this makes me want Russian Canada.That would be awesome, btw.....of course, an independent Alaska might not be so bad, either: it would basically be Canada with a slight Russian accent and even colder.
¡Por la Patria, Viva México Fuerte! A Mexican TL
- Thread starter Arkhangelsk
- Start date
-
- Tags
- strong mexico
Looks like either Russia suffers political instability and Alaska picks the losing side, or experiences a Texan independence.A few months ago I would have told you yes to Canadian Alaska, but I've since decided to go with Russian Alaska eventually gaining independence.
Hehe kinda a bit of both, it's a ways ahead in the TL but Alaska will have to fill up with some more people and then wait for it's chance to divorce from St. Petersburg.
Nice set of an update and a map!
Thanks Zinc, I hope to deliver, and very soon at that!
Hey guys, just wanted to let you know I got the next update done, more or less. I'm in Los Angeles at the moment so I won't be able to update until I get home tonight. But yeah, get ready for year one of the Mexican-American War.
Hey guys, just wanted to let you know I got the next update done, more or less. I'm in Los Angeles at the moment so I won't be able to update until I get home tonight. But yeah, get ready for year one of the Mexican-American War.
Chido!
1846: Mexican American War, Initial Engagements
Mexican-American War PART I
The updates concerning the Mexican-American War I've divided into three parts. Part one deals with the prelude to war and the first year of the war itself. Hope y'all enjoy!
The conflict that came to be known as the First Mexican-American War has its origins at the dawn of the 19th century, when the United States purchased the expansive Louisiana Territory in 1803. This not only doubled the country’s territory with the mere stroke of a pen, but it gave the United States a border with the Spanish colony of New Spain (known as Mexico after 1816), making it the focus of further American territorial ambitions. During the Mexican War of Independence, the Mexican Insurgents lured the United States into the conflict as allies in the fight against Spain, with the promise that an independent Mexico would consent to a border settlement favorable to the Americans. After the war Mexican-American relations were relatively warm, as American aid was instrumental in the eventual Mexican victory. From the outset however the Americans never kept it secret their desire for Mexico’s northern territories, and by the 1820’s and 30’s American settlers slowly began streaming into Mexican Tejas and Alta California. The creation of multiple trails leading through the Rocky Mountains by American “mountain men” in the 1830’s hastened the pace of settlement, as scores of white settlers made the perilous journey across the continent to obtain land. This development put successive Mexican administrations on edge, no less due to the American philosophy behind “manifest destiny,” which was quickly gaining traction in American socio-political circles. By the mid-1840’s, the United States seemed unwilling to wait any longer for the status quo to change, and despite recently suffering defeat in war against Britain, newly elected President James K. Polk went straight to work in order to acquire the coveted lands from Mexico. At first, over the course of 1845 Polk attempted to buy the lands in question from Mexico, offering 25 million dollars for the territories of Alta California and Nuevo Mexico. When Mexico refused Polk offered 35 million for the addition of Mexican Tejas, even agreeing to forgive all Mexican debt in the process. Again, however, Mexico steadfastly refused to forsake any of its territory. As the year came to an end Polk felt he had been courteous long enough and began preparing for war, sending orders for troops stationed in Texas to mobilize.
The Mexicans under President Agustín de Iturbide were well aware war with the United States was an eventuality, and had worked since the late 1830’s to prepare accordingly. For Mexico, securing the northeastern border was paramount, as it provided the most direct route from the United States into Mexico. Of equal importance for Iturbide was the modernization the Mexican Navy, which had mostly been left to stagnate in the aftermath of independence. A Naval Academy had been built at Tlacotalpan in Veracruz, in conjunction with the Military Academy which opened in Mexico City in 1819, but the Allende, Morelos and Quintana Roo administrations had neglected it in light of the more influential Military Academy.[1] With the threat of war ever looming, Iturbide immediately got to work, signing laws in the spring of 1838 which allocated roughly 1.5 million pesos to the Navy (more than had been allocated in all the years combined since the Navy’s creation). The Mexican Congress also commissioned the creation of new steamers, with the first two fresh out of Great Britain in early 1841 christened Guadalupe and Moctezuma. Mexico would receive one more steamer prior to the breakout of the war, the ARM Hidalgo, named in honor of the famed cura Miguel Hidalgo (Hidalgo himself never lived to see his namesake, having succumbed to old age and sickness in 1830).[2] Aside from the new state-of-the-art steamships, over a dozen new brigantines and schooners were also built for service in the Mexican Navy. The money allocations did not come out of thin air, and in order to fund the Navy’s new projects the Army’s budget was cut drastically. In retrospect it was one of Iturbide’s better decisions, pragmatic as he was to move money that was otherwise lining the purses of the Mexican Army’s corrupt officer corps to aid in building a capable naval power. Nevertheless, the Army was incensed at the President’s “meddling,” to the point that several officers planned to assassinate Iturbide during a routine visit to the Military Academy in May 1841. To say the President was not prepared for the confrontation is an understatement. Having been tipped off some time previous, all the conspirators were apprehended and subsequently arrested before the assassination could take place.
