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| The belief that the U.S. was destined to expand to the Pacific Ocean. |
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| To take vengence for,or on behalf of |
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| America's twelfth President, Zachary Taylor established his reputation as a tough and decisive soldier during the Indian Wars of the 1830's. He earned national fame as a general defending the recently annexed State of Texas during the Mexican War of 1846, then easily won the 1848 Presidential election as a Whig Party candidate (running on little more than his heroic military image). He died sixteen months into his term, and was succeeded into office by his Vice President, Millard Fillmore. |
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America¹s eleventh President, James K. Polk was an obscure Tennessee lawyer, governor and former U.S. Congressman surprisingly nominated by the Democrats as their 1844 Presidential candidate. Embracing the expansionist mood of Manifest Destiny, he oversaw the addition of both Texas and California to the Union (winning the 1846 Mexican War in the process), then declined to seek a second term in office.US Presidents. politics. politicians. government leaders. Democrats. US history. Polk, James K. Manifest Destiny. James K. Polk. US Presidents. politics. politicians. government leaders. Democrats. US history. Polk, James K. Manifest Destiny. James K. Polk. America¹s eleventh President, James K. Polk was an obscure Tennessee lawyer, governor and former U.S. Congressman surprisingly nominated by the Democrats as their 1844 Presidential candidate. Embracing the expansionist mood of Manifest Destiny, he oversaw the addition of both Texas and California to the Union (winning the 1846 Mexican War in the process), then declined to seek a second term in office. June 15, 1849 James K. Polk, the eleventh President of the United States, died on this day in 1849. An obscure Tennessee lawyer, governor and former U.S. Congressman surprisingly nominated by the Democrats as their 1844 Presidential candidate, he embraced the expansionist mood of Manifest Destiny, andoversaw the addition of both Texas and California to the Union (winning the 1846 Mexican War in the process), then declined to seek a second term in office.
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Mexican politician Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, illustrated in his official uniform. A leader in the revolutionary fight to gain independence from Spain, Santa Anna became the dictator of his country in 1824 and remained so intermittently until 1855.
leaders. politicians. Mexicans. South Americans. portraits. revolutionaries. presidents. dictators. uniforms. portraits.
Mexican politician Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, illustrated in his official uniform. A leader in the revolutionary fight to gain independence from Spain, Santa Anna became the dictator of his country in 1824 and remained so intermittently until 1855. |
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September 14, 1847 US forces under General-in Chief Winfield Scott captured Mexico City on this day during the Mexican War. Scott returned home a hero and was promptly promoted to Lieutenant General. He waged an unsuccessful campaign for the Presidency for the Whig Party in 1852. During the Civil War, he remained loyal to the Union despite his Southern upbringing. Credit: ARCHIVE PHOTOS. Object Name: Winfield Scott Hero C203/31
soldier. leader. political leader. military leader. uniform. horse. Scott. Old Fuss and Feathers. hero. Commander. Mexican War. Whig. Presidential candidate. Union Army. US history. United States history. General.
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| 10th August 1861: US Civil War 1861-65. Union Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon, mortally wounded by Confederate rifle fire during the Battle at Wilson's Creek, Missouri. Failing to break the Union line in three attacks, Brigadier General Ben McCulloch withdrew his forces, achieved a tactical victory and Confederate control of southwest Missouri, while Union Major Sturgis, replacing Lyon, ordered a retreat to Springfield. An 1893 color illustration. (Photo by Stock Montage/Stock Montage/Getty Images) |
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| This map shows which states were designated free states and slave states between the years 1820 and 1860 according to the Missouri Compromise (1820), Mexican War aggreements (1850), Kansas-Nebraska Act (1854), and at the outbreak of the Civil War. |
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The Seige of Vera Cruz, one of the most crucial battles of the Mexican-American war, began on March 22, 1847. Waged on the American side by 10,000 American troops under General Winfield Scott , it was the first amphibious assault in modern warfare.
