Name_____________________
Date_______
Class______
Chronological Order
Directions- Place the following events in the order they occurred. There are 12 events.
_____ Texas becomes the 28th state of the United States of America in 1845
_____ Santa Anna and the Mexican forces surround and eventually attack the Alamo.
_____ An American patrol is ambushed and 16 Americans are killed as they crossed the
Rio Grande River.
_____ Stephen Austin brings the “Old Three Hundred” into Texas.
_____ Congress declares war on Mexico in 1846.
_____ Mexico and American forces battle as far north as San Francisco
_____ The Treaty of Guadalupe – Hidalgo is signed – The United States gained
California, Nevada, Utah, most of Arizona, and parts of Colorado, New Mexico, and
Wyoming.
_____ Mexico City is taken by American General Winfield Scott. Mexico is forced to
surrender to the United States.
_____ Santa Anna and the Mexican Army are defeated at San Jacinto and surrender to
the Texans- Granting Texas their independence
_____ Mexico gained its independence from Spain.
_____ Texas becomes the Lone Star Republic.
_____ Texans complain about Mexican laws and declare themselves free.
Army Life – Mexican Army
1. The Mexican Army consisted mostly of _______________________.
2. Largely illiterate (could not read or write), the common soldiers who fought for
Mexico spent little time keeping _______________, writing _______________,
or _________________________.
3. Music abounded (was everywhere). _______________________ accompanied
every army and the privates played ______________________
4. For a Catholic Army, _________________ were required on the march.
5. What did the priests do before battle? After battle?
6. What were some of the useful roles women served for the Mexican Army?
7. Describe the medical care for soldiers in the Mexican army?
8. How did the officers in the Mexican Army view the common soldier?
Army Life – US Army
1. At the start of the war the army only had ____________ men and it had been
______ years since the last war.
2. Congress authorized the president to call up ______________ volunteers, who,
after receiving a bare minimum of training, left for Mexico.
3. Describe the soldiers basic ration of food
4. Upon arrival in Mexico, most of the troops lived in _________________. These
simple structures, each designed to accommodate ________ men, offered far less
protection against the wind and rain than even the log cabins back home.
5. ______________________________________________ and various other
diseases prevalent in Mexico were a constant problem to the U.S. soldiers and
killed far more than did Mexican bullets.
6. The lack of attention to _________________ exhibited by many of the volunteers
left them particularly susceptible to illness.
7. What did the surgeons often do to wounded soldiers?
8. Describe the gear carried by an American soldier
Army Life: Mexican Army
by Donald S. Frazier
Life in the Mexican Army The Mexican army of 1821 to 1854 was
made up of peasants who were drafted into service. Thus, the culture and social life of
the Mexican soldier while in the military reflected that of Mexico as a whole. Like the
civilians, the soldados (soldiers) of Mexico enjoyed music, paid dutiful attention to the
Catholic religion, were self-reliant in terms of medicines and food, and pursued various
forms of recreation including talking, drinking, and games of skill and chance. Largely
illiterate (could not read or write) , the common soldiers who fought for Mexico spent
little time keeping diaries, writing letters, or reading books; rather, these were activities
for the officer corps. One of the aspects that had the largest effect on the culture of the
Mexican army was the large number of women accompanying the troops.
Music was everywhere. From the brass bands that accompanied every army to the simple
wooden flutes of the privates, the tunes floated from every camp. In 1836 when Gen.
Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna marched north to suppress the rebellion in Texas, his
advance guard of 2,000 men was accompanied by a band numbering 150 members. The
band book included tunes inherited from the Spanish Army, and waltzes that reminded
them of home. One observer from the early stages of the siege of the Alamo noted that
the band frequently played opera music.
For a Catholic army, priests were required on the march. These men were more than the
obligatory chaplains of the U.S. armies and served the dual role of confessor and
enforcer. The Catholic calendar was respected in the field. Before battle, priests offered
prayers and blessings; after the fight, they offered last rites and absolution.
The true keepers of the soldiers' morale, however, were the soldaderas. These women had
no official role in the army but tagged along with their husbands, brothers, and
boyfriends. These women served a variety of useful roles, including those of laundress,
cook, nurse, and maid. This informal relationship became such a part of Mexican War
that planning was often neglected by military officials with the expectation that the
soldaderas would make up for any deficiencies.
Mexican soldiers had to endure the effects of a poor system of planning and medical care.
Food was often scarce and had to be pressed from local residents as the army passed.
Animals, too, were often taken by the army. As a result, troops often spent time away
from camp looking for supplies. In combat, the soldier's weapons and ammunition were
unreliable. Powder and bullets were often in short supply throughout the Mexican
military, and soldiers often faced U.S. forces with less than a full cartridge box. Men
wounded in battle faced a grim future. The medical corps of the Mexican army was
virtually nonexistent, and even a modest injury could result in weeks of agony and death.
Soldiers who did not receive attention from relatives or friends were often abandoned by
their officers.