Mexican troops preparing for war
The general state of the Army was also an issue Iturbide had to tackle prior to the war. After independence the Army never deflated in size, maintaining about fifteen to twenty thousand permanent troops (known as permanentes) well into the 1830’s. Paying for such a large army in peacetime proved to be an unnecessary burden, made worse by the structural faults made evident during the Guatemala Rebellion. In 1840 Iturbide, in conjunction with the Congress, reorganized the Army with respect to its recent defunding, reducing the number of total regiments by almost half. Where the Army lost troops, however, it regained with the formation of three new artillery regiments, which were fitted with Valée Artillery the Mexican government purchased from France. The bulk of Iturbide’s military spending ended up with Great Britain, which gladly sold an assortment of several thousand Baker and Brunswick rifles to Mexico, which signified that Anglo-American relations were still very cool. The upgraded weapons meant nothing if they could not be utilized correctly, so efforts to train the Army accelerated. General Indalecio Allende stepped up to the challenge, having received military education in Great Britain during the 1820’s, President Iturbide appointed him as commandant of the Military Academy, serving for a second term (his first term at the outset of his father’s own term as President was cut short by his trek and subsequent stay in Europe). Indalecio spearheaded the campaign to integrate the new weaponry seamlessly into the structure of the Army. To his credit, Indalecio also introduced the first national armories to Mexico, with two being built at Pachuca and Monterrey. He even modified some of the Valée guns to work more efficiently in the rough terrain of the borderlands, in emulation of similar American mountain gun designs.
With mounting numbers of American troops amassing on the north shore of the Colorado River, Iturbide responded in kind, mobilizing 3,800 troops to Tejas through the first half of 1845. The two large armies in such proximity to one another, combined with the toxic political climate, left for a single spark to ignite the war both sides were anxious for. That spark came on the early morning of October 24, 1845, when American and Mexican troop on border patrol of their shared border began firing at one another. To this day there is no consensus as to which side fired first, with both sides blaming the other for the infamous first shots. From what can be ascertained is that the two opposing forces met at a narrowing of the Colorado River between the settlements of San Marcos and Nueva Saxonia, and in the dim light of the early morning, one side began to fire at what they deemed an invading party (both sides, of course, blame the other for crossing the border).[3] Regardless, when the American version of events reached Washington, President Polk immediately asked the Congress for a Declaration of War against Mexico, on the dubious claim that Mexico sought to retake the territory it had sold to the United States in 1818. With overzealous support from the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, the United States officially declared war on November 4. The Mexican Congress would not follow suit until December 3, but as far as the Mexican Army in Tejas was concerned the war was over one month old. Initial engagements happened several miles north of the border skirmishes from October, at the Battle of Arroyo Claro. The battle concluded in a draw, but a delay in transporting arms and ammunition to the front line prompted the Mexicans to fall back at the Battle of la Bahía (losing the presidio there in the process) and at the Battle of Allende near the coast. Despite these setbacks, the Mexicans managed to halt the American advance, with victories at Béxar and la Ciénega, ensuring the Americans remained north and east of the Tejano capital and the Nueces River into January 1846. The timely arrival of Ignacio Allende, aged as he was (he turned 77 that January 21st), to the front aided in boosting morale and cohesion within the Mexican ranks. The dynamics of father and son jointly leading the defense of their nation was also inspiring. The Mexican respite did not last long. Sickness forced the elder Allende to retire and seek medical attention, giving the American army under General Zachary Taylor an opening to advance. Devising a feint, Taylor forced the Mexicans to focus most of their regiments near Béxar, allowing him to rout the defenders to the southeast. The Mexican troops retreated south, establishing defensive positions north of Villa del Refugio in Tamaulipas.[4] With his forces in the east faltering, Allende the Younger was forced to retreat, leaving Béxar to the Americans. By mid-February the front stabilized once more, with large portions of Tejas and Tamaulipas under American control. At this point discontent had reached a fever pitch in Mexico City. Ultraconservative elements of the ruling Centralist Party felt these military setbacks were due to the supposed ineptitude of President Iturbide, claiming he had failed to protect “la patria.”
