Hnau
Banned
The Second Mexican-American War
The origins of the Second Mexican-American War are rooted in the 1910 Mexican Revolution, when a rebel faction led by Francisco I. Madero attempted to overthrow Mexico’s dictator of more than thirty years, President Profirio Diaz. By June of 1911, the revolution had succeeded, and Madero was elected president. Madero’s victory, however, was short-lived. On February 19, 1913, Gen. Victorio Huerta arrested Madero and forced him to resign. On February 22, Madero was assassinated on orders from Huerta. A civil war erupted a few days later between Huerta’s forces (Federalists) and supporters of Madero (Constitutionalists), who were led by Governor Venustiano Carranza. Also involved was Emiliano Zapata in the south, who’s revolutionary Zapatistas opposed Huerta for disbanding radical organizations and suppressed resistance to land reforms. Meanwhile, with a several thousand men, Pancho Villa formed a military band, known as the Division of the North, and operated in the mountains of northern Mexico.
In the United States a new American Presidenet, Woodrow Wilson, took office in 1912. Wilson now faced the task of choosing a side in the ongoing Mexican Revolution. Wilson’s administration refused to recognize Huerta because of the corrupt manner in which he had seized power, and instituted an arms embargo on both sides of the civil war. When Huerta’s forces appeared to be winning the civil war in early 1914, Wilson lifted the arms embargo by offering to help Carranza. This action had volatile consequences. U.S. Navy warships had been stationed at the ports of Tampico and Vera Cruz to protect American and other foreign interests associated with the rich oil fields of the area.
This brings us to the Tampico Affair, the spark in the powder-keg that began the Second Mexican-American War. On April 9th, a group of sailors detached from the USS Dolphin went ashore at Tampico to retrieve supplies. Huerta’s troops arrested and detained seven of them. A short time later, the sailors were released, and President Huerta apologized to the United States for the incident. However, Admiral Mayo demanded a twenty-one-gun salute to the U.S. flag in addition to the apology. Huerta agreed only if the Americans would return the honor. When learning of the incident, an angry President Wilson refused Huerta’s request. Instead, he ordered the U.S. Navy’s Atlantic Fleet to Mexico’s Gulf Coast to strengthen American forces and occupy Tampico.
[In OTL, an American consul’s office in Vera Cruz reported that a German ship delivering arms (U.S.-made, incidentally) for Huerta was expected on April 21st, 1914. The consul never notices this. Thus, Wilson waits for Congress to approve the occupation of Tampico.]
April 21st, 1914 – Mexican Federalist forces in Vera Cruz receive the arms shipment from Germany safely. The U.S. consul’s office receives the news, only it’s too late. Word is sent to the United States to warn Wilson.
April 23rd – Wilson receives the news of the weapons shipment in Vera Cruz, and immediately Congress complies to vote on the occupation of Vera Cruz instead, to seize what guns they can from the local customhouse. This does cause some confusion, and some frenzied drawing up of plans for an invasion of Vera Cruz, while the plans for the occupation of Tampico have already been drawn up…
The Battle of Vera Cruz
41 ships of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher begin a bombardment of Vera Cruz. By noon, 757 American Marines begin landing operations. Unfortunately, the Mexican Federalist soldiers have been forewarned, and have distributed all of the weapons in the latest shipment. General Gustavo Mass has made preparations, expecting the invasion.
By 4:00 PM, the Americans had taken 25 dead and 117 wounded, and it was obvious that things were not turning out as expected. An additional 1574 reinforcements stumbled in from the ships by 5:00 PM. Hit-and-run guerilla tactics and rooftop sniper fire nevertheless took their toll on the ground-pounders. By the end of the 24th, another 16 troopers had died and 68 wounded. Fletcher called in even more reinforcements to ground operations during the night, 1024 of them, all the rest he was willing to risk.
April 24th - The soldiers fought throughout the night, finally reaching the central town square by noon the next day (25th) with 30 more deaths and 82 wounded. This led to a total of 338 casualties by that time, and the Battle of Vera Cruz was not over! By 9:00 PM the Naval Academy, the main center of resistance, had fallen after prolonged naval bombardment. However, General Mass was still conducting guerilla warfare while he attempted to pull weapons and equipment out of the port to be used elsewhere. Urban warfare would continue for four days longer, encouraged by Commodore Azueta and his cadets.
April 26th – President Wilson sends sixteen thousand troops to Texas for “war games” and training, much as Taft had done three years before him.
April 28th – The Battle of Vera Cruz ends, as serious resistance tapers off and American control of Vera Cruz is cemented and consolidated. The U.S. forces have suffered 151 dead and some 450 wounded. The American press has called it a bloodbath despite the best attempts of the Wilson administration to say otherwise. On the other side, the Mexicans held their own, though suffered comparatively more deaths, with 222 killed and 268 wounded. The fact that the U.S. suffered a fifth more casualties causes the presses back home to call it a bloodbath, either as an honorable price to pay, or a fiasco. The Battle of Vera Cruz leaves a wake throughout U.S. politics.
