The FReeper Foxhole Remembers The Mexican-American War (1846-1847) - Aug. 12th, 2004

www.lone-star.net ^

[snippy_about_it]

They don't call me Cannoneer No. 4 for nothin, snippy.

LOL. You've proven that for sure!

[snippy_about_it]

That shine sure looks pretty on those cannon.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

1839 Forage Cap (3rd Pattern)

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning EGC. Just ran my Norton update. ;-)

[snippy_about_it]

Mornin' alfa6. Lots of good reading today.

[snippy_about_it]

Good morning Gail. How did the camping trip go?

[snippy_about_it]

LOL. Love the cartoon. Good morning Mayor.

[Cannoneer No. 4]

Mexican War Infantry Shell Jacket

[GailA]

Perfect, even the weather was perfect. We are having cooler than norm temps....must be global cooling. We've been cooler than normal this summer.

[snippy_about_it]

I was looking at the officer recruiting site.

Thinking of changing careers? :-)

[snippy_about_it]

LOL. Good morning feather.

[snippy_about_it]

Dumb Laws...
Oklahoma:
People who make "ugly faces" at dogs may be fined and/or jailed.

Ha!

[Cannoneer No. 4]

One of the most famous uses of mountain howitzers was by Hiram Ulysses Grant, better known as Ulysses S. Grant, at the San Cosme Gate of Mexico City. On September 13, 1847 American forces were approaching Mexico City from the southwest after the fall of Chapultepec. They were wanting to take two heavily fortified gates into the city, Belen and San Cosme. Grant was with the force attacking San Cosme. The Mexicans were entrenched behind stone walls and had artillery in the road to repulse any assaults. Grant and a force of volunteers crossed the road under a brisk covering fire from other Americans. He then discovered a church whose belfry would enable fire to be brought on the back of the San Cosme garrison. A force of Voltigeurs was discovered who had a mountain howitzer and Grant led them to the church. Several ditches were in-between the men and the church, but the howitzer was taken apart and the pieces carried by the men. They reached the church, climbed to the belfry and reassembled the gun. According to Grant their fire had a big effect on the morale of both the Mexican defenders and the Americans attempting to take the gate.

The shots from our little gun dropped in upon the enemy and created great confusion. . . . The effect of the gun upon the troops about the gate of the city was so marked that General Worth [commander of the forces attacking San Cosme] saw it from his position. . . . He expressed his gratification at the services the howitzer in the church steeple was doing, saying that every shot was effective, and ordered a captain of voltigeurs to report to me with another howitzer to be placed along with the one already rendering so much service. I could not tell the General that there was not room enough in the steeple for another gun.(

[SAMWolf]

Thanks for the details on Captain May.

[SAMWolf]

6-pounder, Field Gun, Model 1841

[SAMWolf]

You're Welcome Alkhin.

Even when I was in school in the 60's the Mexican War was barely mentioned.

[SAMWolf]

If the lower portion of the ventral tail didn't jettison, you dug the world's fastest furrow.

That or you stopped really,really fast.

[SAMWolf]

"Old Sacramento" finally ended its usefulness in the following manner: Some citizens were drowned in the Kansas river and the cannon was taken down to the banks of that stream to test the theory that the concussion caused by the discharge of artillery would cause the body of a drowned person to rise to the surface. The gun was loaded heavier each time until the recoil wrecked the carriage. Then a charge of three pounds of powder was placed in the cannon and gunny sacks, wet grass, wet clay, etc., were hammered in on top of the powder with a sledgehammer. When the match was applied the gun exploded, the largest piece being blown through the wire mill, while smaller pieces were thrown clear across the river. The main part of the cannon is now in the museum at the University of Kansas.

Too bad there weren't film crews availble to capture that on film. :-)

[SAMWolf]

Two Mexican attacks had been made across the Rio Grande at Palo Alto (May 8) and Resaca de la Palma (May 9), and both had been repulsed.

Mexican leaders clearly expected to win these battles as well as to recover Texas and win the war. Parades spoke grandly of occupying New Orleans and Mobile. His army of about 32,000 men was four to six times the size of the original U.S. army. Furthermore, Mexican troops were well armed, disciplined, and, above all, experienced in scores of revolutions. Parades also counted on logistics. The principal theater of war would be Texas, hundreds of miles from the populous areas of the United States. Many Centralists believed that abolitionists' objections to the war would demoralize the United States, and some Centralists believed a Mexican invasion would be supported by a massive slave uprising.

Thus, the quick defeats at Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma surprised and shocked the Mexican leadership. The U.S. victories against a larger, better trained force were attributed to the unexpected effectiveness of the American light artillery. Parades found it expedient, however, to lay the blame on his commanding general, and he quickly replaced him.

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[Professional Engineer]

I might be an Engineer.