Premium Essay

The Battle Of Palo Alto: The Mexican American War

Submitted By
Words 1483
Pages 6
The Battle of Palo Alto was the first battle of the Mexican American War. It started before war was declared, before a mission was given, and before the purpose was defined but it set the tone for the entire war. The bravery and determination of the soldiers on both sides, outweighed by the personalities of their commanders and equipment in their ranks. Palo Alto may have been the first battle of the war, and one of its shortest, but it led to the increase in size and power of the United States.
In the early 1840’s tensions had been growing between Mexico and the United States since the annexation of Texas. Following the failure of diplomacy to settle the border disputes President James Polk ordered Major General Zachary Taylor to move south …show more content…
On April 25, 1846 General Arista crossed the Rio Grande to the west of Matamoros and moved east to cut off supplies to Fort Texas and lay siege. On May 3rd 1846 General Arista laid siege to Fort Texas, with a vastly superior force. General Taylor gathered his remaining forces at Fort Polk and prepared to lift the siege of Fort Texas. On May 7th General Taylor marched to relieve Fort Texas as General Arista left a small force to maintain the siege moved north to stop the American forces. Despite the fact that no formal declaration of war had been made by Congress, or that none would be made until May 13th General Taylor moved swiftly to rescue his besieged troops. They met on May 8th 1846 along the northern road at a place called Palo Alto, meaning “Tall …show more content…
Taylor launched a massive artillery barrage at the enemy killing many. General Arista countered immediately sending his infantry forward and ordering his lancers to strike Taylor’s right flank. The lancers charge was slowed by the marshy area on the western flank and by the time they reached the American right flank the 5th Infantry had repositioned and repelled the cavalry charge. The lancers attempted to swing further around the American flank and strike the baggage train through the tree line, but Taylor’s cautioned paid off. The troops in the baggage train formed a defensive square and held off the lancers with the support of the light

Similar Documents

Premium Essay

Mexican Americaan War

...THE MEXICAN - AMERICAN WAR 1846-1848 BY: Clarence Pino One of the most interesting movements in history. The Mexican- American provided the United States of America not only with 500,000 plus square miles of land. But impact of our country playing a very important role of shaping it to the most successful economic country today. The Mexican- American War was interesting to me because of all the moving pieces. In Mexico you had the Federalist going against the Consecutives. The whole time this was going on you had the Abolitionist opposing the war, thinking that America wanted Mexico just to add more slave states. At this time the term “MANIFEST DESTINY” was coined . In August 1843 Santa Anna threaten war with America if they were to incorporate Texas into the Union. Herrera (new president of Mexico) didn’t take this stance. With the encouragement from Great Britain President Herrera decided to resolve the issue of Texas with diplomacy rather than war. President Herrera then told America to send an ambassador to negotiate the Settlement of the Texas boundary. America sent Ambassador Slidell to negotiate for Texas, but his intensions involved more than just the State of Texas. When Ambassador Slidell went into Mexico he had every intention to buy California and New Mexico from Mexico. United States made an offer of 25 million dollars for The Rio Grande border in Texas and another...

Words: 2102 - Pages: 9

Premium Essay

Mexican War Research Paper

...Mexican vs American War The Mexican war between the USA and Mexico began with an attack by the Mexicans against the Americans troops along the Texas border line on April 25, 1846. The fight ended when the USA General Winfield Scott occupied Mexico-City on September 14, 1847. A few months later a peace treaty was signed on February 2, 1848 of Guadalupe Hidalgo. In addition to recognizing the annexation of Texas in the United States with the defeat, California is also allocated by Mexico and New Mexico. Similar to all the events that are important in history, the interpretations referred to the Mexican war may vary. The Mexicans with a government rule by dictatorial centralism, attack the USA due to the annexation of (1845) Texas,...

Words: 1100 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

No File

...Mexican American War 1846-1848  Some wars fall between the cracks. That appears to be what happened with Polk’s War. James K. Polk was our eleventh president. He is often listed as the worst president we’ve ever had.              Polk’s War was actually the Mexican War of 1846-48. Before and during that war, most Americans including congress were not in favor of a war with Mexico.             The war was launched on questionable pretexts. Why invade a smaller, poorer neighbor just for land? Mexico’s border with the Republic of Texas was the Nueces River near Corpus Christi. New Mexico, Arizona, California along with other territory belonged to Mexico, having won them from Spain some 25 years earlier.             There were debates in Congress that the invasion of Mexico was unconstitutional. America had never invaded others (except the American Indians). A young congressman, Abraham Lincoln, began his move into the national limelight as an avowed opponent to the war.             Polk saw America as having a manifest destiny to control the entire continent. The great American attitude of “can do” was increasing in strength. Arrogance was never been in short supply in our brief history.             President James K. Polk sent troops to Corpus Christi to move the border to the Rio Grande. This was not something the Mexicans wanted. They responded with some strength and were not the push-over Polk and the war hawks thought they would be.             For such a...

