The Mexican War 1846-1848

In this highly-readable account of the Mexican-American War, Bauer lays the foundation of the conflict before diving into the various campaigns.  Each chapter covers a theater of war, often outlining the political events in Washington DC or Mexico City.  Roughly a quarter of the book details the campaigns of General Zachary Taylor in the north, from the Thornton Affair that finally ignited the war to the hard fought Battle of Buena Vista.  Another quarter of the book covers General Winfield Scott's campaign from the unprecedented amphibious landings at Vera Cruz to the final capture of Mexico City.  Scott's campaign saw a relatively small army march deep into a foreign country, a move which the Duke of Wellington viewed as suicidal.  That he succeeded placed him among the great military leaders of his time.  Approximately 10% of the book discusses the events in California, noting John C. Fremont's independent activities in the north with the Bear Flag Republic and the eventual arrival of General Stephen Watts Kearny.  Though California had largely surrendered without a fight, the mishandling of the occupation triggered a revolt and reconquest.  A fifth of the book discusses the political situations, both in DC and Mexico City.  As the book was published in 1975, it is no surprise that many aspects of the war are compared with Vietnam.  President Polk (a Democrat) was eager to have a short war but also needed to hamstring his generals - Taylor and Scott were Whigs - lest they become unbeatable presidential nominees.  Bauer does not neglect other theaters, offering details on the capture and revolt in New Mexico, the naval war in the Gulf of Mexico, Commodore Perry's Mosquito Fleet, the US Navy on the Pacific coast and Baja California, the two expeditions to Chihuahua, and other sundry events.

Bauer commits an entire chapter to The Failure of Graduated Pressure.  President Polk knew that Mexico was a poverty-stricken nation that had only a tenuous hold on most of its territory, especially those the US desired to annex.  Indeed, Mexico had entirely failed to reverse Texas Independence in the previous 9 years though it still refused to recognize it as independent.  As such, Polk mistakenly believed that a generous offer of money and a forgiveness of outstanding debts would be welcomed.  Nope.  And so he sent General Taylor to the Rio Grande.  After Taylor captured Monterry and secured many northern provinces, the Mexican government still would not negotiate.  With each victory, the US sought negotiation and the Mexicans became more intransigent.  Polk had used a similar strategy with the British on the Oregon boundary question and a boundary was settled without a war.  That the same didn't happen with the Mexico boundary troubled him.  He did not want a war, but he was determined to establish the US-Mexico border.

The book is quite readable, each chapter running 15 to 30 pages.  That's an ideal length to cover a chapter a session.  It is extremely well-researched and the bibliography is nearly 40 pages!  Highly recommended for those interested in the war and the various personalities of the time.