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Battles of the Mexican-American War

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Military History and War

   The following are known battles of the Mexican-American War. This list
   includes all major engagements and most reported skirmishes. Included
   also are two major engagements, the Battle of Palo Alto, and the Battle
   of Resaca de la Palma, which took place prior to the official start of
   hostilities between the two countries.

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 during the
   Texas Revolution of 1836. Before 1836, Anglo settlers in Texas (which
   was then a part of Mexico) had increasingly desired to align with the
   United States and its ongoing westward expansion. Texas was admitted
   into the United States in 1845 and as a consequence, tension with
   Mexico increased over the disputed border.

   The U.S. government claimed that the southern border of Texas was the
   Rio Grande; Mexico maintained it to be the Nueces River. President
   James K. Polk ordered General Zachary Taylor to place troops between
   the two rivers. Taylor crossed the Nueces, ignoring Mexican demands
   that he withdraw, and marched south to the Rio Grande. After a border
   clash on April 24, 1846, and the battles at Palo Alto and Resaca de la
   Palma, Polk requested a declaration of war. The U.S. Congress declared
   war on May 13, 1846, while Mexico did so on May 23.

   Most of the formal fighting effectively ended on October, 1847, soon
   after General Winfield Scott and his forces had stormed Mexico City.
   The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was signed on February 2, 1848 in which
   Mexico, under pressure, surrendered a vast tract of land to the United
   States for the sum of USD $15 million.
   Depiction of the Battle of Chapultepec.
   Enlarge
   Depiction of the Battle of Chapultepec.

List of battles

   Key: (A) – American Victory; (M) – Mexican Victory; (I) – Inconclusive.

1846

   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 enters the
   disputed land between the Rio Grande (Río Bravo) and the Nueces River.
   (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. (A)
   Battle of Monterey 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 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 attempt to retake Los Angeles. (M)
   Battle of Chino September 26-27 A group of Californios captured 24
   Americans led by Benjamin D. Wilson, who were barricaded in an adobe
   house in Rancho Chino, near Chino, California. (M)
   Battle of Dominguez Rancho October 7 Californios clash with John C.
   Frémont. (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. Alexander Doniphan. (A)

1847

   Battle Date Engagement remarks Result
   Battle of Santa Clara, California January 2 Fought in California. (A)
   Battle of Rio San Gabriel January 8 Part of a series of battles for
   control of Los Angeles. (A)
   Battle of La Mesa January 9 Last conflict before U.S. forces enter Los
   Angeles. (A)
   Battle of Cañada January 24 Sterling Price defeats Insurgents in New
   Mexico. (A)
   Battle of Mora January 24/ February 1 After a failed attack by American
   Forces led by Israel Hendley on January 24, on February 1 another
   expedition armed with cannon succeeded in razing the village of Mora in
   New Mexico. (A)
   Battle of Embudo Pass January 29 Last insurgent stand before the Siege
   of Pueblo de Taos. (A)
   Siege of Pueblo de Taos February 3/4 Rancheros and Mexican Militia
   surrender to U.S. forces thus ending the Taos Revolt. (A)
   Battle of Buena Vista February 22/23 Antonio López de Santa Anna
   engages Zachary Taylor in one of the largest battles of the war. (A)
   Battle of the Sacramento February 28 Alexander W. Doniphan captures
   Chihuahua, Mexico. (A)
   Siege of Veracruz March 9-29 Beginning with Marine landings, U.S.
   forces besiege and gradually encircle Mexican Marines and Coast Guard
   in vicious twenty-day siege. (A)
   Battle of Cerro Gordo April 18 Dubbed the " Thermopylae of the West."
   (A)
   Battle of Tuxpán April 18 Commodore Perry seizes port city on the Gulf
   coast. (A)
   Skirmish at Las Vegas, New Mexico June 6 – (A)
   Second Battle of Tabasco June 16 Commodore Perry captures last port
   city on the Gulf coast. (A)
   Battle of Contreras (also known as Battle of Padierna) August 19 Santa
   Anna fails to support the Mexican line at a critical moment; turns
   victory into rout. (A)
   Battle of Churubusco August 20 Regular Mexican troops and San Patricios
   under Manuel Rincón hold a fortified monastery against Winfield Scott;
   San Patricios decimated. (A)
   Battle of Molino del Rey September 8 Americans lose nearly 800 men in
   an attempt to take a suspected cannon foundry: "They fell in platoons
   and companies." (A)
   Battle of Chapultepec September 13 Scott assaults Chapultepec Castle.
   Los Niños Héroes pass into legend. (A)
   Battle for Mexico City September 13/14 Fierce fighting for Mexico City.
   (A)
   Siege of Puebla September 14 Mexican forces begin the siege of Puebla,
   Puebla. –
   Fall of Mexico City September 15 U.S. forces finally enter Mexico City.
   (A)
   Battle of Mulegé October 2 Mexican forces led by Captain Manuel Pineda
   defeated a small detachment of American forces near Mulegé, Baja
   California Sur. (M)
   Battle of Huamantla October 9 U.S. relief column is able to reach
   Puebla. (A)
   Siege of Puebla October 12 Siege of Puebla lifted. (A)
   Skirmish at Atlixco October 19 Also known as the "Atlixco Affair" (I)

1848

   Battle Date Engagement remarks Result
   Battle of Santa Cruz de Rosales March 16 Sterling Price advances into
   Chihuahua after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was already signed. (A)

   From January to August Mexican partisans harassed the U.S. Army of
   Occupation. Formal fighting, however, had ceased by the end of January.
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