A Gallant Little Army: The Mexico City Campaign (Modern War Studies) Review

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A Gallant Little Army: The Mexico City Campaign (Modern War Studies) ReviewTimothy Johnson's "A Gallant Little Army: The Mexico City Campaign" gives a detailed history and analysis of one of the most remarkable campaign's in American military history: when General Winfield Scott's tiny army landed on the coast of Mexico in 1847 and then fought its way across hundreds of miles of hostile territory to capture the enemy capital and end the Mexican War. Scott's army included numerous junior officers who less than two decades later would win fame as generals in the American Civil War, including both Robert E. Lee and Ulysses S. Grant. Scott had to overcome not only the Mexican Army but also tepid cooperation from his own government and obstacles thrown up by some of his subordinate commanders. But in the end he achieved a nearly unparalleled victory, albeit one largely forgotten today, its place in American history overshadowed by the events of the Civil War a decade and a half later. In an epilogue, Johnson discusses the influence of Scott's Mexico City campaign on leaders and operations of the Civil War, citing a number of examples that paralleled Scott's methods and goals. Astoundingly, no fewer than 135 veterans of Scott's small army later served as generals during the Civil War, including such famous names as Grant, Lee, Jackson, McClellan, Hooker, Meade, and Longstreet.
Johnson draws upon official reports, memoirs, and numerous contemporary letters and journals -- mostly American, but some Mexican as well -- to build a strong analytical narrarive illuminated by vivid detail.
I am giving this work only four stars instead of five because of the maps. Johnson himself in the introduction states "Maps are crucial to the reader of military history" but the maps in this volume are too small and quite poorly reproduced. (I photocopied the much clearer maps in John Eisenhower's "So Far From God: The U.S. War With Mexico 1846-1848" for use as a reference when reading Johnson's otherwise exemplary book.) Photographs of various battle sites are even more wretchedly reproduced.A Gallant Little Army: The Mexico City Campaign (Modern War Studies) OverviewIn 1847 General Winfield Scott boldly led a small but undaunted army from the Mexican coast all the way to the Halls of Montezuma, routing Mexican forces at every turn while pacifying the countryside. Scott's military campaign--America's first ever in a foreign country--helped pave the way for victory in the wider war against Mexico and also posed new challenges for discipline, logistics, and the treatment of civilians. Yet it has remained largely neglected by historians.In this first book-length study of Scott's brilliant six-month campaign, Timothy Johnson shows how Scott overcame such obstacles as inadequate supplies, intense officer rivalries, and lack of support from President Polk--not to mention a country full of potentially hostile Mexicans--to keep his army intact deep in enemy territory and win the war. He interweaves a compelling narrative of the campaign-including detailed battle replays, terrain descriptions, and eyewitness accounts--with a comprehensive analysis of strategy, operations, and tactics. Along the way, he also provides considerable insight into Scott's efforts to fight a "limited war" by combining military force with diplomatic negotiation and by implementing a pacification plan that now seems far ahead of its time.Scott developed a sophisticated strategy of moderation to end the war by employing a sword-and-olive-branch approach. Although his army repeatedly won battles against superior numbers as it drove ever deeper into Mexico's interior, Scott paused after each contest to give the enemy an opportunity to sue for peace. And by respecting civilian property and purchasing supplies from the populace, his troops limited local support for guerrillas that threatened communication lines. Meanwhile on the battlefield, Scott successfully executed surprise flank attacks at Cerro Gordo and Padierna, tactical masterpieces that inspired a generation of Civil War generals--like Grant, Lee, McClellan, and countless others.Providing the definitive work on the Mexico City campaign, A Gallant Little Army highlights the visionary command of a legendary general, the flinty toughness of the troops he led, and the emergence of the United States as a potential global military power.This book is part of the Modern War Studies series.

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