General Zachary Taylor
Under the cover of darkness, a renegade officer by the name of Valentín Canalizo led several army units into the Valley of Mexico, and early on the morning of March 9 attacked the capital. Agents within the city sprang into action, with fierce fighting taking place in and around the Zócalo. Canalizo and other conservative politicians hoped to remove Iturbide by force, under the pretense that a more conservative president could prosecute the war more effectively. The attacking troops at one point even managed to break into Iturbide’s residence, but were repulsed by Iturbide’s personal guards and amazingly the President himself. Fighting raged well into the afternoon, but by nightfall Canalizo was held under arrest by federal troops at an undisclosed location, while the majority of his loyalists lay dead in the streets of Mexico City. While the attempted coup somewhat hurt the Mexican war effort, the successful defense of the capital against the traidores desagradecidos, as well as the heroic actions by Iturbide to defend his home and family brought morale to all new heights. Volunteers poured into the Army in droves, so much so that it was feared the strain in food and supplies would be too much for the Army to bear. Most of these new soldiers were sent north to the primary theater of war in Tejas, Tamaulipas and Nuevo León, with some sent to the defense of the Gulf Coast. Others still were sent to the northwest, to accompany Allende the Younger against the Army of the West, led by General Stephen W. Kearny, in order to defend Nuevo Mexico.
General Pedro de Ampudia
Kearny had entered the territory in February from his base at Fort Leavenworth and proceeded to occupy Santa Fé by the end of the month. Allende the Younger was stationed in Laredo at the time, and after leaving the majority of his troops there under the command of General Pedro de Ampudia, Allende trekked south to Saltillo, then west through Chihuahua, gaining volunteers along the way. It was here that Allende learned of New Mexico’s total capitulation to the Army of the West. With much haste Allende traversed the expansive Chihuahua Desert, suffering losses to the unforgiving summer heat. Allende reached Paso del Norte on the Río Bravo in early May with roughly 1,350 troops composed of element of the 3rd and 4th Infantry Regiments, with roughly 100 Lancers and about 150 light cavalry from the 2nd Guanajuato Dragoons. Allende engaged American General Alexander Doniphan south of Alburquerque in the Mesilla Valley, gaining a victory for the Mexicans. Doniphan quickly regrouped, and with reinforcements supplied by Kearny successfully pushed Allende out of the Valley. Allende fought Doniphan once more north of Chihuahua to a stalemate, forcing each side to retreat to Chihuahua and Paso del Norte respectively. Fighting lulled over the course of the summer, as the extreme heat brought both armies to heel. With both their numbers dwindling, Mexicans and Americans alike began treating with natives in the vicinity, with the hope of securing valuable support. While no tribe explicitly entered the fray, Doniphan and Kearny managed to secure the aid of Diné warriors willing to fight the Mexicans. Allende’s experience in the region allowed him a broader reach, allowing him to establish a tentative alliance with Comanchería. That September saw the Mexicans and their allied Comanche warriors break once more into the Mesilla, and despite the subsequent American victory, Allende managed to capture Paso del Norte from the Americans. The Americans were now on the defensive and on borrowed time, as Doniphan was unable to quell bouts of violence between the Diné and American troops. In early October Doniphan received word that a popular revolt had broken out in Taos to the north of Santa Fé.[5] It was not long before the Mexicans learned of it as well, and with new resolve they launched an assault on the token force left to defend Alburquerque. Doniphan held out for several weeks, until his supply lines into the United States were interrupted by Comanche raiders. On December 1 Doniphan signaled for a truce, and the following day the Mexican army regained control of Nuevo Mexico for the first time in nearly a year. Allende, against the wishes of many of his troops, allowed Doniphan to retreat back to the United States with the assurance that they would not fight against Mexico anymore. It was a decision Allende came to regret, as Doniphan instead retreated south and then west, down the Gila River to meet up with Kearny, who had been travelling to reinforce the American Pacific Squadron’s attack on Alta California.
The Battle of Monterrey, one of the bloodiest of the whole war.