Mexican American war. war. battle. Vera Cruz. explosion. fighting. troops. The Seige of Vera Cruz, one of the most crucial battles of the Mexican-American war, began on March 22, 1847. Waged on the American side by 10,000 American troops under General Winfield Scott , it was the first amphibious assault in modern warfare. |
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| General Winfield Scott (1786-1860); US; American; Mexican War; Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna (1794-1876); President of Mexico; fighting; flag; soldiers; bayonet; wounded; dying; soldier Battles & Historical Events Topographical - Rest of the World Battles & Historical Events 19th century America Central & South |
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| Battle of Buena Vista, Fought on 22nd & 23rd February 1847, Between General Taylor and Santa Anna |
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Kit Carson became a frontier legend as a guide, Indian fighter and trapper who ranged from Taos, New Mexico to Montana during the 1830¹s and 1840¹s. He guided John C. Frémont on his major western expeditions, and participated in several Mexican War battles to help claim California for the U.S. Later an effective and fair government agent to the Ute tribe, he became a mythic figure of the American west in his own lifetime, and was the namesake for Carson City, Nevada after his death. Pioneers. hunters. scouts. military uniforms. Carson, Kit. frontiersmen. guides. soldiers. Kit Carson. Pioneers. hunters. scouts. military uniforms. Carson, Kit. frontiersmen. guides. soldiers. Kit Carson. Kit Carson became a frontier legend as a guide, Indian fighter and trapper who ranged from Taos, New Mexico to Montana during the 1830¹s and 1840¹s. He guided John C. Frémont on his major western expeditions, and participated in several Mexican War battles to help claim California for the U.S. Later an effective and fair government agent to the Ute tribe, he became a mythic figure of the American west in his own lifetime, and was the namesake for Carson City, Nevada after his death.
May 23, 1868 The legendary American frontiersman Kit Carson died on this day in 1868; a guide, Indian fighter and trapper, he ranged from Taos, New Mexico to Montana during the 1830¹s and 1840¹s. He guided John C. Frémont on his major western expeditions, and participated in several Mexican War battles to help claim California for the U.S. Later an effective and fair government agent to the Ute tribe, he was also the namesake for Carson City, Nevada after his death. |
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| The Battle of Monterrey during the Mexican-American War, 23rd September 1846, by Nathaniel Currier. |
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| 8th May 1846: General Zachary Taylor (1784 - 1850) leading the American troops into battle at Palo Alto during the Mexican-American War. Original Artist: By Nathaniel Currier. |
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| a person who is in favor of abolishing slavery |
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| to take vengence on for, or on behalf of |
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| those who have the power to make laws |
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| to yeild, as of teritory or rights |
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| A Texas Ranger, illustration from 'Pictorial History of Mexico and the Mexican War' by John Frost, 1848 |
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| Alfred Pleasanton (1824-1897). American soldier. Graduated West Point 1844, served in Mexican War 1846-47, at battles of Palo Alto, Resaca de la Palma, in Sioux Wars 1855, in Third Seminole War 1857, in Civil War a senior captain of cavalry, Army of the Potomac 1862. He was successful in major battles under Stoneman, Mc Clellan, Meade and Grant. A major general in 1863, defended Missouri Territory in a succession of battles. Original Artwork: Engraving by J C Buttre |
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| U.S.-MEXICAN BORDER - MARCH 25: An international border marker on the Mexico side of the U.S.-Mexico border fence that refers to the February 2, 1848 Guadalupe Hidalgo Treaty of Peace, Friendship, Limits, and Settlement between the United States of America and the United Mexican States, is shown on March 25, 2005 between Mexicali, Mexico and Calexico, California. Since the launch of the North American Free Trade Agreement in 1995, two-way trade has boomed between the US and Mexico. Border communities are now growing worried that the recent economic gains may be lost if U.S President George W. Bush administration will tighten security in order to prevent terrorists from crossing the border. (Photo by David McNew/Getty Images) |