A reality of the Mexican army was the gap that separated the regular soldiers from their
officers. Considered to be those of wealth and privilege, the officer corps was filled with
the wealthy who had little concern for the welfare of their men. These leaders, more often
than not, saw their position as an opportunity for personal glory and financial gain. As a
result, payrolls disappeared, phantom soldiers remained on rolls for pay and supply
purposes, and food and ammunition often became "lost." While on campaign, Santa Anna
referred to his men as "mere chickens" and viewed their lives simply as tools for
advancing his career. Military justice was often arbitrary, and punishments in camp, for
crimes real and imagined, were severe, ranging from execution by hanging or firing
squad to flogging, and branding. Ever so, when called on by these same officers to
perform heroically, the soldados did their duty to the best of their ability.
Another feature of the Mexican army of 1821 to 1854 is that it spent more time fighting
other Mexicans in the various revolts than it did fighting foreigners. As a result, battles
were not as lethal and campaigns not as long as those that would be experienced when
fighting the United States.
When out of the watchful eye of priests and officers, the men of the Mexican army
enjoyed the universal pastimes pursued by soldiers worldwide. Gambling was
commonplace, from cards to dice to horse races in mounted regiments. Mexican soldiers
often composed poems and songs. Fandangos, impromptu dances accompanied by
drinking, were favorites in an army in the field.
Life in the U.S. Army
by James M. McCaffrey
At the outbreak of war with Mexico the U.S. Army had only
8,600 officers and men, and almost half were assigned to frontier defense. In addition,
more than thirty years had elapsed since the last war, and, except for those with
experience fighting Indians, most of the soldiers had no combat experience. In response
to the manpower shortage Congress authorized the president to call up 50,000 volunteers,
who, after receiving a bare minimum of training, left for Mexico.
These additional troops were necessary for victory, but even though they were subject to
the same regulations as those in the regular army their arrival caused friction with the
regulars. During peace time, many saw the army as simply a place for those men who
were unable to earn an honest living anywhere else. Although most of the regular officers
were professionally educated, the enlisted men came from the low end of the
socioeconomic ladder; approximately 40 percent were immigrants and a third of them
were illiterate. Now, suddenly, it was fashionable to be in the army, and the regulars
resented these newcomers for their absence of training and their lack of discipline.
The volunteers quickly learned that soldiering was not all flag waving and glory. The
food was often bad, the housing primitive, and the threat of disease always present. The
soldier's basic ration consisted of beef or pork, hard bread (or flour or cornmeal with
which to bake bread), peas, beans, or rice, and a little salt, sugar, and coffee as available.
Each member of a squad took his turn preparing the food. Often the various articles were
put into a camp kettle and boiled for hours into an easily digestible soup. There were
ways to supplement this meager fare. Some men sampled the local food, but many found
it too spicy. Others bought from civilians who set up shop wherever the army was. Many
raided local gardens and orchards, although army regulations strictly forbade all stealing.
The volunteers soon earned an unsavory reputation for this practice.
Upon arrival in Mexico, most of the troops lived in canvas tents. These simple structures,
each designed to accommodate six men and their bedrolls, offered far less protection
against the wind and rain than even the rudest log cabins back home. As the war
progressed and U.S. forces occupied towns, Mexican government buildings served as
barracks. Yellow fever, malaria, dysentery, smallpox, measles, and various other diseases
prevalent in Mexico were a constant problem to the U.S. soldiers and killed far more than
did Mexican bullets. The lack of attention to hygiene exhibited by many of the volunteers
left them particularly susceptible to illness. Treatment of the sick and wounded in army
hospitals was probably comparable to what was available in the United States. Army
doctors were, on average, as capable as their civilian counterparts, but the general state of
medical knowledge was such that treatments offered were not always beneficial to the
patient. When the overworked surgeons encountered a wounded soldier with a limb
shattered by a heavy musket ball, they often did not have time to do more than amputate
it quickly before moving on to the next patient.
On the march, the U.S. soldier traveled as lightly as possible, since every ounce of extra
weight made it that much more difficult to continue in the heat and dust. Still, with a
nine-and-a-half pound musket, ammunition, a bayonet, a canteen of water, a haversack in
which to carry food and small personal items, and a blanket, even soldiers carrying the
bare essentials often plodded along with thirty or more pounds of gear.
Soldiers in camp sought various means by which to reduce their boredom. Some attended
Mexican fandangos. Some found peace by drinking, and this often led to violations of
military rules. Soldiers committing offenses faced court martial proceedings, but the
Articles of War gave the courts considerable leeway in assessing penalties. Consequently,
two soldiers committing identical crimes but tried by different courts might receive vastly
different sentences. These sentences ranged from a few hours in the guardhouse for
drunkenness to death by hanging for desertion.
In many ways, the U.S. soldiers who fought in Mexico were the same as their brothers in
arms of other periods. They complained about their food, they complained about
incompetent officers, they belittled the ethnic character of their enemies, and they
believed in their ultimate military success.
Texas declares
independence
The Alamo
Mexico
surrenders at
San Jacinto
Texas-Lone
Star Republic
Texas
th
becomes 28
state
Americans
attacked along
Rio Grande
America
declares war
on Mexico
Mexico City
falls to
Americans
Treaty of
GuadalupeHidalgo