The Mexican-American War happened from 1846 to 1848 between Mexico and the United States of America. This war was the first to be fought on foreign soil by the U.S army. The acquisition of the border across the Rio Grande stirred the fight between Mexico and the United States. Because of the flying artillery weapons, Mexico lost about a third of its territory which is the present Utah, Arizona, California, Nevada and New Mexico 1 . If it were not for the United States “Flying Artillery” and advanced technology, her army would not have had the ability to win the war with Mexico.
The Mexican-American war was fueled by a sequence of raids by the Mexicans who did not want to recognize the United States sovereignty over North America 2 . In every battle between the United States and the Mexicans, the Mexicans outnumbered the United States Army, but in the battles, that were held in California, the United States forces were at an advantage over the Mexican troops due to their superiority in artillery fire 3 . Through the battles of Vera Cruz, Buena Vista and Palo Alto, the U.S. Army artillery secured victory for the Americans over the Mexicans 4 . This was because the U.S Army used better weapons and possessed better equipment’ which was critical of the army maintaining a technical advantage over the Mexicans throughout the war.
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The United States under President James K. Polk tried to buys some territory from the Mexicans before he finally made the decision to invade Mexico. John Slidell was sent to Mexico, and he was tasked with ending the longstanding border disagreement between the United States and Mexico. The president of the United States James Polk had also authorized Slidell to offer the Mexicans $25 million for their territories in California and New Mexico 5 . After the war came to an end, the size of Mexico had been reduced by more than half and the country was ordered to relinquish all its claims to Texas. Through the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, Mexico was also forced to accept $15 million by the American government for 525,000 square miles of its land 6 . Kansas, California, Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, and Oklahoma would encompass as the States of the U.S 7 .
What were the causes of the Mexican-American War?
In 1836, Texas gained independence from Mexico 8 . The United States refused to join the union that was the addition of a new slave trade which was part of the northern political interests. On the other side, the government of Mexico encouraged border invasion and sent warnings that any effort at border invasion would lead to war. The main reason for this war was the way the Mexican government was lingering resentment after losing Texas and the American’s desire to own Mexico’s western lands which are currently the state’s New Mexico and California.
After the 1844 election of Polk, the border invasion efforts were initiated by the United States 9 . Polk was equally eying the area of New Mexico and California that makes the Southwest U.S today. He first started by making an offer to the Mexican government of buying the lands but it was denied. Polk initiated a fight at the border zone between Nueces River and the Rio Grande and involved both the United States and the Mexican country. After this invasion, the Americans conquered the current US southwest area. The second invasion came from the north through Texas, and the third happened around Veracruz. By 1847, Mexico City was captured, and the Mexicans decided to agree to the peace treaty which was to the favor of the US 10 . The Americans won a war that has been fought on the Mexican soil. In addition to the US flying artillery and advanced technology, the Mexican army was small in number that made it easier for the US to win the war.
During the war, only 75,000 Mexicans has occupied the Rio Grande. For this reason, Commodore Robert F. Stockton and Col. Stephen W. Kearny led the US army to conquer the lands and captured Monterrey 11 . The Mexicans felt threatened and decided to turn to General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. Santa Anna was reputable and a strongman who was sent to convince Polk that if he were to be sent to Mexico, he would end the war by signing a treaty that would favor the United States. However, when he arrived in the US, he decided to double-cross Polk and took control of the Mexican army and led it to the Battle of Buena Vista 12 . This battle took place in February 1847, but Santa Anna did not succeed 13 . He experiences a lot of causalities that forced him to withdraw the Mexican army. Santa Anna failed the government of Mexico, but he still assumed the office of the Mexican presidency.
The US military decided to invade Veracruz and took the city and continued invading Mexico. The Mexicans tried to resist the attack at Cerro Gordo, but the efforts were not enough to keep the US military off their soil. In 1847, Gen. Winfield Scott succeeded in invading the Chapultepec Castle in the city of Mexico 14 . During this battle, most of the military school cadets committed suicide instead of surrendering to the US army. This act affected the stability of the Mexican Forces.
The US supply lines faced opposition from Guerillas that aimed at ending the war. During this period, Santa Ann resigned from office, and the US government had to wait for the formation of a new government to negotiate. On 2 February 1848, a new government was formed, and they signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo 15 . The treaty ruled out that the Rio Grande was the US-Mexican border and not the Nueces River. Under this treaty, Mexico agreed to sell California and the rest of the Rio Grande territory for about $15 million.
Flying Artillery
The flying field artillery was introduced by Gustavus Adolphus, a warrior king during the 17th century. This was the most important weapon that determined the success of the US military. Napoleon still used this flying artillery in the 19th century to support the massed infantry attacks 16 . The artillery weapons that the US military used were cannons and mortars and formed an important part of the history of the Mexican-American War in 1846 and were a better version than what was used during the 1812 war. Even though the Mexicans had good artillery weapons, including St. Patrick’s Battalion, the weapons could not be compared with what the Americans had. The Americans had the best artillery weapons in the world during this war period. This doubled up the effectiveness of the American Troops, and their attack was deadly. The accuracy of the weapons made the difference during the fight, especially the Battle of Palo Alto 17 .
The US military continued the battle and invaded Mexico City. President James Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to move the US military to defend the Rio Grande because the Mexican military was defending this border 18 . Since the Mexican Government refused to settle the issue diplomatically, the US military has to use force to disrupt the Rio Grande border. The US military was not willing to back up from the war until it acquired the lands she was aiming for.