Back in Tejas and Tamaulipas, the Mexicans under General Ampudia were forced out of Laredo, giving General Taylor total control of Tejas. This left Ampudia and his army of over 5,200 men as the only defense standing in the way of Monterrey, a prize the Americans were all too eager to claim. Taylor’s army of over 6,000 marched south from occupied Camargo downriver, where reinforcements and supplies were arriving via the Gulf of Mexico. Taylor followed the Sabinas River, deep into Nuevo León, managing to brush past hastily formed Nuevo León militia. On July 4 the Americans had reached the northern reaches of Monterrey, where the Mexican Army had installed a defensive line running northeast of the city. Taylor led the bulk of his troops in a hook motion, invading from the northwest, while a smaller diversionary force led by William J. Worth attacked from the northeast. The first day of battle proved to be a bloody fiasco for the Americans, as many troops had no experience in urban warfare. The Americans would march down the wide city streets, where they became easy targets for Mexican infantry lurking in the shadows of the city’s adobe structures.[6] Worth’s force was annihilated on July 5, after a second push from the northeast met even more entrenched resistance, despite being supplemented by extra troops under Taylor. Taylor’s advances from the west were more successful, as he managed to defeat Mexican troops on Federation hill south of the city. On July 7 Taylor crossed the Santa Catarina River, occupying the western half of the city and marking a low point for the Mexicans. The heaviest fighting took place in and around the central plaza during the afternoon of the 8th, with the fighting not dying down until the early the next morning. Ampudia managed to halt Taylor’s advance, but the city remained divided. The timely arrival of over 500 volunteers from north and western Mexico by way of Saltillo tipped the balance, as the Americans became trapped inside the city. Realizing his position was no longer tenable Taylor orchestrated a breakout from within the city, which has been described as almost mythical. After a week of fighting, the Mexicans retained Monterrey, having managed to push Zachary Taylor back to the Río Bravo. Subsequent thrusts by the Americans into Nuevo León in late July and September were rebuffed. The Battle of Monterrey is considered one of the bloodiest of the entire war, with the total death toll exceeding 2,000. Monterrey also marked the most southerly advance by the American Army. Taylor’s failure to win the city prevented him from linking up with naval elements attacking Tampico, ensuring the strategic port remained in Mexican hands.[7]
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Notes
[1] Same as OTL. After several years the Tlacotalpan site was abandon and the Navy set up shop in nearby Alvarado. I still haven't decided if I wanna do that, or if there's a better city to eventually settle on.
[2] The first two steamers are also from OTL. Difference here is they are built a couple years early. Also, the Hidalgo is exclusive to TTL.
[3] San Marcos in TTL is more or less an OTL transplant, just a couple miles north of it's real-life counterpart. Nueva Saxonia (New Saxony) is a German immigrant colony, more or less in place of La Grange, TX.
[4] Villa del Refugio is the original name of Matamoros.
[5] The Taos Revolt also happens, like in OTL. Unlike OTL, There's actually a Mexican Army nearby to help out so it's not crushed by the Americans.
[6] No independent Texas means that the American's do get tipped on what NOT to do in an urban warfare setting. Naturally the Mexicans are able to exploit this.
[7] Butterflies due to the American loss at Monterrey.
The updates concerning the Mexican-American War I've divided into three parts. Part one deals with the prelude to war and the first year of the war itself. Hope y'all enjoy!
Initial Engagements: 1846
Battle of Arroyo Claro
Battle of Arroyo Claro
The conflict that came to be known as the First Mexican-American War has its origins at the dawn of the 19th century, when the United States purchased the expansive Louisiana Territory in 1803. This not only doubled the country’s territory with the mere stroke of a pen, but it gave the United States a border with the Spanish colony of New Spain (known as Mexico after 1816), making it the focus of further American territorial ambitions. During the Mexican War of Independence, the Mexican Insurgents lured the United States into the conflict as allies in the fight against Spain, with the promise that an independent Mexico would consent to a border settlement favorable to the Americans. After the war Mexican-American relations were relatively warm, as American aid was instrumental in the eventual Mexican victory. From the outset however the Americans never kept it secret their desire for Mexico’s northern territories, and by the 1820’s and 30’s American settlers slowly began streaming into Mexican Tejas and Alta California. The creation of multiple trails leading through the Rocky Mountains by American “mountain men” in the 1830’s hastened the pace of settlement, as scores of white settlers made the perilous journey across the continent to obtain land. This development put successive Mexican administrations on edge, no less due to the American philosophy behind “manifest destiny,” which was quickly gaining traction in American socio-political circles. By the mid-1840’s, the United States seemed unwilling to wait any longer for the status quo to change, and despite recently suffering defeat in war against Britain, newly elected President James K. Polk went straight to work in order to acquire the coveted lands from Mexico. At first, over the course of 1845 Polk attempted to buy the lands in question from Mexico, offering 25 million dollars for the territories of Alta California and Nuevo Mexico. When Mexico refused Polk offered 35 million for the addition of Mexican Tejas, even agreeing to forgive all Mexican debt in the process. Again, however, Mexico steadfastly refused to forsake any of its territory. As the year came to an end Polk felt he had been courteous long enough and began preparing for war, sending orders for troops stationed in Texas to mobilize.