Words: 912 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

How Did Juan Nepomuceno Cortina Come To America?

...travel north, and acquire their rightful land, known as the Rio Grande Valley. In 1846, at the age of 22, Juan joined the Mexican Army to fight for his land that was currently on Texas soil due to the annexation. Juan Cortina did not really come to America, in a way America came to him by redrawing the borders of Mexico and America. In order to keep his land, he had to fight in the Mexican-American War. Juan fought under the orders of General Mariano Arista, and devised a plan together to arrive at Matamoros in an attempt to stop the advancing forces of General Zachary Taylor. “Arista asked Cortina to form a force from local Vaqueros and gather as much as possible for war. This irregular cavalry regiment was known as the "Tamaulipas" was placed under...

Words: 684 - Pages: 3

Premium Essay

James K Polk's Four Accomplishments

...president, presiding in harmony with his campaign promises. His four goals were to be completed in his four year command. His first goal was to annex The Republic of Texas into the United States. The Republic of Texas became independent from Mexico in 1836. The current President Tyler had expressed ardent approval for the annexation of Mexico, despite the plausible war. Tyler believed that Great Britain aimed to outlaw slavery in Texas, which would weaken the bonds of slavery throughout America. In April, 1844 Tyler proposed the Tyler Texas Treaty, which provoked massive criticism within the Senate. The Senate attempted to amend the treaty to bring more power of negotiation to Polk, however, Tyler offered immediate annexation just days before Polk became President. Polk nevertheless...

Words: 440 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Battle Analysis

...In this battle analysis, I will analyze the Mexican-American war, discuss when the battle occurred, where it took place, the principle adversaries, review the settings of the battle operationally, and discuss the different areas of operation, such as the weather and terrain. I will also describe and analyze the American and Mexican armies in leadership, size and composition, technology, logistical systems, command, control and communications, intelligence, tactical doctrine and morale, the battle chronologically, followed by the significance of the battle, addressing the effects of the war and how lessons learned from this war affect the way our military operates today. So first, lets start by discussing the Mexican-American war. During April 25, 1846 to February 2, 1848 the Mexican American War occurred. This conflict happened between the Centralist Republic or Mexico and the Unite States. The war consisted of four campaigns as follows, the Texas, California, Pacific Coast and Mexico campaigns. President James K. Polk, who was elected in 1844, believed the United States had a “manifest destiny” to spread across the continent to the Pacific Ocean (Frazier, 1998). At first, the United States declined to incorporate Texas into the union, because northern political interests were against the addition of a new slave state. The Mexican government encouraged border raids and warnings that if any attempt to annex Texas it would lead to a war. As time went by Polk had his eyes on the...

Words: 3262 - Pages: 14

Premium Essay

James Longstreet's Role In The Civil War

...a very hard thing to do. No other profession requires it. That is one reason why there are so very few good officers. Although there are many good men” (Shaara 191-192). July 1, 1863, 87 years after the Declaration of Independence was signed, the bloodiest and most important engagement of the Civil war, the Battle of Gettysburg, had transpired. Three days of continuous conflicts brought out the best and the worst of every individual on the battlefields. James Longstreet, also known as “Old Pete” (Civil War 1), was one of the most controversial of these individuals. As a result of many disputes with...

Words: 1706 - Pages: 7

Premium Essay

California an Interpretive History - Rawls, James

...ancillaries, including electronic and print components, may not be available to customers outside the United States. This book is printed on acid-free paper. 1234567890 QFR/QFR 10987654321 ISBN: 978-0-07-340696-1 MHID: 0-07-340696-1 Vice President & Editor-in-Chief: Michael Ryan Vice President EDP/Central Publishing Services: Kimberly Meriwether David Publisher: Christopher Freitag Sponsoring Editor: Matthew Busbridge Executive Marketing Manager: Pamela S. Cooper Editorial Coordinator: Nikki Weissman Project Manager: Erin Melloy Design Coordinator: Margarite Reynolds Cover Designer: Carole Lawson Cover Image: Albert Bierstadt, American (born in Germany), 1830–1902 Valley of the Yosemite, 1864 (detail) Oil on paperboard 30.16 × 48.89 cm (11 7/8 × 19 1/4 in.) Museum of Fine Arts, BostonGift of Martha C. Karolik for the M. and M. Karolik Collection of American Paintings, 1815–1865 47.1236 Buyer: Susan K. Culbertson Media Project Manager: Sridevi Palani Compositor: MPS Limited, a Macmillan Company Typeface: 10.5/12 Times Roman...

