Battles of the Mexican–American War

Contents

The battles of the Mexican–American War include all major engagements and most reported skirmishes, including Thornton's Defeat, the Battle of Palo Alto, and the Battle of Resaca de la Palma, which took place prior to the official start of hostilities.

Background

The Mexican–American War lasted from 1846 until 1848. It grew out of unresolved border disputes between the Republic of Texas and Mexico after the United States annexed Texas nine years after the Texas Revolution. It ended in 1848 with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in which Mexico sold a vast tract of land that amounted to over half its national territory to the United States.

List of battles

Key
(A) – American Victory
(M) – Mexican Victory
(I) – Inconclusive

1846

Battle Date Engagement remarks Result
Thornton Affair April 25/26 Skirmishing in the disputed borderlands of South Texas. (M)
Siege of Fort Texas May 3–9 American forces withstand Mexican Army attacks. (A)
Battle of Palo Alto May 8 Mexican Army under Mariano Arista in the disputed land between the Rio Grande (Río Bravo) and the Nueces River engage an American army attempting to lift the aforementioned Siege of Fort Texas. (A)
Battle of Resaca de la Palma May 9 Arista is defeated by Zachary Taylor. (A)
Occupation of Matamoros May 18 U.S. troops occupy Matamoros, Tamaulipas, with no resistance. More than 300 sick and wounded Mexicans captured in the hospitals. Also abandoned were 5 spiked guns. (A)
Battle of Monterey[1] July 7 U.S. Navy occupies Monterey, California. (A)
Occupation of Camargo, Tamaulipas. July 14 — (A)
Battle of Cañoncito early August Stephen Watts Kearny defeats Manuel Armijo on the way to Santa Fe, New Mexico. (A)
Battle of Santa Fe August 18 Kearny occupies Santa Fe, New Mexico. (A)
Battle of Monterrey[1] September 21–23 Zachary Taylor forces Pedro de Ampudia to surrender Monterrey. (A)
Siege of Los Angeles September 22–30 Led by Gen José María Flores, Californios and Mexicans retake Los Angeles. (M)
Battle of Chino September 26–27 Californios defeat and capture 24 Americans, led by Benjamin D. Wilson, who were hiding in an adobe house in Rancho Santa Ana del Chino, near present day Chino, California. (M)
Battle of Dominguez Rancho October 7 Californios, led by José Antonio Carrillo, defeat 203 US Marines led by U.S. Navy Captain William Mervine. (M)
First Battle of Tabasco October 24–26 Commodore Perry makes a demonstration against Tabasco (I)
Occupation of Tampico, Tamaulipas November 14 Occupation by the U.S. Navy. (A)
Occupation of Saltillo, Coahuila November 16 Occupation by the U.S. Army. (A)
Battle of Natividad November 16 Town located in northern California. (A)
Battle of San Pasqual December 6 Californios and Presidial Lancers defeat Kearny (M)
Capture of Tucson (1846) December 16 The Mormon Battalion captures Tucson, Sonora and occupies her for a day or two. (A)
Battle of El Brazito December 25 Also called the "Battle of Temascalitos" in Spanish. Mexican forces attack El Brazito, New Mexico. U.S. forces were led by Colonel Alexander William Doniphan. (A)

