Military Heritage article on Buena Vista

[Allen Wiener]

The June issue of Military Heritage has a very well-written article on he battle of Buena Vista, ironically fought on the 11th anniversary of the opening of the Alamo siege, with Santa Anna once again commanding the Mexicans. The article, "Old Rough and Ready at Buena Vista," is written by Mike Haskew. I haven't read much on this war, but the description of this battle illustrates how tough this war really was, and not at all the cakewalk it's often been portrayed as. The Mexicans suffered nearly 1/3 casualties; while the U.S. casualties were much less, it was a real struggle to win this battle. When it was over, I've heard that the Mexican War cost the U.S. its higest casualty rate of any war we have ever fought to this day.

AW

[Jim Boylston]

I'll have to pick this up. Likewise, I haven't studied the Mexican War to any great degree.
I just started Jeff Shaara's novel "Gone For Soldiers", which claims a certain level of historical accuracy, but others here could probably offer a more informed opinion on the book.
The History Book Club is listing "The Glorious Defeat" by Thomas Henderson due out later this month, a new history of the war that looks interesting.
Jim

[TRK]

I've been to the site of the Battle of Buena Vista a couple of times. To paraphrase a certain Alamo historian many of you remember fondly, it's where Santa Anna got his just deserts.

It's in a spooky, windblown pass in the mountains, and a real maze of a battlefield. The action spread out over rough and steep mountainsides and over "plateaus" that were riddled with gullies and steep, deep ravines. There were arroyos on Taylor's right flank that look like a minature version of the Grand Canyon. Those arroyos were impassible, and they relieved Taylor of having to worry much about his right flank.

Our old friend from the Alamo, Jose Vicente Minon, played a conspicuous role in the battle; he was supposed to cut off the main US forces at Buena Vista from their rear area at Saltillo. He made a half-hearted stab at it, but retreated after he came under shelling. And, Juan Seguin fought in this battle, but this time on the Mexican side (during his exile in Mexico; he returned to Texas the following year).

One of the bibles on Buena Vista is J. H. Carleton's book, The Battle of Buena Vista. Carleton was a dragoon officer in the battle, and he wrote his history of it shortly after the battle. You can download it for free here:

books.google.com/books?id=GnMFAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA1&dq=carleton+%22the+battle+of+buena+vista,+with%22&as_brr=1

[Allen Wiener]

According to the article, Taylor was disobeying Scott's orders by moving to Buena Vista with the intent of taking on the Mexicans. Scott wanted most of the troops and action at Vera Cruz.

The battle reminded me a bit of Gettysburg in that Taylor took the best ground before the enemy arrived, as Buford did for the Union at Gettysburg.

There was a good documentary on the Mexican War on the History Channel not long ago -- I believe Bill C. mentioned that he was one of the writers.

AW

[TRK]

Allen, there was a controversy over who picked the battleground at Buena Vista. Wool claimed the honor for himself, and even got testimonial letters from his officers pointing out how they were with Wool when he picked the ground, weeks before the battle. Taylor adherents argued that Old Zach picked the ground.

On the eve of the battle, Taylor had most of his army out on a limb, at the camp at Agua Nueva, in a wide-open area maybe 15 miles south of Buena Vista. Santa Anna thought he was going to pounce on the Americans in this exposed camp. It was largely based on the intelligence provided by Ben McCulloch of his scout to Encarnacion that Taylor moved his army back to Buena Vista just hours before Santa Anna arrived at Agua Nueva. Had Santa Anna caught Taylor there, he likely would have cut up or destroyed Taylor's force.

[Allen Wiener]

I think this is in the MH article. In fact, I was reminded of Travis in the days before Santa Anna's arrival at Bexar, when he, too, was taken by surprise at how close the Mexican army was. At Buena Vista, according to the article anyway, Taylor (like Travis) did not believe that the Mexican army could be anywhere near his forces, when the scout arrived with the news that Santa Anna was only 60 miles away. Then they had to scramble to better ground, by the skin of their teeth. The Americans were greatly outnumbered and there were times, from what I gather, when the outcome was very much in doubt. Both sides seem to have made some costly mistakes. Santa Anna, for example, made one very ill-advised and costly charge, and U.S. Col. Bowles misinterpreted a signal and ordered a retreat, which resulted in a Mexican advance that nearly resulted in a catastrophe.

AW

[Herb]

To me there are a lot of coinciding events between the campaigns leading up to the battles of Buena Vista and the Alamo. Much of it is obviously due to the similar role of San Luis Potosi as the starting point for both, and the harsh march conditions and attrition the Mexican Army experienced. Tom mentions Minion, but Santa Anna also used Urrea in a even more similar role to 1836.

Buena Vista is a very interesting campaign/battle to study. I think it demonstrates fully the riddle that is Santa Anna. He planned, a brillant campaign, that caught the Americans off guard, and developed an excellent plan for the battle, once contact was made. But, then he basically allowed subordinates to fight the battle disregarding the plan and seemed almost withdrawn from the battle's execution.

[TRK]

What Wolfpack said, plus Santa Anna was asleep at the switch when it came to logistical support on this campaign. I'd have to dig through references for numbers (help me, jagjetta!), but you'd be amazed at the pitifully weak transport Santa Anna had on the San Luis Potosi to Buena Vista march. The final leg of the march, from Encarnacion to Buena Vista, was a starvation forced march; reportedly, Santa Anna told his men that they could get food and water from the Americans in abundance once they beat Taylor and captured Saltillo.

