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The battles of the Mexican-American War include all major engagements and most reported skirmishes, including the Battle of Palo Alto, and the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, which took place prior to the official start of hostilities.
[edit] Background
The Mexican-American War lasted from 1846 until 1848. It grew out of unresolved border disputes between the Republic of Texas and Mexico after the annexation of the former by the United States nine years after the Texas Revolution. It ended in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in which Mexico, under extreme duress, surrendered a vast tract of land that amounted to over half its national territory to the United States for the sum of USD $15 million.
[edit] List of battles
- Key
- (A) – American Victory
- (M) – Mexican Victory
- (I) – Inconclusive
| Battle |
Date |
Engagement remarks |
Result |
| Thornton Affair |
April 25/26 |
Skirmishing in the disputed borderlands of South Texas. |
(M) |
| Siege of Fort Texas |
May 3-9 |
Mexican Army besieges American outpost. |
(I) |
| Battle of Palo Alto |
May 8 |
Mexican Army under Mariano Arista in the disputed land between the Rio Grande (Río Bravo) and the Nueces River engage an American army attempting to lift the aforementioned Siege of Fort Texas. |
(A) |
| Battle of Resaca de la Palma |
May 9 |
Arista is defeated by Zachary Taylor. |
(A) |
| Occupation of Matamoros |
May 18 |
U.S. troops occupy Matamoros, Tamaulipas, with no resistance. More than 300 sick and wounded Mexicans captured in the hospitals. Also abandoned were 5 spiked guns. |
(A) |
| Battle of Monterey[1] |
July 7 |
U.S. Navy occupies Monterey, California. |
(A) |
| Occupation of Camargo, Tamaulipas. |
July 14 |
– |
(A) |
| Battle of Cañoncito |
early August |
Stephen Watts Kearny defeats Manuel Armijo on the way to Santa Fe, New Mexico. |
(A) |
| Battle of Santa Fe |
August 18 |
Kearny occupies Santa Fe, New Mexico. |
(A) |
| Battle of Monterrey[1] |
September 21-23 |
Zachary Taylor forces Pedro de Ampudia to surrender Monterrey. |
(A) |
| Siege of Los Angeles |
September 22-30 |
Led by Gen José Mariá Flores, Californios and Mexicans retake Los Angeles. |
(M) |
| Battle of Chino |
September 26-27 |
Californios defeat and captured 24 Americans, led by Benjamin D. Wilson, who were hiding in an adobe house in Rancho Chino, near present day Chino, California. |
(M) |
| Battle of Dominguez Rancho |
October 7 |
Californios, led by José Antonio Carrillo, defeat 203 US Marines led by U.S. Navy Captain William Mervine. |
(M) |
| First Battle of Tabasco |
October 24-26 |
Commodore Perry makes a demonstration against Tabasco |
(I) |
| Occupation of Tampico, Tamaulipas |
November 14 |
Occupation by the U.S. Navy. |
(A) |
| Occupation of Saltillo, Coahuila |
November 16 |
Occupation by the U.S. Army. |
(A) |
| Battle of Natividad |
November 16 |
Town located in northern California. |
(A) |
| Battle of San Pasqual |
December 6 |
Californeros and Presidial Lancers defeat Stephen Watts Kearny. |
(M) |
| Battle of El Brazito |
December 25 |
Also called the "Battle of Temascalitos" in Spanish. Mexican forces attack El Brazito, New Mexico. U.S. forces were led by Col. Alexaner W. Doniphan. |
(A) |
From January to August Mexican partisans continued to resist the U.S. Army of Occupation. Formal fighting, however, had ceased by the end of January.
- ^ a b It is a common misconception to confuse "Monterrey, Nuevo León" with "Monterey, California". These are, in fact, two very different battles.
- ^ Throughout the month of September, reports of guerrilla attacks on U.S. army hospitals, supply columns, and camps reached epidemic proportions.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- Bauer, K. Jack (1974). The Mexican War, 1846-1848. New York: Macmillan. ISBN 0-8032-6107-1.
- Brooks, N.C. Compete History Of The Mexican War: Grigg, Elliot & Co.Philadelphia 1849
