K. Jack Bauer (1926–1987)
Auteur de The Mexican War, 1846-1848
A propos de l'auteur
Œuvres de K. Jack Bauer
A Maritime History of the United States: The Role of America's Seas and Waterways (Studies in Maritime History) (1988) 16 exemplaires
Ships of the Navy, 1775-1969 2 exemplaires
Zachary Taylor 1 exemplaire
Mon Veneris — Photographe — 1 exemplaire
Revision - Jack Bauer — Photographe — 1 exemplaire
Oeuvres associées
Soldiering: Diary Rice C. Bull: The Civil War Diary of Rice C. Bull (1977) — Directeur de publication — 63 exemplaires
Étiqueté
Partage des connaissances
- Nom canonique
- Bauer, K. Jack
- Date de naissance
- 1926-07-30
- Date de décès
- 1987-09-17
- Sexe
- male
- Nationalité
- USA
- Lieu de naissance
- Springfield, Ohio, USA
- Lieu du décès
- Troy, New York, USA
- Études
- Harvard University (BA)
Indiana University (MA, PhD) - Professions
- Historian
- Organisations
- North American Society for Oceanic History (founder)
Membres
Critiques
Listes
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Auteurs associés
Statistiques
- Œuvres
- 10
- Aussi par
- 1
- Membres
- 333
- Popularité
- #71,381
- Évaluation
- 3.5
- Critiques
- 5
- ISBN
- 9
Bauer opens his book with the declaration that “[i]f America ever fought an unavoidable war, it was the conflict with Mexico over the delineation of the common boundary.” It’s a highly debatable point, especially considering that he devotes several pages to the efforts to avert the conflict through negotiation. These negotiations were prompted by the American annexation of Texas at the start of 1845, which inflamed U.S.-Mexican relations due both to the disputed status of Texas and the disagreements over which river – the Nueces or the Rio Grande – formed its border. Determined to assert the Rio Grande at the border, the newly elected president, James K. Polk, engaged in a policy of brinksmanship that he hoped would compel the Mexicans to back down.
Backing down was politically impossible for the Mexican government, however. The result was the deployment of U.S. and Mexican forces in the disputed Nueces-Rio Grande region, making conflict inevitable. This gave Polk the opportunity he sought to lay claim to a large swath of Mexican territory – not just Texas, but California as well. Yet the means available to realize these dreams were shockingly limited, as the United States Army was far too small for the operations now being proposed. Though volunteers quickly swelled the ranks, Bauer is frequently dismissive of their contribution, as their lack of training and discipline made them a poor substitute for professional soldiers.
It took time to organize the regiments and send them to Mexico. In the meantime the general in command of American forces in the disputed region, Zachary Taylor, found himself facing an army superior in numbers to his own. Yet the Mexicans proved even more poorly prepared for war than the Americans, and Taylor won a series of victories in northeastern Mexico that soon made him a national hero. Further progress was limited by a lack of reinforcements, though, prompting Taylor to turn over his command and return to the United States.
The soldiers denied Taylor were instead used for a more daring offensive. In March 1847 American forces landed outside of the Mexican port of Vera Cruz. Led by General Winfield Scott, they soon took Vera Cruz and were soon advancing on Mexico City itself. With their forces depleted after their defeats further north, the Mexican army under the command of General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna sought to halt the American advance, only to be routed completely. By the end of September Scott’s forces were in control of the Mexican capital, from which Polk’s representative negotiated a treaty that confirmed America’s gains from conquest.
Bauer’s book is primarily a history of the military operations of the war. While politics receives some coverage, most other aspects of the war are addressed only briefly, if at all. Instead, the focus is on the campaigns and the men who commanded him. Bauer excels in this area, providing a clear narrative that he uses to assess the achievements of the commanders and their contributions to the outcome. The greatest strength of the book, however, is his incorporation of the United States Navy’s operations into the war, the contribution of which has all too often been overshadowed by the more spectacular and memorable achievements of their sister service. Because of this, while there are more recent studies of the war available, Bauer’s remains a fine source to turn to for anyone seeking a description of the military operations that shaped its outcome and left such an outsized mark on subsequent history.… (plus d'informations)