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| ARISTA, MARIANO (1802–1855). Mariano Arista, Mexican general, was born at the city of San Luis Potosí, Mexico, on July 26, 1802. He entered the army as a cadet in the Puebla regiment about 1819 and rose to the rank of brigadier general. After an unsuccessful pronunciamento in favor of Centralism in 1833, he went in exile to the United States until he was repatriated and reinstated in the army in 1836. He served on the Supreme Tribunal of War and in the Supreme Military Court and in 1839 was made commandant general of Tamaulipas and general of the Mexican Army of the North. In that capacity he defeated the movement to establish the Republic of the Rio Grande in northern Tamaulipas in 1840. After a period in private life, he was recalled to active duty just before the outbreak of the MexicanWar, was ordered to command the Army of the North, and was in command of Mexican troops in the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palmaqqv on May 8 and 9, 1846. After suffering defeat in both engagements and being criticized by subordinates, he relinquished his command to Francisco Mexía, requested trial by a court-martial, and was absolved of guilt. He became Mexican secretary of war in June 1848. In January 1851 he was declared by the Mexican Congress the constitutional president of Mexico. He resigned in January 1853, was forced into exile, and died near Lisbon, Portugal, on August 7, 1855. |
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| BROWN, JACOB (?–1846). Jacob Brown, United States Army officer, was born in Massachusetts and enlisted as a private in the Eleventh United States Infantry on August 3, 1812. By the time of his commissioning as an ensign in the Eleventh Infantry on April 15, 1814, he had risen to the rank of sergeant. Promotion to third lieutenant came on May 1 and to second lieutenant on September 1, 1814. On May 17, 1815, he was transferred to the Sixth Infantry, where he served as regimental quartermaster from April 16 to June 1, 1821. He was promoted to first lieutenant on August 18, 1819, to captain on April 7, 1825, and to major on February 27, 1843. |
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| SEGUÍN, JUAN NEPOMUCENO (1806–1890). Juan Seguín, political and military figure of the Texas Revolution and Republic of Texas, was born in San Antonio on October 27, 1806, the elder of two sons of Juan José María Erasmo Seguínqv and María Josefa Becerra. Although he had little formal schooling, Juan was encouraged by his father to read and write, and he appears to have taken some interest in music. At age nineteen he married María Gertrudis Flores de Abrego, a member of one of San Antonio's most important ranching families. They had ten children, among whom Santiago was a mayor of Nuevo Laredo and Juan, Jr., was an officer in the Mexican military in the 1860s and 1870s. Seguín began his long career of public service at an early age. He helped his mother run his father's post office while the latter served in Congress in 1823–24. Seguín's election as alderman in December 1828 demonstrated his great potential. He subsequently served on various electoral boards before being elected alcaldein December 1833. He acted for most of 1834 as political chief of the Department of Bexar, after the previous chief became ill and retired. |
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| MEXICAN WAR. The conflict between the United States and Mexico in 1846–48 had its roots in the annexation of Texas and the westward thrust of American settlers. On assuming the American presidency in 1845, James K. Polk attempted to secure Mexican agreement to setting the boundary at the Rio Grande and to the sale of northern California. What he failed to realize was that even his carefully orchestrated policy of graduated pressure would not work because no Mexican politician could agree to the alienation of any territory, including Texas. |
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| After initiating a notably successful campaign, Scott set out for Mexico City. In the battles of Contreras and Churubusco on August 19–20, his 8,500 men drove possibly three times their number of Mexican defenders into the Mexican capital. When Santa Anna did not sue for peace as expected, Scott resumed the assault on the city with an attack on its outworks at Molino del Rey on September 8. In the final assault on September 13–14, Scott's force seized the heights of Chapultepec and breached the inner defenses. Santa Anna abandoned the city but salvaged enough of his army to attack Puebla unsuccessfully later in the month. The Mexicans could not prevent American occupation at will of other cities in central and eastern Mexico. Along the Pacific coast the navy, now commanded by Commodore W. Branford Shubrick, also seized the chief port, Mazatlán, neutralized Guaymas, and eliminated Mexican authority in Baja California. |
