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On the Prairie of Palo Alto Historical Archaeology of the U.S.–Mexican War Battlefield by Charles M. Haecker and Jeffrey G. Mauck |
The first battle of the U.S.–Mexican War marked many historic firsts: a new generation of professional soldiers, including Ulysses S. Grant, George G. Meade, and James Longstreet, provided a wealth of expert knowledge to their senior officers; the military demonstrated the superior qualities of their newly introduced "flying" artillery, one that would see heavy use in the Civil War; and graduates of the U.S. Military Academy experienced their first major test. But what really happened in the Battle of Palo Alto has been obscured by numerous discrepancies in the written record. Archaeologist Charles M. Haecker and historian Jeffrey G. Mauck have analyzed and compared the written record to the physical evidence of the battle, and On the Prairie of Palo Alto presents the first accurate picture of how the U.S. force defeated a much larger Mexican army.
On May 8, 1846, the U.S. Army began its first truly "foreign" war on the prairie north of present-day Brownsville, Texas. For the first time, individual observers (known today as war correspondents) were present and wrote graphic accounts of the battle.
In the generations since the war, however, scholars have not been able to develop an accurate picture of the battle, even after consulting contemporary battlefield maps, because Mexican and U.S. documents did not agree. By examining relevant areas of the site itself and the artifacts found there, the authors have determined that, ironically, American histories have usually presented the Mexican version of the battle. Physical evidence, however, suggests that the American military's reported version of the battle more closely approximated the truth.
The battle was essentially an artillery duel that pitted highly effective U.S. cannon against Mexican cannon of antiquated design. The Americans rapidly deployed at will two field batteries, each consisting of six- and twelve-pounder guns and howitzers. Two eighteen-pounder siege guns, periodically hauled forward by teams of oxen, contributed to the decimation of the Mexican infantry. In contrast, Mexican four- and eight-pounder guns lacked the maneuverability and range needed to check their aggressive adversary.
Although the Mexicans attempted flanking and frontal attacks on the U.S. lines, they were repulsed with heavy losses. Unable to maneuver, and confused and bloodied after standing all day under artillery fire, the Mexicans withdrew.
CHARLES M. HAECKER is a staff archaeologist with the National Park Service Regional Office, Santa Fe, New Mexico. JEFFREY G. MAUCK is a historian with Cultural Resource Analysts, Inc., Lexington, Kentucky. He is also an independent consultant.
Number Fifty-five: Texas A&M University Military History Series
On the Prairie of Palo Alto
0-89096-758-X
$39.95s
LC 97-12335. 7x10. 240 pp. 47 b&w photos. 11 line drawings. 11 maps. Bib. Index.
Military History. American History.
Publication Date: September 1997.
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