The Mexicans under President Agustín de Iturbide were well aware war with the United States was an eventuality, and had worked since the late 1830’s to prepare accordingly. For Mexico, securing the northeastern border was paramount, as it provided the most direct route from the United States into Mexico. Of equal importance for Iturbide was the modernization the Mexican Navy, which had mostly been left to stagnate in the aftermath of independence. A Naval Academy had been built at Tlacotalpan in Veracruz, in conjunction with the Military Academy which opened in Mexico City in 1819, but the Allende, Morelos and Quintana Roo administrations had neglected it in light of the more influential Military Academy.[1] With the threat of war ever looming, Iturbide immediately got to work, signing laws in the spring of 1838 which allocated roughly 1.5 million pesos to the Navy (more than had been allocated in all the years combined since the Navy’s creation). The Mexican Congress also commissioned the creation of new steamers, with the first two fresh out of Great Britain in early 1841 christened Guadalupe and Moctezuma. Mexico would receive one more steamer prior to the breakout of the war, the ARM Hidalgo, named in honor of the famed cura Miguel Hidalgo (Hidalgo himself never lived to see his namesake, having succumbed to old age and sickness in 1830).[2] Aside from the new state-of-the-art steamships, over a dozen new brigantines and schooners were also built for service in the Mexican Navy. The money allocations did not come out of thin air, and in order to fund the Navy’s new projects the Army’s budget was cut drastically. In retrospect it was one of Iturbide’s better decisions, pragmatic as he was to move money that was otherwise lining the purses of the Mexican Army’s corrupt officer corps to aid in building a capable naval power. Nevertheless, the Army was incensed at the President’s “meddling,” to the point that several officers planned to assassinate Iturbide during a routine visit to the Military Academy in May 1841. To say the President was not prepared for the confrontation is an understatement. Having been tipped off some time previous, all the conspirators were apprehended and subsequently arrested before the assassination could take place.
Mexican troops preparing for war
The general state of the Army was also an issue Iturbide had to tackle prior to the war. After independence the Army never deflated in size, maintaining about fifteen to twenty thousand permanent troops (known as permanentes) well into the 1830’s. Paying for such a large army in peacetime proved to be an unnecessary burden, made worse by the structural faults made evident during the Guatemala Rebellion. In 1840 Iturbide, in conjunction with the Congress, reorganized the Army with respect to its recent defunding, reducing the number of total regiments by almost half. Where the Army lost troops, however, it regained with the formation of three new artillery regiments, which were fitted with Valée Artillery the Mexican government purchased from France. The bulk of Iturbide’s military spending ended up with Great Britain, which gladly sold an assortment of several thousand Baker and Brunswick rifles to Mexico, which signified that Anglo-American relations were still very cool. The upgraded weapons meant nothing if they could not be utilized correctly, so efforts to train the Army accelerated. General Indalecio Allende stepped up to the challenge, having received military education in Great Britain during the 1820’s, President Iturbide appointed him as commandant of the Military Academy, serving for a second term (his first term at the outset of his father’s own term as President was cut short by his trek and subsequent stay in Europe). Indalecio spearheaded the campaign to integrate the new weaponry seamlessly into the structure of the Army. To his credit, Indalecio also introduced the first national armories to Mexico, with two being built at Pachuca and Monterrey. He even modified some of the Valée guns to work more efficiently in the rough terrain of the borderlands, in emulation of similar American mountain gun designs.
