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M1841 6-Pounder Field Gun
In service (1841-1868)
Made of bronze
U.S. Army

The artifact we are looking at is the  M1841 6-pounder field gun. It was a bronze smooth-bore cannon that was adopted by the United States Army in 1841 and used from the Mexican American Warto the Civil War. It fired a 6.1 pound round shot. It could have fired both a canister shot or a spherical case shot; both shells were effective in taking out personal. The cannon we are looking at can not be verified to have been used in the Mexican-American War, but it is the same model as the ones used in the Mexican-American War. The cannon was used in multiple battles in the war as in the Battle of Palo Alto and Buenos Vista. The cannon proved effective in killing multiple enemies at once due to the shrapnel from its rounds. It helped the Americans win in uneven odds against the Mexican army. It also led to fewer American casualties because the cannons would kill the enemy before they could reach the men. These cannons were often pulled by horses and were very mobile. The Mexican Army also utilized their own cannons, but their poor gunpowder quality and lack of training led to them not being as effective.

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The Mexican American War lasted from April 25, 1846 - Feb 2, 1848. The war ended with an American victory, and it resulted in the 2nd largest single land acquisition in American history. America during this time was experiencing a sense of Manifest Destiny, which was the belief that America had the God-given right to expand westward. With the election of James K. Polk, America looked South of the border to Mexico, and to gain their sparsely populated and barely held provinces of Alta California and Nuevo Mexico. Initially, the US gave Mexico an offer of 30 million dollars; however, Mexico refused.

This war is important to American history, despite it being relatively unknown. This war resulted in the American acquisition of 55% of Mexican land, and it was the second largest single land acquisition of the United States of America second only to the Louisiana Purchase.

This topic is interesting because we are looking at the beginning of the military careers of men, who would fight each other in the American civil war. Generals like Robert E. Lee, Ulysses S. Grant, Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson and George McClellan had their first sight of military combat in the Mexican American War.

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Proclamation of War
James K. Polk
May 13, 1846

The artifact we are looking at is the Proclamation of War by James K. Polk. To know why the United States declared war, we must look a few years before the war. Texas declared independence from Mexico over issues of slavery and federalism. The US initially did not want to incorporate Texas into the US because it would lead to an imbalance of free and slave states in Congress. However, when Polk was elected, he pushed for the integration of Texas and the acquisition of Mexican territory to the West. Polk gave an offer of 30 million dollars to the Mexican government in exchange for Alta California, Nuevo Mexico, and Texas. However, the Mexican government refused in order to preserve national pride and to stop American expansion to the West. Polk in return stationed troops on the Rio Grande River. Mexican troops attacked the stationed troops led by Zachary Taylor, and it led to the American victories in the battle of Resaca de la Palma and Palo Alto. Congress declared war on May 12, 1846

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General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna's Prosthetic Leg
April 18, 1847
Currently at the Illinois State Military Museum

The artifact we are looking at is the prosthetic leg of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, the Napoleon of the West. He was a controversial figure in Mexican politics because he often supported opposite sides. First, he opposed the idea of Mexican independence, but he then fought for it. Then, he supported the monarchy while rebelling against it later on. Santa Anna first took office in 1833, but he would be president on 10 different occasions

Santa Anna lost his leg in 1838 during the Pastry War also known as the First French Intervention in Mexico. He even had a state funeral for his amputated leg. Before the Mexican-American War, he was exiled to the island of Cuba after being deposed from power. However, on the outbreak of war, he was re-invited back to Mexico to be Chief of the Mexican Army; although he would be exiled again to the island of Jamaica after the war. In the Battle of Cerro Gordo, Santa Anna left behind his prosthetic leg while retreating from the Americans after the Mexican defeat in the battle. He also left behind his lunch and $18,000. The leg was taken by the Illinois National Guard, and it was considered a trophy of the battle and the war. The prosthetic leg is now in Illinois State Military Museum.

