Description: Long overshadowed by the American Civil War, the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) has received significantly less attention from historians partly because of its questionable origin and controversial outcome. Rather than treat the conflict with a form of historical amnesia, the contributors to this volume argue that the Mexican-American War was a formative experience for the more than three hundred future Civil War generals who served in it as lower-grade officers. The Mexican War was the first combat experience for many of them, a laboratory that equipped a generation of young officers with practical lessons in strategy, tactics, logistics, and interpersonal relationships that they would use later to command forces during the Civil War.
Brief description: Timothy D. Johnson is the Elizabeth Gentry Brown Professor of History at Lipscomb University. His previous books on the Mexican-American War include A Gallant Little Army: The Mexico City Campaign and For Duty and Honor: Tennessee's Mexican War Experience.
Review Quotes: "This edited volume features essays from some of the most eminent scholars in the field. . . . It is a welcome addition to the historiography of the Mexican-American War and, given how the authors connect the events from one war to the next, the American Civil War. Recommended"--CHOICE