The origins of the Second Mexican-American War are rooted in the 1910 Mexican Revolution, when a rebel faction led by Francisco I. Madero attempted to overthrow Mexico’s dictator of more than thirty years, President Profirio Diaz. By June of 1911, the revolution had succeeded, and Madero was elected president. Madero’s victory, however, was short-lived. On February 19, 1913, Gen. Victorio Huerta arrested Madero and forced him to resign. On February 22, Madero was assassinated on orders from Huerta. A civil war erupted a few days later between Huerta’s forces (Federalists) and supporters of Madero (Constitutionalists), who were led by Governor Venustiano Carranza. Also involved was Emiliano Zapata in the south, who’s revolutionary Zapatistas opposed Huerta for disbanding radical organizations and suppressed resistance to land reforms. Meanwhile, with a several thousand men, Pancho Villa formed a military band, known as the Division of the North, and operated in the mountains of northern Mexico.
In the United States a new American Presidenet, Woodrow Wilson, took office in 1912. Wilson now faced the task of choosing a side in the ongoing Mexican Revolution. Wilson’s administration refused to recognize Huerta because of the corrupt manner in which he had seized power, and instituted an arms embargo on both sides of the civil war. When Huerta’s forces appeared to be winning the civil war in early 1914, Wilson lifted the arms embargo by offering to help Carranza. This action had volatile consequences. U.S. Navy warships had been stationed at the ports of Tampico and Vera Cruz to protect American and other foreign interests associated with the rich oil fields of the area.
This brings us to the Tampico Affair, the spark in the powder-keg that began the Second Mexican-American War. On April 9th, a group of sailors detached from the USS Dolphin went ashore at Tampico to retrieve supplies. Huerta’s troops arrested and detained seven of them. A short time later, the sailors were released, and President Huerta apologized to the United States for the incident. However, Admiral Mayo demanded a twenty-one-gun salute to the U.S. flag in addition to the apology. Huerta agreed only if the Americans would return the honor. When learning of the incident, an angry President Wilson refused Huerta’s request. Instead, he ordered the U.S. Navy’s Atlantic Fleet to Mexico’s Gulf Coast to strengthen American forces and occupy Tampico.
[In OTL, an American consul’s office in Vera Cruz reported that a German ship delivering arms (U.S.-made, incidentally) for Huerta was expected on April 21st, 1914. The consul never notices this. Thus, Wilson waits for Congress to approve the occupation of Tampico.]
April 21st, 1914 – Mexican Federalist forces in Vera Cruz receive the arms shipment from Germany safely. The U.S. consul’s office receives the news, only it’s too late. Word is sent to the United States to warn Wilson.
April 23rd – Wilson receives the news of the weapons shipment in Vera Cruz, and immediately Congress complies to vote on the occupation of Vera Cruz instead, to seize what guns they can from the local customhouse. This does cause some confusion, and some frenzied drawing up of plans for an invasion of Vera Cruz, while the plans for the occupation of Tampico have already been drawn up…
The Battle of Vera Cruz
41 ships of the U.S. Atlantic Fleet under the command of Rear Admiral Frank Fletcher begin a bombardment of Vera Cruz. By noon, 757 American Marines begin landing operations. Unfortunately, the Mexican Federalist soldiers have been forewarned, and have distributed all of the weapons in the latest shipment. General Gustavo Mass has made preparations, expecting the invasion.
By 4:00 PM, the Americans had taken 25 dead and 117 wounded, and it was obvious that things were not turning out as expected. An additional 1574 reinforcements stumbled in from the ships by 5:00 PM. Hit-and-run guerilla tactics and rooftop sniper fire nevertheless took their toll on the ground-pounders. By the end of the 24th, another 16 troopers had died and 68 wounded. Fletcher called in even more reinforcements to ground operations during the night, 1024 of them, all the rest he was willing to risk.
April 24th - The soldiers fought throughout the night, finally reaching the central town square by noon the next day (25th) with 30 more deaths and 82 wounded. This led to a total of 338 casualties by that time, and the Battle of Vera Cruz was not over! By 9:00 PM the Naval Academy, the main center of resistance, had fallen after prolonged naval bombardment. However, General Mass was still conducting guerilla warfare while he attempted to pull weapons and equipment out of the port to be used elsewhere. Urban warfare would continue for four days longer, encouraged by Commodore Azueta and his cadets.
April 26th – President Wilson sends sixteen thousand troops to Texas for “war games” and training, much as Taft had done three years before him.
April 28th – The Battle of Vera Cruz ends, as serious resistance tapers off and American control of Vera Cruz is cemented and consolidated. The U.S. forces have suffered 151 dead and some 450 wounded. The American press has called it a bloodbath despite the best attempts of the Wilson administration to say otherwise. On the other side, the Mexicans held their own, though suffered comparatively more deaths, with 222 killed and 268 wounded. The fact that the U.S. suffered a fifth more casualties causes the presses back home to call it a bloodbath, either as an honorable price to pay, or a fiasco. The Battle of Vera Cruz leaves a wake throughout U.S. politics.
I intend to continue.