The United States Navy was barely an experiment in the early 1800s. The country had no institutional structure for cultivating naval leadership, no permanent fleet, and no great maritime legacy. Often self-taught or informally trained,
The U.S. presidential election held in late autumn of 1844 was not merely a contest over which party would administer the executive branch of the federal government, it was a referendum on whether the nation would go to war with Mexico. The margin
Clayton-Bulwer Treaty of 1850: Anglo-American Epilogue of the Mexican-American War (1846–8)
American diplomat Elija Hise’s journey to Guatemala in 1848 was the embodiment of the obstacles expansionists faced south of the Rio Grande and the reason A
The Inauspicious Naming of the ‘War of 1812’ and Gulf Theater
In mid-1848 the second Anglo-American war was finally given its name. On June 23 of that year, at the conclusion of the Mexican-American War (1846–48), the Daily Union of Washington DC r
Mexican-American War and Caste War: Coinciding Conflicts in the Gulf of Mexico, 1847
The Caste War of Yucatan (1847–1901), which erupted at the height of the Mexican-American War (1846–8) due to a myriad of internal and external events impacting th
The Breakaway Republics: Texas, Yucatan, and US-Mexican War, 1835-1848
Editor's Note: The following article is from excerpts of Benjamin J. Swenson's new book to be released this fall. Addiitonal publication details below.
In the summer of 1847 at the height of the Mexican-American War President James K. Polk sent a mounted regiment of Texas Rangers under Colonel John Coffee “Jack” Hays to Mexico to confront guerrillas attacking US Army convoys between Mexico City and
In the summer of 1847, using presidential powers authorized by Congress, US Commander-in-Chief James K. Polk sent a mounted regiment of Texas Rangers under Colonel John Coffee “Jack” Hays to Mexico to confront guerrillas attacking US Army convoys b
In late April of 1847, at the height of the Mexican-American War, General Winfield Scott, the commander of the campaign to seize Mexico City, asked General Zachary Taylor for mounted units to fight guerrillas attacking U.S. supply convoys along the
Why did the United States go to War in 1812? What compelled this nation, less than thirty years from its War of Independence with a vast wilderness awaiting development and hostile Indians beyond its frontiers, choose to take on its former colonia
The French and Indian War, fought from 28 May 1754 to 10 February 1763, was a pivotal moment in American history. The war was given its name by the colonists "after the people they were fighting in North America." (Lepore 2018, 77) Although it is o
The War of 1812 is a fascinating period in American history, and there are many great books that explore this conflict in detail. Here are some of the best books on the War of 1812:
The War of 1812: A Forgotten Conflict by Donald R. Hickey - This b
