Publication of the special bibliography series of the US Army Military History Research Collection has had the primary purpose of providing information regarding the holdings of the Research Collection to the scholar and historian. Five of the six previous bibliographies of the series have related to special interest subjects; the sixth, the manuscript holdings of the Research Collection.

This bibliography differs from the previous publications since it concerns a specific time period in American history, the Mexican War period from 1835 to 1850. The events which transpired during this period have been somewhat overshadowed by general interest in the Revolutionary era and in the Civil War. The impact of events which transpired during this fifteen-year period, however, had a profound effect upon the development of the United States. From a military standpoint, the victorious efforts of American military forces can be considered as the proving ground for the Army and the Navy that emerged during the Civil War. annexation of Texas and the acquisition of lands from Mexico predestined both the expansion of the United States to the Pacific and the conflict which divided brother from brother.

The

Miss Elizabeth Snoke of the Technical Services Division has listed pertinent materials to be found in the Military History Research Collection related to this relatively unknown part of American history. It must be emphasized that the bibliography is not intended to be a definite listing of bibliographic references on the period. It is restricted ONLY to those materials physically incorporated in the Military History Research Collection at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.

GEORGE S. PAPPAS

Colonel, US Army

Director, US Army Military History
Research Collection

ii

INTRODUCTION

In the first half of the nineteenth century, the United States was a vigorous young nation eager to expand its boundaries and power. The Mexican War was only one of the manifestations of the country's growth. Though greatly overshadowed by the Civil War, the Mexican War has remained of considerable interest to historians. It was a small and successful conflict fought on foreign soil; it required close coordination between Army and Navy forces; and news coverage of the war had strong effects in the United States. In addition the war was a proving ground for graduates of the Military Academy at West Point. Their performances--especially those of young engineer and artillery officers-proved that the Academy was training a special breed of professional officer."

Like the other minor wars in American history, the causes, conduct, and aftermath of the Mexican War created public disagreement and severe and lasting political dissension in Congress. Appropriations for and other measures related to the war were hotly debated. The lands ceded by Mexico at the end of the war were the focal point for bitter arguments over the extension of slavery during the 1850s. Thus the Mexican War bequeathed a sinister legacy to the sectional conflict which led in turn to the Civil War.

The US Army Military History Research Collection (MHRC) has a great many works containing material either directly or indirectly related to the Mexican War. These works range from general histories of the United States and Mexico to relatively obscure items that are long out of print. All such items have been listed. No attempt has been made to evaluate the potential usefulness or historical accuracy of the items. complete books, contents of compiled works have been listed as separate items where different writers were involved. Manuscript materials in the MHRC Archives have also been included. Periodical articles have been listed on a selective basis--those noted in the old periodical index of the Army War College which was maintained prior to the 1950s and those found in older military journals. More recent historical periodicals, of which MHRC has a wide selection, are usually covered in general periodical indices and were not searched.

1Archie P. McDonald, comp., THE MEXICAN WAR: CRISIS FOR AMERICAN DEMOCRACY (Lexington, MA: Heath, 1969), p. vii.

2George Winston Smith and Charles Judah, eds., CHRONICLES OF THE THE U.S. ARMY IN THE MEXICAN WAR, 1846-1848; ACCOUNTS OF EYEWITNESSES & COMBATANTS (Albuquerque, NM: University of New Mexico Press, 1968), p. xv-xvi.

3McDonald. p. vii.