1846-1848 - Mexican War (6 Jan 1846 Jahr – 18 Feb 1848 Jahr)

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Mexican War - 1846 - 1848
Background: The conflicts between Mexico and America started when Texas was annexed to the United States, even though Texas had not officially been declared as Independent according to Mexico, and this of course created some diplomatic and political tensions. Furthermore, President James Polk wanted to continue to expand the US territory even more, for example, he wanted to secure California. He sent some initial troops under General Zachary Taylor to stand in disputed territory near Rio Grande to provoke a response or reaction; and this indeed caused a reaction because in 1846 the Mexican army attacked American soldiers, killing some of them. This was the perfect excuse for Polk to declare war as he said American blood had been shed in American soil. The Congress officially passed the war declaration in the same year.
Reaction to the war: Society got divided with the declaration of war. On the one hand, there were people, especially those living in the Mississippi Valley, who supported the war and thought that it was helping fulfill America's mystical destiny of expansion. On the other hand, people from New England mainly, were the Anti-war Opposition. Some relevant figures such as John Adams and Abraham Lincon were against the war, as they thought it was just an excuse to create more states that supported slavery.
USA vs Mexican Army: The US force was really unprepared for war; at the outset, the army amounted to only 7,000 soldiers against 36,000 Mexican ones. However, as war developed, the US was able to recruit over 70,000 soldiers, though most of them were disobedient militiamen. The US force ended up being superior in a way, as they had better morale and more advanced weapons, whereas the Mexican army didn’t have such efficient or new weaponry.
Fight Fronts/Areas:
Southern Texas: Zachary Taylor led successful battles in Texas, increasing his popularity.
California: John Fremont and his army declared California as a Bear Flag Republic. Shortly after, the US Army arrived and with minimal resistance from Mexicans, they dissolved the Republica and claimed California for the US.
New Mexico: General Stephen Kearny was able to also secure New Mexico with little resistance.
Central Mexico: General Winfield Scott led a successful campaign and captured Mexico City in 1847.
Central Mexico Battle:
Monterey and Santa Anna: Zachary Taylor led his army to the City of Monterey in 1846, and captured the city for 5 days. While in this period, the former Mexican Leader, previously exiled to Cuba, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, wanted to return to Mexico, so he requested President Polk to let him come back to Mexico, under the condition he’d try to negotiate with the Mexican Army to end the conflict; Polk was pretty eager to end the conflict so he decided to let him cross through the war field with protection. However, once in Mexico, Santa Anna betrayed the agreement and took control of the Mexican Army, getting ready to fight Taylor’s forces.
Shift in strategy: President Polk decided it was time to shift his strategy to not solely depend on Taylor, thus he designated General Winfield Scott to travel from Veracruz (Gulf of Mexico) all the way down to Mexico City, same route Hernan Cortes had taken centuries ago. Taylor of course defied all orders and with his army, traveled westward to Buena Vista, where Taylor and Santa Anna’s army engaged in battle, resulting in an indecisive victory.
Capturing of Mexico City: General Winfield Scott ended up successfully landing in Mexican beaches, and after a series of battles, capturing Mexico City. The US Army placed the US flag at the National Palace indicating the fall of Mexico City.
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo: After the capturing of Mexico City, Santa Anna resigned and the US and Mexican Government started to engage in peace talks at Guadalupe Hidalgo, formally ending the war. While doing it so, Mexico had no other choice but to sign the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1848, in which they ceded the lands of New Mexico, and California, among other lands (Nevada, Utah, Wyoming, and Colorado). In exchange, the US Government offered to pay Mexico $15 million plus $3.25 additional to cover any Mexican debt owed to the US Government.

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