With mounting numbers of American troops amassing on the north shore of the Colorado River, Iturbide responded in kind, mobilizing 3,800 troops to Tejas through the first half of 1845. The two large armies in such proximity to one another, combined with the toxic political climate, left for a single spark to ignite the war both sides were anxious for. That spark came on the early morning of October 24, 1845, when American and Mexican troop on border patrol of their shared border began firing at one another. To this day there is no consensus as to which side fired first, with both sides blaming the other for the infamous first shots. From what can be ascertained is that the two opposing forces met at a narrowing of the Colorado River between the settlements of San Marcos and Nueva Saxonia, and in the dim light of the early morning, one side began to fire at what they deemed an invading party (both sides, of course, blame the other for crossing the border).[3] Regardless, when the American version of events reached Washington, President Polk immediately asked the Congress for a Declaration of War against Mexico, on the dubious claim that Mexico sought to retake the territory it had sold to the United States in 1818. With overzealous support from the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives, the United States officially declared war on November 4. The Mexican Congress would not follow suit until December 3, but as far as the Mexican Army in Tejas was concerned the war was over one month old. Initial engagements happened several miles north of the border skirmishes from October, at the Battle of Arroyo Claro. The battle concluded in a draw, but a delay in transporting arms and ammunition to the front line prompted the Mexicans to fall back at the Battle of la Bahía (losing the presidio there in the process) and at the Battle of Allende near the coast. Despite these setbacks, the Mexicans managed to halt the American advance, with victories at Béxar and la Ciénega, ensuring the Americans remained north and east of the Tejano capital and the Nueces River into January 1846. The timely arrival of Ignacio Allende, aged as he was (he turned 77 that January 21st), to the front aided in boosting morale and cohesion within the Mexican ranks. The dynamics of father and son jointly leading the defense of their nation was also inspiring. The Mexican respite did not last long. Sickness forced the elder Allende to retire and seek medical attention, giving the American army under General Zachary Taylor an opening to advance. Devising a feint, Taylor forced the Mexicans to focus most of their regiments near Béxar, allowing him to rout the defenders to the southeast. The Mexican troops retreated south, establishing defensive positions north of Villa del Refugio in Tamaulipas.[4] With his forces in the east faltering, Allende the Younger was forced to retreat, leaving Béxar to the Americans. By mid-February the front stabilized once more, with large portions of Tejas and Tamaulipas under American control. At this point discontent had reached a fever pitch in Mexico City. Ultraconservative elements of the ruling Centralist Party felt these military setbacks were due to the supposed ineptitude of President Iturbide, claiming he had failed to protect “la patria.”
General Zachary Taylor
Under the cover of darkness, a renegade officer by the name of Valentín Canalizo led several army units into the Valley of Mexico, and early on the morning of March 9 attacked the capital. Agents within the city sprang into action, with fierce fighting taking place in and around the Zócalo. Canalizo and other conservative politicians hoped to remove Iturbide by force, under the pretense that a more conservative president could prosecute the war more effectively. The attacking troops at one point even managed to break into Iturbide’s residence, but were repulsed by Iturbide’s personal guards and amazingly the President himself. Fighting raged well into the afternoon, but by nightfall Canalizo was held under arrest by federal troops at an undisclosed location, while the majority of his loyalists lay dead in the streets of Mexico City. While the attempted coup somewhat hurt the Mexican war effort, the successful defense of the capital against the traidores desagradecidos, as well as the heroic actions by Iturbide to defend his home and family brought morale to all new heights. Volunteers poured into the Army in droves, so much so that it was feared the strain in food and supplies would be too much for the Army to bear. Most of these new soldiers were sent north to the primary theater of war in Tejas, Tamaulipas and Nuevo León, with some sent to the defense of the Gulf Coast. Others still were sent to the northwest, to accompany Allende the Younger against the Army of the West, led by General Stephen W. Kearny, in order to defend Nuevo Mexico.
General Pedro de Ampudia
Kearny had entered the territory in February from his base at Fort Leavenworth and proceeded to occupy Santa Fé by the end of the month. Allende the Younger was stationed in Laredo at the time, and after leaving the majority of his troops there under the command of General Pedro de Ampudia, Allende trekked south to Saltillo, then west through Chihuahua, gaining volunteers along the way. It was here that Allende learned of New Mexico’s total capitulation to the Army of the West. With much haste Allende traversed the expansive Chihuahua Desert, suffering losses to the unforgiving summer heat. Allende reached Paso del Norte on the Río Bravo in early May with roughly 1,350 troops composed of element of the 3rd and 4th Infantry Regiments, with roughly 100 Lancers and about 150 light cavalry from the 2nd Guanajuato Dragoons. Allende engaged American General Alexander Doniphan south of Alburquerque in the Mesilla Valley, gaining a victory for the Mexicans. Doniphan quickly regrouped, and with reinforcements supplied by Kearny successfully pushed Allende out of the Valley. Allende fought Doniphan once more north of Chihuahua to a stalemate, forcing each side to retreat to Chihuahua and Paso del Norte respectively. Fighting lulled over the course of the summer, as the extreme heat brought both armies to heel. With both their numbers dwindling, Mexicans and Americans alike began treating with natives in the vicinity, with the hope of securing valuable support. While no tribe explicitly entered the fray, Doniphan and Kearny managed to secure the aid of Diné warriors willing to fight the Mexicans. Allende’s experience in the region allowed him a broader reach, allowing him to establish a tentative alliance with Comanchería. That September saw the Mexicans and their allied Comanche warriors break once more into the Mesilla, and despite the subsequent American victory, Allende managed to capture Paso del Norte from the Americans. The Americans were now on the defensive and on borrowed time, as Doniphan was unable to quell bouts of violence between the Diné and American troops. In early October Doniphan received word that a popular revolt had broken out in Taos to the north of Santa Fé.[5] It was not long before the Mexicans learned of it as well, and with new resolve they launched an assault on the token force left to defend Alburquerque. Doniphan held out for several weeks, until his supply lines into the United States were interrupted by Comanche raiders. On December 1 Doniphan signaled for a truce, and the following day the Mexican army regained control of Nuevo Mexico for the first time in nearly a year. Allende, against the wishes of many of his troops, allowed Doniphan to retreat back to the United States with the assurance that they would not fight against Mexico anymore. It was a decision Allende came to regret, as Doniphan instead retreated south and then west, down the Gila River to meet up with Kearny, who had been travelling to reinforce the American Pacific Squadron’s attack on Alta California.