Taylor engaged the Mexican forces in two battles; one near Palo Alto and the other at the Resaca de la Palma. In both of the battles, the US army was performing by far much better than the Mexican army. The inferiority and undertrained Mexican forces worked to the advantage of the US military. The weapons that the Mexican troops were using were of poor quality. For example, the gunpowder, the artillery weapons were poor because it sent cannonballs that were lazily bouncing across the battlefield. The American army would barely step out to avoid them because they were not reaching the target. The artillery weapons worked against the Mexican army. Since the US army was using powerful flying artillery weapons, they conquered the Mexican military and won the battle 19 . The weapons were lightweight made of deadly cannons and mortars that were easy to control and deploy on different areas of the battlefield. The powerful artillery weapons were a powerful strategy for the American military and played a significant role in winning the Mexican-American War.
Advanced Technology
The American Mexican War used technological innovations especially communication strategies. The use of communication strategies was more evident during this war as compared to other wars that took place in other years. From 1821 to 1854, the mounted couriers carried battle reports, and the use of steamboats, telegraphs, and railroads was actively being used 20 . Advanced technology played a significant role in encouraging the tactical communications among the American Armies. The battles were being operated from a central location by the generals, and they kept a close look near the battlefield. The units that were at a far distance, they received orders through written or verbal modes of communication and were delivered by the couriers and the officers. Establishing a good connection with the commander helped the US army to stay organized and to fight the Mexican Army. The hand-carried information was also being used by both the US army and the Mexican forces.
The United States gained an added advantage over the Mexican forces by using advanced technology in enhancing communication. Mechanical and more advanced equipment replaced the sinew, bone, and muscle. The US army used to know when a dispatch arrived at the depot by the use of telegraph post. This smooth communication allowed quick transfer of information and materials. The introduction of railroads increased the efficiency of communication as well.
In 1844, a message by Samuel Morse, “What hath God wrought” was effectively transmitted through the telegraph 21 . This invention took communication to another level, and the US armies used the advanced technology to outsmart the Mexican forces. The innovations were profound and worked in the best interest of the US armies that led to winning the battle on the foreign soil. Weapon materials and more soldiers were being deployed on time to every remote location of the US military. This was only made achievable by the used of the advanced technology in communication. The public was also kept informed about the war progress, and generals and political leaders could quickly respond to help the current situation. People perish due to lack of knowledge 22 . Even though fighting on the Mexican soil gave Mexico an added advantage, but they could not defeat the American army because of the communication technology they were using at the time.
The flying artillery weapons and advanced technology help the United States forces in the Mexican American war. Even though there were other advantages that the United States faced, like a less tactical Mexican army, untrained military officers, and the army was in smaller numbers, the flying artillery and advanced technology was the main boost of their victory. They could have lost the battle to the Mexican country because the Mexican army had an advantage of having the country as the war zone. They understood different locations of the country that they could use to ambush the American army and win the battles. However, this was not the case because the United States army was stepped higher than Mexico. Even when Mexico’s Army tried to use the flying artillery, the strategy backfired because the weapons were of poor quality
Bibliography
Downey Fairfax, Texas and the Mexican-American War. (New York: American Heritage: New Word City, 2016), 42-98.
Garza Humberto, The Mexican-American War of 1846-48. (Cork: BookBaby, 2013), 82-105.
Editors Charles, The Mexican-American War: The History of the Controversial War that Resulted in the Annexation of the Southwest and California. (North Charleston: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016), 24-45
Guardino Peter, The Dead March: A History of the Mexican-American War. (Cambridge, Massachisetts: Harvard University Press, 2017), 250.
Henderson Timothy, A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and Its War with the United States . (New York: Hill and Wang, 2006), 98-126.
Smith Justin, The War with Mexico: The Classic History of the Mexican-American War . (Athens, GA: Red and Black Publishers, 2011), 82-98.
Greenberg Army, A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico . (New York: Vintage Books, 2013), 150-192.
Howe Daniel, What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 . (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), 320-513.
1 . Howe Daniel, What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2009), 320-513.
2 . Ibid., 345.
3 . Ibid., 350.
4 . Ibid., 361.
5 . Howe, What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 , 425.
6 . Howe, What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 , 468
7 . Howe, What Hath God Wrought: The Transformation of America, 1815-1848 , 413
8 . Editors Charles, The Mexican-American War: The History of the Controversial War that Resulted in the Annexation of the Southwest and California. (North Charleston: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, 2016), 24-45
9 . Garza Humberto, The Mexican-American War of 1846-48. (Cork: BookBaby, 2013), 82-105.
10 . Ibid., 89
11 . Ibid. 98.
12 . Ibid., 103.
13 . Downey Fairfax, Texas and the Mexican-American War. (New York: American Heritage: New Word City, 2016), 42-98.
14 . Henderson Timothy, A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and Its War with the United States . (New York: Hill and Wang, 2006), 98-126.
15 . Henderson, A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and Its War with the United States, 102.
16 . Greenberg Army, A Wicked War: Polk, Clay, Lincoln, and the 1846 U.S. Invasion of Mexico . (New York: Vintage Books, 2013), 150-192.
17 . Ibid., 161.
18 . Ibid., 182.
19 . Smith Justin, The War with Mexico: The Classic History of the Mexican-American War. (Athens, GA: Red and Black Publishers, 2011), 82-98.
20 . Guardino Peter, The Dead March: A History of the Mexican-American War. (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 2017), 250.
21 . Henderson, A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and Its War with the United States , 117.
22 . Henderson, A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and Its War with the United States, 121.