Words: 248535 - Pages: 995

Free Essay

Xerox

...Assignments for Tuesday: 1. Read the article on Xerox and the Management Fiasco. Bring a write-up of the following: (Typed; proper grammar, sentence structure and punctuation.) * Describe the behaviors of Xerox management noted in the article. * How do you believe the behaviors of the management team contributed to the issues the company faced in 2000? 2. Find/print a news article on a topic you believe is relevant to Organizational Behavior. Provide a brief summary of the key points of the article and how you believe this content is relevant to OB. (Concept Application #1) | | | | | | | | COVER STORY | | | | | | Xerox: The Downfall The Inside Story of the Management Fiasco at Xerox One morning last May, G. Richard Thoman arrived for work to find an urgent summons from Paul A. Allaire, the man he had replaced as chief executive of Xerox Corp. (XRX) just 13 months earlier. Allaire, who had remained as chairman, was waiting next door in his office at Xerox headquarters. A man of few words even on happy occasions, Allaire delivered the bad news without preamble. He said that Thoman's colleagues had lost confidence in him and that the next afternoon the board would announce his resignation. In other words, Thoman, who had left IBM in 1997 to join Xerox as heir apparent to Allaire, would be out of a job in about 30 hours. Thoman was livid, but obligingly fell on the sword Allaire handed him. Late the next day, after the board had announced Allaire's...

Words: 4624 - Pages: 19

Free Essay

Ulysses Grant

...horses faced starvation. A Confederate victory seemed inevitable. Grant thanked his men, and began to write his orders. Max Byrd, Novelist: You see a lot of Grant in just that act of writing. The concentration and the determination. He never looked up. He never hesitated. He never seemed to search for a word. Geoffrey Perr et, Biographer: By the time he'd finished, he was surrounded by pieces of, of paper that he'd covered with his, his very even hand writing. In effect, he had fought the battle already in his o wn mind. Narrator: Before the war, Grant had been a nobody, a failure as a farmer and a businessman. As Commanding General, he was called an incompetent, a butcher. But he would win every campaign he ever fought. His plain, Midwestern w ays would captivate the American people. David W. Blight, Historian: There was something about that element of the American dream of that rags to riches story. He had experienced humiliation and he had understood failure. And I suspect a lot of Americans could see themselves in him. Donald Miller, Historian: Grant, not Lincoln was the most popular man in the nineteenth century. No question about it. Even in death Lincoln wasn't as popular as Ulysses Grant. Narrator: Twice a grateful nation elected the Civil War's greatest hero, President. But his years in the White House, marked by racial violence and scandal, would threaten to destroy all he had accomplished. Brooks D. Simpson, Historian: How could...

Words: 26235 - Pages: 105

Premium Essay

世界是平的

...The World is Flat Thomas L Friedman Kq p K To Matt and Kay and to Ron Kq p K Contents How the World Became Flat One: While I Was Sleeping / 3 Two: The Ten Forces That Flattened the World / 48 Flattener#l. 11/9/89 Flattener #2. 8/9/95 Flattener #3. Work Flow Software Flattener #4. Open-Sourcing Flattener #5. Outsourcing Flattener #6. Offshoring Flattener #7. Supply-Chaining Flattener #8. Insourcing Flattener #9. In-forming Flattener #10. The Steroids Three: The Triple Convergence / 173 Four: The Great Sorting Out / 201 America and the Flat World Five: America and Free Trade / 225 Six: The Untouchables / 237 Seven: The Quiet Crisis / 250 Eight: This Is Not a Test / 276 Developing Countries and the Flat World Nine: The Virgin of Guadalupe / 309 Companies and the Flat World Geopolitics and the Flat World Eleven: The Unflat World / 371 Twelve: The Dell Theory of Conflict Prevention / 414 Conclusion: Imagination Thirteen: 11/9 Versus 9/11 / 441 Acknowledgments I 471 Index I 475 Kq p K :::::How the World Became Flat ::::: ONE While I Was Sleeping Your Highnesses, as Catholic Christians, and princes who love and promote the holy Christian faith, and are enemies of the doctrine of Mahomet, and of all idolatry and heresy, determined to send me, Christopher Columbus, to the above-mentioned countries of India, to see the said princes, people, and territories, and to learn their disposition and the proper method of converting them to our...

