The Mexican War heats up, and today, February 3, 1846, President James K. Polk directed General Zachary Taylor to

advance into the disputed territory in Texas, “on or near the Rio Grande” near Mexico. Taylor chose a spot at Corpus Christi, and his Army of Occupation encamped there until the following spring in anticipation of a Mexican attack. Polk’s attempts to negotiate with Mexico had failed, and war appeared imminent. That same month, Taylor commanded American forces at the Battle of Palo Alto and the nearby Battle of Resaca de la Palma, defeating the Mexican forces, which greatly outnumbered his own. These victories made him a popular hero, and within weeks he received a brevet promotion to major general and a formal commendation from Congress. In September, Taylor inflicted heavy casualties upon the Mexican defenders at the Battle of Monterrey. The city of Monterrey had been considered “impregnable”, but was captured in three days, forcing Mexican forces to retreat. Taylor was criticized for signing a “liberal” truce, rather than pressing for a large scale surrender.  Afterwards, half of Taylor’s army was ordered to join General Winfield Scott‘s soldiers as they attacked Veracruz.

Mexican General Antonio López de Santa Anna discovered, through an intercepted letter from Scott, that Taylor had

contributed all but 6,000 of his men to the effort. His remaining force included only a few hundred regular army soldiers, and Santa Anna rushed to take advantage of the situation. Santa Anna attacked Taylor with 20,000 men at the Battle of Buena Vista in February 1847, inflicting around 600 American casualties at a cost of over 1,800 Mexican. Outmatched, the Mexican forces retreated, ensuring a “far-reaching” victory for the Americans. Taylor remained at Monterrey until late November 1847, when he set sail for home. While he would spend the following year in command of the Army’s entire western division, his active military career was over. In December he received a hero’s welcome in New Orleans and Baton Rouge, and his popular legacy set the stage for the 1848 presidential election.

 

                                                                                      

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Photo courtesy of wikipedia.com