in Spanish. It had an added section on uniforms during the French intervention.

I've seen some fanciful looking uniforms of the Mexican army from mid 19th century illustrations. I remember seeing something where the tops of their shakos were painted in a Mexican tricolar. The Mexicans were a colorful lot but the majority were in a dark blue coat and either white or blue trousers depending on season or stock. My favorite book on the period is Anton Adam's publication (I believe from Emperor's Press). The color plates are a bit crude but convey the idea well enough and you will get everything you need from a wargamer's stance from it. There are some good Ospreys as well.

Here is an interesting blog (in French!) that has a lot of info on uniforms for both sides, with plates.

I think the link is missing, dbf1676.

Patrick from TVAG must be asleep. Other than the green tailcoat for the marines, you are not going to see anything about green coated infantry in either Hefter or Adams.

Green seems to have become the convention of the lithograph printers during and after the war. Indeed, the common delusion that the US wore uniforms from 1812 was evidently propagated by the same lithographers!

It seems improper, somehow, for me to tout the new and expanded edition of "The Mexican Soldier" on someone's else's thread, but since it's been brought up by others, I'll take that as an invitation to at least provide a direct link

Regarding Anton Adams "The War In Mexico," I cannot more highly recommend it as a single source on the war. The OB's alone are worth the price of the book.

However, due to I think rather inadequate support for Tony's work by his Publishers, you'll find that the flag information is not only spotty, but often dead wrong. One can see where the "artist" they found for that part of the work has simply copied the wrong the flags from the source he was working from.

Similarly, the rather puerile uniform plates are simply point for point copies from Hefter. Not necessarily
inaccurate, but definitely a secondary transcription. Whenever the primary source is available, why go anywhere else?

The Rene Chartrand title by Osprey is another "must have" and is the closest thing to a true successor to Hefter's work.

TVAG also has the best resourced and finely rendered flags for the US and Mexicans both anywhere. No brag, just fact. That we have been plagiarized is a left-handed compliment. These complete sets are available in most every game scale here: link

And, easily the most comprehensively researched (some 9 years) rules on the subject, "Gone To See The Elephant," may be looked at here: link These rules can't be everyone's cup of tequila, but there's information provided and built into the game that just doesn't appear in other sets.

If 15mm is your thing, we also have the 15mm Special Mexican Army Range of ancillary figures which serve in GTSTE, and are otherwise unavailable in any other scales: link

Finally, a comprehensive--and FREE--resource (borrowing heavily, but not exclusively, from the French language Website alluded to, above, I suspect) for US Uniforms and weapons may be consulted here: link

And, no, I wasn't asleep--YET!--just busy organizing the first restock of the "Viva Juarez!" 25mm range of figures for the French Intervention that should be ready for general sale again starting in January.

I can't seem to get north of the border these days!

TVAG

Earlier this year I requested information on uniforms and TOEs for the MAW since I was starting into that as my next period of interest, painting,and gaming. At that time, the same list of titles was provided. They have been exceptionally helpful. The Anton Adams book is amazing for depth and variety of information. Since then, I have purchased a copy of the "Gone to See the Elephant" when it became available. It also has excellent information provided on uniforms. Overall, I am amazed by the amount of excellent information that can be found out there considering that it is such an underplayed and little known conflict. Finally, there are many knowledgeable people who post on this site who are sharing knowledge and expertise. Good stuff.

Tons of reference info on the MAW Yahoo group as well:

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