Words: 170179 - Pages: 681

Premium Essay

Mister

...Contents Title Page Dedication Prologue CHAPTER ONE: Republicans and Democrats CHAPTER TWO: Values CHAPTER THREE: Our Constitution CHAPTER FOUR: Politics CHAPTER FIVE: Opportunity CHAPTER SIX: Faith CHAPTER SEVEN: Race CHAPTER EIGHT: The World Beyond Our Borders CHAPTER NINE: Family Epilogue Acknowledgments About the Author Also by Barack Obama Copyright Prologue IT’S BEEN ALMOST ten years since I first ran for political office. I was thirty-five at the time, four years out of law school, recently married, and generally impatient with life. A seat in the Illinois legislature had opened up, and several friends suggested that I run, thinking that my work as a civil rights lawyer, and contacts from my days as a community organizer, would make me a viable candidate. After discussing it with my wife, I entered the race and proceeded to do what every first-time candidate does: I talked to anyone who would listen. I went to block club meetings and church socials, beauty shops and barbershops. If two guys were standing on a corner, I would cross the street to hand them campaign literature. And everywhere I went, I’d get some version of the same two questions. “Where’d you get that funny name?” And then: “You seem like a nice enough guy. Why do you want to go into something dirty and nasty like politics?” I was familiar with the question, a variant on the questions asked of me years earlier, when I’d first arrived in Chicago to work in low-income neighborhoods. It signaled a cynicism...

Words: 120305 - Pages: 482

Premium Essay

Managing Cultura Differences

...MANAGING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES SIXTHEDITION MANAGING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES SERIES Managing Cultural Differences: Global Leadership Strategies for the 21 st Century, Sixth Edition Philip R. Harris, Ph.D., Robert T. Moran, Ph.D., Sarah V. Moran, M.A. Managing Cultural Diversity in Technical Professions Lionel Laroche, Ph.D Uniting North American Business—NAFTA Best Practices Jeffrey D. Abbot and Robert T. Moran, Ph.D. Eurodiversity: A Business Guide to Managing Differences George Simons, D.M. Global Strategic Planning: Cultural Perspectives for Profit and Non-Profit Organizations Marios I. Katsioulodes Ph.D. Competing Globally: Mastering Cross-Cultural Management and Negotiations Farid Elashmawi, Ph.D. Succeeding in Business in Eastern and Central Europe—A Guide to Cultures, Markets, and Practices Woodrow H. Sears, Ed.D. and Audrone Tamulionyte-Lentz, M.S. Intercultural Services: A Worldwide Buyer’s Guide and Sourcebook Gary M. Wederspahn, M.A. SIXTH EDITION MANAGING CULTURAL DIFFERENCES GLOBAL LEADERSHIP STRATEGIES ST FOR THE 21 CENTURY 25TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION PHILIP R. HARRIS, PH.D. ROBERT T. MORAN, PH.D. SARAH V. MORAN, M.A. JUDITH SOCCORSY Editorial Coordinator Elsevier Butterworth–Heinemann 200 Wheeler Road, Burlington, MA 01803, USA Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK Copyright © 2004, Philip R. Harris, Robert T. Moran, Sarah V. Moran. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a...

Words: 229816 - Pages: 920

Free Essay

Factors That Affects the Study Habits of Bachelor of Science in Information Technology Students of Neust

...IGOROTS * Home * IGOROT SONGS * IGOROT DANCE * IGOROT TRADITIONS * MONEY ON THE MOUNTAIN IGOROT TRADITIONS IGOROT TRADITIONS When we talk about Igorot identity and culture, we also have to consider the time. My point is that: what I am going to share in this article concerning the Igorot culture might not be the same practiced by the Igorots of today. It has made variations by the passing of time, which is also normally happening to many other cultures, but the main core of respect and reverence to ancestors and to those who had just passed is still there. The Igorot culture that I like to share is about our practices and beliefs during the "time of Death". Death is part of the cycle of life. Igorots practice this part of life cycle with a great meaning and importance. Before the advent of Christianity in the Igorotlandia, the Igorots or the people of the Cordilleran region in the Philippines were animist or pagans. Our reverence or the importance of giving honor to our ancestors is a part of our daily activities. We consider our ancestors still to be with us, only that they exist in another world or dimension. Whenever we have some special feasts (e.g., occasions during death, wedding, family gathering, etc.), when we undertake something special (like going somewhere to look for a job or during thanksgiving), we perform some special offer. We call this "Menpalti/ Menkanyaw", an act of butchering and offering animals. During these times we call them...

Words: 53758 - Pages: 216

Premium Essay

Mass Media

...Media History Contents 1 Introduction 1.1 Mass media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1.1 1.1.2 1.1.3 1.1.4 1.1.5 1.1.6 1.1.7 1.1.8 1.1.9 Issues with definition . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Forms of mass media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Purposes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Professions involving mass media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Influence and sociology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ethical issues and criticism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Future . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . See also . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 1 1 2 6 6 7 8 10 10 10 10 11 11 12 12 12 12 16 16 17 17 17 17 17 17 18 19 20 21 21 21 1.1.10 Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1.11 References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1.12 Further reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1.1.13 External links . . . . . . . . ....

Words: 146891 - Pages: 588