Mexican War Research Paper

The Mexican War marked a major turning point for the fledgling American nation and its military – not only did it redefine the Southern border with Mexico, but it demonstrated the capabilities of the U.S. Army during an offensive engagement following a prolonged period of peace. The Mexican War is not a commonly cited conflict in U.S. history, but the lessons learned from it are relevant even today, as it combined conventional warfare with the struggle of being a small, occupying force in both rural and urban terrain. The U.S. won a number of early decisive battles, notably at Palo Alto, the site of the first major conflict. American success during the Battle of Palo Alto was owed largely to competent leadership, standardized training, and the superiority of American field artillery. Though the war officially began with the Battle of Palo Alto in May of 1846, tensions between the U.S. and Mexico had been building for years over a territorial dispute: Mexico claimed the Nueces River as its northern boundary, but the U.S. contended it was the Rio Grande. Under pressure from Congress to protect
American interests on the frontier, President James K. Polk deployed 1500 troops and three field artillery batteries under the command of Gen. Zachary Taylor to hold the contested area between the Nueces and the Rio Grande in early 1845 (Dastrup, 1992, p. 73). Taylor established a base of operations on a sandy plain north of the Nueces River near modern day Corpus Christi and spent the next several months training and supplying his troops (Stewart, 2009, p. 177). This period of training would be instrumental in the conflict to come, since large unit tactics had been under utilized since the War of 1812 (Brown, p. 11). In 1841, the War Department adopted sections of the French publication Instructions for Field Artillery: Horse and Foot, as the official manual for U.S. field artillery operations. This manual called for the formation of light and mounted field artillery units and outlined a standard for gun crew operations and training drills, and the artillery batteries under Taylor trained using these standardized drills, making them a more efficient fighting force (Dastrup, 1992, p. 70). One of the most significant developments came in the form of the so-called “flying artillery.” The batteries were outfitted with additional horses to allow cannoneers to ride on horseback instead of limbers and caissons, giving these units markedly increased mobility (Stewart, 2009, p. 178). Another critical improvement to field artillery came in the form of equipment. Though a new system of bronze cannon would not be formally adopted until 1849, these Taylor’s batteries were equipped with some of the most modern ammunition, fuses, and artillery implements of the day. By 1840, the U.S. Army had transitioned to a fixed-ammunition system that improved firing time (Dastrup, 1992, p. 68-69). The standardization and modernization of field artillery batteries in the early 1840s gave U.S. troops a decisive advantage over their Mexican counterparts, which would be demonstrated for the first time at Palo Alto.
Taylor’s troops continued to train through the winter until February of 1846, when under orders from Congress, they crossed the Nueces into the disputed territory. By March, Taylor had established Fort Texas near present day Brownsville on the Northern bank of the Rio Grande, a move viewed by Mexico as a formal act of aggression (Brown, p. 11). After a handful of skirmishes in April, Taylor received intelligence that Mexican forces under the command of Gen. Mariano Arista had crossed the Rio Grande and were threatening his supply line at Point Isabel. Fearing being completely cut off from logistical support, Taylor took most of his force to secure his Point Isabel, leaving only a small contingent at Fort Texas (Brown, p. 13). Taylor beat Aristo to Point Isabel, but Aristo saw an opportunity in the poorly defended U.S. encampment and divided his forces, deploying half of his troops to Fort Texas and leaving the other half to block the road at Palo Alto between the fort and Point Isabel. Despite a heavy artillery bombardment that lasted for five days, Mexican troops were unsuccessful in their attempt to capture Fort Texas (Brown, p. 14). When Taylor returned from Point Isabel, he found himself cut off from the fort by Mexican troops and outnumbered three to one, and thus the Battle of Palo Alto began on May 8th, 1846, signaling the start of the Mexican War (Dastrup, 1992, p. 73).
Though at a disadvantage due to the superior size of the Mexican force, the Americans’ highly mobile, highly trained, highly accurate artillery batteries made up for much of the personnel shortfall. Taylor placed his two heavier 18-pounder iron guns at the center of his line, and they pushed the first wave of Mexican infantry back, causing Aristo to abandon his force and attempt to flank the Americans with his cavalry. A single section of mounted “flying artillery” under the command of Bvt. Maj. Samuel Ringgold halted the cavalry advance almost as soon as it started (Dastrup, 1992, p. 73). All subsequent attempts to advance on American forces were immediately subdued through a concerted effort of the Taylor’s field artillery batteries, consisting of bronze 6-pounders firing solid shot and 12-pound howitzers firing shell against antiquated Mexican bronze 4-pounders firing solid shot (Stewart, 2009, p. 179). Nightfall saw a temporary cessation of hostilities. U.S. troops took light casualties with only 9 killed and 47 wounded, but the Mexican troops fared much worse with 320 killed and 380 wounded, most as a result of artillery fire (Stewart, 2009, p. 179). Mexican forces retreated at daybreak, and the battle was easily declared a victory for the Americans.
The Mexican War lasted a total of twenty-six months, and when it ended on February 3rd, 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the Rio Grande became the official southern border of the United States.
Though the war is often relegated to a footnote in many history books, it marked a turning point for the American Army and the United States. It illustrated the need to retain a trained, modernized military during times of peace. Both Union and Confederate forces later used the lessons learned from the Mexican War during the Civil War just over a decade later. The victory also spurred a rise in patriotism and encouraged further Westward expansion while simultaneously intensifying the issue of slavery. The Mexican War subtly but very significantly altered the American territory, and almost certainly would not have been won without the strength of U.S.
artillery.