Mexican War Collection, 1829-1848

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Summary

Title:
Mexican War collection
Dates:
1829-1848
Abstract:
Collection of letters and documents related to the Mexican War and settlement of Texas.
Extent:
1.20 Linear Feet (1 box)
Language:
Materials are primarily in Spanish, with some in English.
Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Mexican War collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Background

Scope and content:

The collection consists of letters and documents (most of which are in Spanish) related to the Battle of Monterrey and the occupation of that city by U.S. forces during the Mexican War. The papers shed light on the events from both sides of the conflict. Most of the papers fall between the period 1846 to 1848, and a few concern the settlement, independence, and annexation of Texas, 1829 to 1845. There are also two photographs in the collection. Persons represented in the collection include Pedro de Ampudia, Jubal Anderson Early, Manuel María de Llano, José María Parás Ballesteros, John Wooleston Tibbatts, and Isaac Hull Wright.

Biographical / historical:

Relations between the U.S. and Mexico disintegrated after the annexation of Texas by the U.S. in 1845. In November of that year, President Polk's emissary to Mexico, John Slidell, failed to negotiate the differences, and in January 1846 the president sent American troops under General Zachary Taylor into the disputed territory bounded by the Nueces and Rio Grande Rivers in Texas. When the Mexicans attacked and captured an American patrol party, Polk urged Congress to declare war. Following the battle of Matamoros, Taylor proceeded inland with his army, and reached the town of Monterrey, where he engaged in battle with the defending troops of General Pedro de Ampudia. After three days of combat, the Mexicans surrendered and negotiated an armistice with General Taylor. The Americans occupied the city of Monterrey until the end of the war.

Acquisition information:
Purchased from Lawrence Lingle, August and November 1973. Purchased from Lobo Bookshop, August 1975. Purchased from Frontier America Corp., January 1980.
Processing information:

Processed by Huntington Library Staff. In 2020, Brooke M. Black created a finding aid.

Arrangement:

Arranged in chronological order.

Rules or conventions:
Describing Archives: A Content Standard

About this collection guide

Collection Guide Author:
Brooke M. Black
Date Encoded:
This finding aid was produced using ArchivesSpace on 2022-01-13 09:27:30 -0800 .

Access and use

Restrictions:

Open for use by qualified researchers and by appointment. Please contact Reader Services at the Huntington Library for more information.

Terms of access:

The Huntington Library does not require that researchers request permission to quote from or publish images of this material, nor does it charge fees for such activities. The responsibility for identifying the copyright holder, if there is one, and obtaining necessary permissions rests with the researcher.

Preferred citation:

[Identification of item]. Mexican War collection, The Huntington Library, San Marino, California.

Location of this collection:
1151 Oxford Road
San Marino, CA 91108, US
Contact:
(626) 405-2191
reference@huntington.org
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