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| VIDAURRI, SANTIAGO (1809–1867). Santiago Vidaurri, a powerful caudillo in northeastern Mexico, son of Pedro Vidaurri and Teodora Valdés de Vidaurri, was born in Lampazos, Nuevo León, Mexico, on July 25, 1809. In his youth Vidaurri worked as a clerk for the police in Nuevo León. In 1837 he became the chief assistant to Governor Joaquín García, and in the 1840s he served as a secretary for Governor Manuel María de Llano. The young bureaucrat traveled to Texas in 1841 to spy on Mirabeau B. Lamar's Texan Santa Fe Expedition. Throughout the 1840s and early 1850s he worked for conservatives in the Mexican government. After Mexico's loss to the United States in 1848 (see MEXICAN WAR), Vidaurri and other young politicians became dissatisfied with conservative politics. Denouncing the regime of Antonio López de Santa Anna under a plan labeled "Restaurador de la Libertad," Vidaurri captured Monterrey on May 23, 1855, and was installed as governor and military commander of Nuevo León. His army moved rapidly into the neighboring states of Coahuila and Tamaulipas, consolidating control throughout northeastern Mexico. To procure weapons and other military supplies, he turned to merchants north of the Rio Grande. When charged with an attempt to establish the "Republic of Sierra Madre," Vidaurri insisted that his was a federalist movement in the best of liberal traditions. He cooperated with United States and Texas authorities in punishing Indians who raided the frontier, but clashed with Texan raiders of the Callahan expedition (who crossed into Coahuila in September 1855 to pursue hostile Indians and fugitive slaves), protesting the violations of Mexican territory. |
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| SAN PATRICIO BATTALION. By the 1840s a significant proportion of the enlisted men in the United States Army were Catholic immigrants from Ireland and Germany. The Mexican government, aware of prejudice against immigrants to the United States, started a campaign after the Mexican War broke out to win the foreigners and Catholics to its cause. The Mexicans urged English and Irish alike to throw off the burden of fighting for the "Protestant tyrants" and join the Mexicans in driving the Yankees out of Mexico. Mexican propaganda insinuated that the United States intended to destroy Catholicism in Mexico, and if Catholic soldiers fought on the side of the Americans, they would be warring against their own religion. Using this approach, the Mexicans hoped to gain 3,000 soldiers from the United States Army. In November 1846 Gen. Antonio López de Santa Anna organized American deserters with other foreigners in Mexico to form the San Patricio Battalion, or St. Patrick's Company, a name it probably received from its Irish-American leader, John Riley, formerly a member of Company K of the Fifth United States Infantry. The company saw action at Monterrey, again near Saltillo, and at Buena Vista, each time receiving praise for its thorough job. The most important conflict came at the battle of Churubusco in August 1847. |
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| Neither American success on the battlefield nor the restoration to power of the deposed strongman Antonio López de Santa Anna brought the expected negotiations. The administration prepared a new army under Gen. Winfield Scott to march from the coast to Mexico City. Santa Anna, aware of the American plans, attempted to defeat Taylor's troops in the north before returning to face Scott's force. The Mexican commander's plan failed when Taylor's largely untested 4,600-man army won a closely contested battle against 15,000 Mexicans at Buena Vista on February 22–23, 1847. The astute reconnaissance work of Maj. Benjamin McCulloch's spy company contributed significantly to the American victory. |
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| Since no Mexican government functioned after the fall of Mexico City, Scott and the State Department's agent, Nicholas P. Trist, had to wait until February 1848 before a government could be formed that would agree to peace. Then, in the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, the United States gained California, Arizona, New Mexico, and the Rio Grande boundary for Texas, as well as portions of Utah, Nevada, and Colorado. |
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| Initial American strategy called for a blockade of the Mexican coast and the occupation of the northern Mexican states in the unrealistic hope that these measures would lead to an acceptable territorial settlement. Taylor, reinforced by a large body of volunteers including regiments of Texans, seized Monterrey in September and declared an armistice with General Arista. Col. John Coffee Hays's Texas Mounted Rifles played a significant role in storming the city's defenses. Polk repudiated the armistice, so Taylor thrust south to Saltillo and east to Victoria. A second force under Gen. John E. Wool marched from San Antonio to threaten Chihuahua but ultimately joined Taylor. Gen. Stephen W. Kearny led another column from Fort Leavenworth to seize New Mexico. During July, while Taylor's forces gathered, the navy's Pacific squadron under Commodore John D. Sloat occupied Monterey and San Francisco, California. They linked up with the American settlers there who had established their own government at the urging of the explorer John C. Frémont. Although an incursion into southern California in August failed, the area was secured by a joint army-navy expedition under Kearny and Commodore Robert F. Stockton in January 1847. |
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