The Battle of Monterrey, one of the bloodiest of the whole war.
Back in Tejas and Tamaulipas, the Mexicans under General Ampudia were forced out of Laredo, giving General Taylor total control of Tejas. This left Ampudia and his army of over 5,200 men as the only defense standing in the way of Monterrey, a prize the Americans were all too eager to claim. Taylor’s army of over 6,000 marched south from occupied Camargo downriver, where reinforcements and supplies were arriving via the Gulf of Mexico. Taylor followed the Sabinas River, deep into Nuevo León, managing to brush past hastily formed Nuevo León militia. On July 4 the Americans had reached the northern reaches of Monterrey, where the Mexican Army had installed a defensive line running northeast of the city. Taylor led the bulk of his troops in a hook motion, invading from the northwest, while a smaller diversionary force led by William J. Worth attacked from the northeast. The first day of battle proved to be a bloody fiasco for the Americans, as many troops had no experience in urban warfare. The Americans would march down the wide city streets, where they became easy targets for Mexican infantry lurking in the shadows of the city’s adobe structures.[6] Worth’s force was annihilated on July 5, after a second push from the northeast met even more entrenched resistance, despite being supplemented by extra troops under Taylor. Taylor’s advances from the west were more successful, as he managed to defeat Mexican troops on Federation hill south of the city. On July 7 Taylor crossed the Santa Catarina River, occupying the western half of the city and marking a low point for the Mexicans. The heaviest fighting took place in and around the central plaza during the afternoon of the 8th, with the fighting not dying down until the early the next morning. Ampudia managed to halt Taylor’s advance, but the city remained divided. The timely arrival of over 500 volunteers from north and western Mexico by way of Saltillo tipped the balance, as the Americans became trapped inside the city. Realizing his position was no longer tenable Taylor orchestrated a breakout from within the city, which has been described as almost mythical. After a week of fighting, the Mexicans retained Monterrey, having managed to push Zachary Taylor back to the Río Bravo. Subsequent thrusts by the Americans into Nuevo León in late July and September were rebuffed. The Battle of Monterrey is considered one of the bloodiest of the entire war, with the total death toll exceeding 2,000. Monterrey also marked the most southerly advance by the American Army. Taylor’s failure to win the city prevented him from linking up with naval elements attacking Tampico, ensuring the strategic port remained in Mexican hands.[7]
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Notes
[1] Same as OTL. After several years the Tlacotalpan site was abandon and the Navy set up shop in nearby Alvarado. I still haven't decided if I wanna do that, or if there's a better city to eventually settle on.
[2] The first two steamers are also from OTL. Difference here is they are built a couple years early. Also, the Hidalgo is exclusive to TTL.
[3] San Marcos in TTL is more or less an OTL transplant, just a couple miles north of it's real-life counterpart. Nueva Saxonia (New Saxony) is a German immigrant colony, more or less in place of La Grange, TX.
[4] Villa del Refugio is the original name of Matamoros.
[5] The Taos Revolt also happens, like in OTL. Unlike OTL, There's actually a Mexican Army nearby to help out so it's not crushed by the Americans.
[6] No independent Texas means that the American's do get tipped on what NOT to do in an urban warfare setting. Naturally the Mexicans are able to exploit this.
[7] Butterflies due to the American loss at Monterrey.
So the American's didn't start off too badly. Still, it sounds like their ability to wage war was severely damaged at Monterrey. The question is are the Mexicans going to fully expel the Americans from their territory, and will they advance into American territory. Greatly looking forward to the next update!
Razgriz 2K9
Banned
I for one am impressed that Mexico is performing quite well compared to OTL. Many European powers saw Mexico as the one to beat OTL as well, and I for one hope that this is true.
Excelente!!
As always!