[sloanrodgers]

trk said:

The final leg of the march, from Encarnacion to Buena Vista, was a starvation forced march; reportedly, Santa Anna told his men that they could get food and water from the Americans in abundance once they beat Taylor and captured Saltillo.

That reminds me of an old Mexican War ditty,
THE LEG I LEFT BEHIND ME.


I am stumpless quite since from the shot
Of Cerro Gordo peggin',
I left behind, to pay Gen. Scott
My grub, and gave my leg in.

I dare not turn to view the place
Lest Yankee foes find me,
And mocking shake before my face
The Leg I Left Behind Me.

At Buena Vista I was sure
That Yankee troops must surrender,
And bade my men hurrah, for you're
All going on a bender.

That all my hopes and plans were dashed,
My scattered troops remind me,
But though I there got soundly thrashed,
I left no leg behind me.

Should Gen. Taylor of my track get scent,
Or Gen. Scott beat up my quarters,
I may as well be content
To go across the waters.

But should that my fortune be,
Fate has not quite resigned me
For in the museum I will see,
The Leg I Left Behind me.

[Allen Wiener]

Yes - I found that one somewhere; it was sung to the tune of "The Girl I Left Behind Me" and commemorates Santa Anna's cork leg, which he left behind in his fine coach when he beat it out Cerro Gordo. He lost the leg in the so-called "Pastry War" with France. The cork leg is still in U.S. possession, I believe, and I once heard that an offer was made to swap it for the New Orleans Grays Alamo flag, but it was no deal.

AW

[stuart]

Bearing in mind the secret war that had gone on for Texas (to coin a phrase) something I find fascinating are the British sea-shanties, such as "Along the Plains of Mexico" which are overtly anti-American in tone and even include such lines as:

"Now Santa Anna he won the day; and General Taylor ran away"

[TRK]

RangerRod, those lyrics are a riot!

[Allen Wiener]

stuart said:

Bearing in mind the secret war that had gone on for Texas (to coin a phrase) something I find fascinating are the British sea-shanties, such as "Along the Plains of Mexico" which are overtly anti-American in tone and even include such lines as:

"Now Santa Anna he won the day; and General Taylor ran away"

Ah, but that was only what the British sailors sang; American seamen, of course, sang it the other way around. It's often forgotten that Britain was at odds with the United States over Oregon at the same time as the Mexican War. A typical U.S. verse:

When Zacharias Taylor gained the day,
Heave away, Santy Anno;
He made poor Santy run away,
All on the plains of Mexico..

The song itself appears under several titles, including Santy Anna and Santy Anno. One decent recording is by Hermes Nye on his old, old, Folkways LP "Ballads of the Civil War," which also includes a rendition of the "Pompey Smash"/"Davy Crockett" song, which actually dates from Crockett's own lifetime.

Santa Anna was the butt of a number of jokes in songs originating in the Mexican War, a period that also saw several new songs about the Alamo and its heroes. Those songs seemed to invoke the memory of Crockett & Co. as an inspiration to strike back at Mexico and to continue the fight the Alamo defenders, as well as the victors at San Jacinto, had begun. Who better to cast as the villain than Santa Anna? Many of the songs were actually written by U.S. soldiers in the field, probably accompanied by a tin whistle. A couple of examples:

“Buena Vista” ((1847; anonymous) refers to Santa Anna as the conquered villain and braggart:

That day heard Santa Anna boast,
Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!
Ere night he’d vanquish all our host,
Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!
But then the braggart did not know
That Taylor never yields to foe!
Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!

Some included racist references to the Mexicans, such as this stanza from "Way Down in Mexico":

Old Rough and Ready, he’s a trump,
Yeo-ho, yeo-ho!
He’ll wipe old Santa Anna out
And put the greasers all to rout,
‘Way down in Mexico.

"Uncle Sam and Mexico" includes another swipe at Santa Anna's cork leg and even mentions Ampudia:

Since Texas cut off Sant’ Anna’s peg
We’ll Amputate Ampudia’s leg,
An’ so his carcass de air don’t spoil,
We’ll boil it in his own hot oil.

Santa Anna's leg seems to have provided a good deal of musical inspiration. Another ditty, titled "Santa Anna’s L.E.G. from Illustrations of the Mexican War” includes:

We like to see heroes who’ll fight on their stumps,
They can do all their dancing without any pumps;
And, tho’ he’s not dead__as he oft wish’d to be;
Yet, I have been singing his last L.E.G.

Insrumental marches included "Santa Anna's Retreat from Cerro Gordo" and "Santa Anna's March."

AW

[TRK]

That bit about boiling Ampudia's leg in oil does have some significance...somebody refresh my feeble memory: There's something in the history books, as I vaguely recall, that accused Pedro de Ampudia of boiling the corpses of the enemy dead down to skeletons, following an insurrection or such in Mexico.

[sloanrodgers]

I'm glad you guys liked the song, The Leg I left Behind me,but
hope I don't get accused of starting a fandango sing-a-long in
a respectful war room. It was an accident. I swear. ;D