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U.S. Army Officer's Sword
Made in Philadelphia by Horstmann & Sons
1846-1848

The artifact we are looking at is a U.S. Army Officer’s Sword that was not owned by General Zachary Taylor but was used by officers, like him, in the army. Zachary Taylor was born in Virginia on November 24, 1784, and he went to Virginia Military Institute. Before the Mexican-American War, Taylor was a veteran of many wars like the Black Hawk War and the Second Seminole War. These wars made him a capable and competent general for the U.S. Army.

Zachary Taylor along with Winfield Scott was one of the most famous generals in the Mexican-American War. Zachary Taylor defeated the Mexican’s best general, Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, in the Battle of Buena Vista, and he also defeated the Mexicans in the Battle of Resaca de la Palma and Palo Alto. In the Battle of Buenos Vista, Zachary Taylor was outnumbered 3 to 1 in that battle; however, due to the United States technological upper hand and better-trained troops. He won the battle. Zachary Taylor became a war hero because of his successes in the Mexican-American War. He eventually became the 12th president of the United States.

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Artists: James Bailie

The artifact we can see is a painting of the Battle of Buena Vista. The Battle of Buena Vista was from February 22-23 1847. The United States Army had 5,000 men commanded by General Zachary Taylor who had invaded Monterrey and Saltillo. Meanwhile, the Mexican Army had mobilized 14,000 men commanded by General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna. However, the Mexican Army was poorly equipped and trained; they also suffered from desertions. Santa Anna demanded the surrender of the 4,500 men; however, Taylor refused. Santa Anna tried to flank the weakly defended left flank, but the American Heavy Artillery defeated the advance. In the end, the Americans lost about 700 men while the Mexicans lost about 1400 men. They also suffered a lot of desertions, and Taylor decided not to chase down the retreating Mexican Army. However, Santa Anna declared this battle to be a victory for the Mexicans even though they lost more men than the United States, and Taylor was not defeated. This battle is extremely important because Santa Anna decided to attack Taylor instead of fortifying Veracruz which was then invaded by Winfield Scott. This battle shows how the more technologically advance and the better trained American Army proved themselves to be capable of taking on the far numerous Mexican Army.

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Peace Treaty
Guadalupe Hidalgo
Feb 28, 1848
Currently in New Mexico History Museum

The artifact we are looking at is The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, which brought an official end to the Mexican-American War. It was signed on February 2, 1848, in Guadalupe Hidalgo, a city north of Mexico City. It was signed by Nicholas Trist, Miguel Artristain and Bernardo Couto. The treaty had Mexico cede California, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, Wyoming, and Utah, which was around 55% of the Mexican territory. The treaty also had Mexico give up its territorial claims on Texas, and they had to recognize the Rio Grande River as the border between the United States and Mexico. In return, the United States of America gave Mexico 15 million dollars. Originally, people in congress wanted to incorporate the entirety of Mexico into the United States; however, people did not want to incorporate Central Mexico because it was densely populated, and Mexicans were culturally different from Americans. The difference between the peoples would make it so that controlling the land would be difficult and would result in revolts which resulted a change of plans.

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A timeline of the major events, battles and minor battles of Mexican-American War.
By Jerome Bulaon
January 26, 2021

This is a timeline of the Mexican-American War created by Jerome Bulaon. It shows the dates of all of the major events, battles and even some of the minor battles throughout the Mexican-American War. The battles between the United States and Mexico began even before the declaration of war by Congress. People may argue that Polk commanding Taylor to march about 2,000 men to the Rio Grande River was not to protect Texas from Mexican aggression, but to provoke war. The United States did not want to outright declare war on Mexico because it would have been seen as a warmongering act, so the United States decided to provoke Mexico to attacking them instead. Instead, the declaration of war by the United States was seen as a defensive war instead of an aggressive one. The maker of the timeline also excluded the declaration of independence of California, Republic of Yucatán and the Revolt of the Polkos. Although these events were important to the Mexican-American War, they were not as important as the other events listed and the maker was about to run out of space. He also found that the battles fought between Mexico and the United States were more defining of the outcome of the war rather than the small revolts or declaration of independence. The Mexican-American War can be argued is one the most important wars in American history because the states that was acquired were rich and powerful. The oil from Texas further fueled the industrialization of the United States in the 1800s, and California’s gold and crops help feed the growing population.