This will likely be the game changer. Along with a much more difficult landing at Veracruz, seeing how Mexico has a navy and rail linking the capital to the port. Winfield Scott might not be so lucky in TTL.
Veracruz might fall, but I doubt the Americans will get past the mountains into Puebla.
California, despite Doniphan's losses might still be up for a struggle.
As always!
This will likely be the game changer. Along with a much more difficult landing at Veracruz, seeing how Mexico has a navy and rail linking the capital to the port. Winfield Scott might not be so lucky in TTL.
Veracruz might fall, but I doubt the Americans will get past the mountains into Puebla.
California, despite Doniphan's losses might still be up for a struggle.
I've got a suggestion for more immigration to Mexico...
Have Mexico look attractive to Catholics from Europe (this is from Male Rising (1), where Jonathan Edelstein did a similar thing with Brazil) and from Asia, later on.
Waiting for the next update.
(1) Read that TL sometime. It's quite good.
At least Mexico won't fall to the drug cartels ITTL...
Will you look at technology, pop culture, et. al.?
Have Mexico look attractive to Catholics from Europe (this is from Male Rising (1), where Jonathan Edelstein did a similar thing with Brazil) and from Asia, later on.
Waiting for the next update.
(1) Read that TL sometime. It's quite good.
At least Mexico won't fall to the drug cartels ITTL...
Will you look at technology, pop culture, et. al.?
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Well, I get back after a very long absence, only to be greeted with one of my favourite timelines, with Mexico kicking in the U.S. Army's teeth off their mouths.
Now this is only concentrated awesome, and I just loved the descriptions of this battles. And yes, I think that, should you feature the San Patricios at some point, the U.S. should go into a nasty anti-Catholic streak at some point down the line, citing "treacherous Papists" as one of their main causes for the military defeat on the war, thus making Mexico more attractive to Catholic European immigrants...
But alas, those are my thoughts.
Now this is only concentrated awesome, and I just loved the descriptions of this battles. And yes, I think that, should you feature the San Patricios at some point, the U.S. should go into a nasty anti-Catholic streak at some point down the line, citing "treacherous Papists" as one of their main causes for the military defeat on the war, thus making Mexico more attractive to Catholic European immigrants...
But alas, those are my thoughts.
Yeah, give credit where credit is due, the Americans were a force to be reckoned with. Of course now the US must fight a Mexico that isn't hindered by the main problems that brought it down in OTL. The Mexicans are on the offensive now, where that takes them we'll see in the next two updates, though Mexican incursions into American territory is not out of the question.
Thanks Nassir!
Thanks!
Mexico had almost everything it needed to beat back the Americans, and while not quite so simple, the absence of Santa Anna and his ilk alone works wonders. Speaking of, I've been very quiet about good ol' Santy Anny thus far. He'll be making cameos very soon. A different man, but still the same fuck up as before.
Thanks Ganesha!
You're correct, Tampico was kind of a stepping stone to Veracruz, and from there to the capital (i.e. victory). Nice work!
Thanks Zinc!
They shall, though these butterflies are random as fuck so Mexico won't get it all easy. Hehe you got that right!
One thing I also omitted (though from several updates ago) was that TTL northern Mexico's infrastructure was nearly intact at the start of the war, as the Mexican government actually made strides (as late as they were) to appease the Comanche, so they don't destroy everything north of Durango and depopulate the region of Mexican settlers. By contrast the Americans are doing an excellent job at pissing them off, and that's definitely gonna bite them in the ass real bad. Thanks othyrsyde!
Thanks jycee!
Lol you know what's up man, that's a spot on description of where things are heading. You're right about Veracruz as well, it might fall, but I guarantee Puebla won't...assuming the American's advance that far, if they get stuck in Veracruz the Mexican's may just let yellow fever do all the work.
You're also correct on California, which I'll be covering in the next update.
No worries, they will hehe
Thanks!
That will definitely be a thing post-war...and I am familiar with Jonanthan's work (I've just been bad with keeping up, slowly making my way through the updates. But yes I agree, it is excellent ). I will also mention that Mexico will be receiving a great deal of Filipino immigration later on in the century. I'll definitely be posting on the state of technology, pop culture and all that good stuff after I'm done with the war. It's been 50 years since the PoD so it's high time I got to show y'all that.
Lol welcome back man! I'm honored to hear my timeline is a favorite of your
I'll definitely be giving some spotlight to the San Patricios, and you're correct, the Anti-Catholic backlash in the US will give immigration to Mexico a good boost. Your thoughts are most welcome! Having lived in el norte all my life it's always welcome to have the opinion of someone in the motherland.