1847

Battle Date Engagement remarks Result
Battle of Santa Clara January 2 Fought in California. (A)
Battle of Rio San Gabriel January 8 Part of a series of battles for control of Los Angeles. (A)
Battle of La Mesa January 9 Last conflict before U.S. forces enter Los Angeles. (A)
Battle of Cañada January 24 Sterling Price defeats insurgents in New Mexico. (A)
First Battle of Mora January 24 A failed attack by American Forces on Mora, New Mexico led by Israel Hendley on January 24. (M)
Second Battle of Mora February 1 On February 1, another American expedition armed with howitzers succeeded in razing the village of Mora in New Mexico. (A)
Siege of Pueblo de Taos February 3/4 Rancheros and Mexican Militia surrender to U.S. forces thus ending the Taos Revolt. (A)
Battle of Buena Vista February 22/23 Zachary Taylor fights Antonio López de Santa Anna south of Saltillo in one of the largest battles of the war. (A)
Battle of the Sacramento February 28 Doniphan defeats a larger Mexican army before the capture of Chihuahua. (A)
Battle of Embudo Pass January 29 Last insurgent stand before the Siege of Pueblo de Taos. (A)
Siege of Veracruz March 9–29 Beginning with Marine landings, U.S. forces besiege and gradually encircle Mexican Marines and Coast Guard in vicious twenty-day siege. (A)
Battle of Cerro Gordo April 18 Dubbed the "Thermopylae of the West." (A)
First Battle of Tuxpan April 18 Commodore Matthew C. Perry seizes the port city of Tuxpan on the Gulf coast. (A)
Battle of Red River Canyon May 26 New Mexican insurgents fight a skirmish with United States troops. (A)
Second Battle of Tuxpan June Perry's Mosquito Fleet engages Mexicans at Tuxpan for a second time. (A)
Third Battle of Tuxpan June 30 Perry's Mosquito Fleet engages Mexicans for a third time. (A)
Capture of Perote April 22 54 Guns and mortars, and 500 muskets captured at Perote.
Second Battle of Tabasco June 16 Commodore Perry captures Villahermosa, the last port city on the Mexican Gulf coast. (A)
Battle of Las Vegas July 6 New Mexican insurgents and United States soldiers fight at Las Vegas, New Mexico. (A)
Battle of Cienega Creek July 9 New Mexicans and United States forces clash near Taos, New Mexico. (A)
Battle of Contreras (also known as Battle of Padierna) August 19 Santa Anna fails to support the Mexican line at a critical moment; turns victory into rout. (A)
Battle of Churubusco August 20 Regular Mexican troops and Saint Patrick's Battalion under Manuel Rincón hold a fortified monastery against Winfield Scott; just over half of the San Patricios are killed or captured, the rest retreat with the rest of the Mexican forces in the area. (A)
Battle of Molino del Rey September 8[2] Americans lose nearly 800 men in an attempt to take a suspected cannon foundry: "They fell in platoons and companies." (A)
Battle of Chapultepec September 13 Scott assaults Chapultepec Castle. Los Niños Héroes pass into legend. Some captured San Patricios members executed during the battle. (A)
Battle for Mexico City September 13/14 Fierce fighting for Mexico City. (A)
Siege of Puebla September 14 Mexican forces begin the siege of Puebla, Puebla. (A)
Fall of Mexico City September 15 U.S. forces enter Mexico City. (A)
Battle of Mulegé October 2 Mexican forces led by Captain Manuel Pineda are defeated by a small detachment of American forces at Mulegé, Baja California Sur. (A)
Battle of Huamantla October 9 U.S. relief column is able to reach Puebla. (A)
Siege of Puebla October 12 Siege of Puebla lifted. (A)
Skirmish at Atlixco October 19 Also known as the "Atlixco Affair" (I)
Bombardment of Punta Sombrero October 31 United States Navy schooner USS Libertad silences Mexican shore batteries in the Sea of Cortez (A)
Battle of La Paz November 16/17 A Mexican defeat at La Paz, Mexico (A)
Battle of San José del Cabo November 20/21 Mexicans defeated by American forces at San José del Cabo (A)
Siege of La Paz November 27/December 8 A second Mexican attack on La Paz, Mexico ending in an American victory. (A)

1848

Battle Date Engagement remarks Result
Siege of San José del Cabo January 22/February 14 A failed Mexican siege of San José del Cabo (A)
Battle of Santa Cruz de Rosales March 16 Sterling Price advances into Chihuahua after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was already signed. (A)
Skirmish of Todos Santos March 31 Lt. Col. Henry S. Burton defeated Mexican forces in Baja California Sur after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was already signed. (A)

From January to August Mexican partisans continued to resist the U.S. Army of Occupation. Formal fighting, however, had ceased by the end of January.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ a b It is a common misconception to confuse "Monterrey, Nuevo León" with "Monterey, California". These are, in fact, two very different battles.
  2. ^ Throughout September, reports of guerrilla attacks on U.S. army hospitals, supply columns, and camps reached epidemic proportions.

References