first edition Hardcover
1847 · Washington, D.C.
by Polk, James K. (1795-1849), et al.
Washington, D.C.: Wendell and Van Benthuysen, 1847. First Edition. Hardcover. Good. Thick octavo: 1367, [1, blank], 249 pp. with 17 folding maps and 5 folding tables (collated complete). In a period one-half brown calf over marbled paper binding, with black and red leather spine labels, four raised bands, and gilt-stamped titles and borders. Some general foxing and occasional toning to the contents. The joints are cracked. The boards are edgeworn, with a bit of loss to dry leather at the corners and tips. Tuturow 1684.
Polk's message to Congress is a comprehensive review of the American case for the war with Mexico that had commenced in April of 1846, and reads like a primer for Manifest Destiny: "the war has not been waged with an eye toward conquest; but having been commenced by Mexico, it has been carried into the enemy's country and will be vigorously prosecuted there with a view toward obtaining an honorable peace..." In addition to unrelated reports from the Secretary of the Navy, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and the Postmaster General, the publication contains more than 800 pages (including the appendix) of field reports, maps, casualty lists, letters, and despatches from commanding officers on the conduct of the Mexican War submitted by Secretary of War William Marcy. The major battle reports include: Buena Vista; Vera Cruz; Cerro Gordo; Contreras, San Antonio and Churubusco; Molino del Rey; Capture of Mexico City; Puebla and Huamantla; Atlixco; the march to Jalapa; Chihuahua; California; and New Mexico. These dramatic eyewitness reports are authored by Generals Winfield Scott, Zachary Taylor, and Stephen W. Kearny, Colonel A. W. Doniphan, and more than 75 other U. S. Army officers, including Colonel Jefferson Davis, Mississippi Riflemen. The Battle of Chapultepec and subsequent occupation of Mexico City in September of 1847 effectively concluded major combat operations for the remainder of the conflict, and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo formally ending the war was signed on February 2, 1848. (Inventory #: 78074)
Polk's message to Congress is a comprehensive review of the American case for the war with Mexico that had commenced in April of 1846, and reads like a primer for Manifest Destiny: "the war has not been waged with an eye toward conquest; but having been commenced by Mexico, it has been carried into the enemy's country and will be vigorously prosecuted there with a view toward obtaining an honorable peace..." In addition to unrelated reports from the Secretary of the Navy, the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, and the Postmaster General, the publication contains more than 800 pages (including the appendix) of field reports, maps, casualty lists, letters, and despatches from commanding officers on the conduct of the Mexican War submitted by Secretary of War William Marcy. The major battle reports include: Buena Vista; Vera Cruz; Cerro Gordo; Contreras, San Antonio and Churubusco; Molino del Rey; Capture of Mexico City; Puebla and Huamantla; Atlixco; the march to Jalapa; Chihuahua; California; and New Mexico. These dramatic eyewitness reports are authored by Generals Winfield Scott, Zachary Taylor, and Stephen W. Kearny, Colonel A. W. Doniphan, and more than 75 other U. S. Army officers, including Colonel Jefferson Davis, Mississippi Riflemen. The Battle of Chapultepec and subsequent occupation of Mexico City in September of 1847 effectively concluded major combat operations for the remainder of the conflict, and the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo formally ending the war was signed on February 2, 1848. (Inventory #: 78074)
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