Written for both the specialist and the casual reader, Texas and the
Mexican War discusses the pivotal role Texas played in the Mexican
War, battles fought on Texas soil, and the contributions—for better or
sometimes worse—of Texas troops throughout the war.

    Since the opening of hostilities in 1846, the Mexican War has 
remained controversial. Author Charles M. Robinson III describes 
how attitudes of the era were influenced by sectional, political, and 
social differences, and, in recent times, by comparison to conflicts 
such as Vietnam. Robinson draws on U.S. and Mexican sources to 
discuss conditions in both countries that he believes made the war 
inevitable.

    Besides examining the political and military differences, he 
reveals the motivations, egos, pettiness, and quarrels of the various 
generals and politicians in the United States and Mexico. He also 
looks at how the common soldier saw the war. The extensive 
citations include commentaries on the historiography of the war. 
The book is profusely illustrated with contemporary photographs, 
sketches, and drawings, many from the author’s own collection.

    Besides an account of the war itself, sidebars throughout the 
book titled “Then and Now” serve as a guide for those who want to 
visit important Mexican War sites in Texas, northern Mexico, and 
Louisiana.

_________________________________________________________

CHARLES M. ROBINSON III, history instructor at South Texas 
Community College in McAllen, received a citation from the 
National Park Service for his efforts in helping preserve the 
Mexican War battlefield of Palo Alto and bringing it into the National 
Park system. He is the author of thirteen books, primarily on the 
American West, including the first of six projected volumes of the 
edited and annotated John Gregory Bourke diaries. His book Bad 
Hand: A Biography of General Ranald S. Mackenzie won the Texas 
Historical Commission’s T. R. Fehrenbach Book Award.



Number Sixteen: Fred Rider Cotton Popular History Series