Taylor felt that President James K. Polk was attempting to deprive him of any further military success which would aid in his campaign for the presidency.
Taylor decided to ignore orders to stay in Monterrey; he marched deeper into Mexico and seized Saltillo. Taylor also diverted the Center Division, under John E. Wool , from its expedition in Chihuahua to join him in Saltillo. With Wool's division, the U. When a letter from Gen. Scott to Taylor telling of the transfer of the bulk of Taylor's army to the gulf fell into Mexican hands, Santa Anna quickly marched north to try to knock Taylor out of Mexico while U. Taylor learned that Santa Anna was marching north and so he moved about 19 miles south of Saltillo to Agua Nueva.
Taylor sent out Maj. Taylor withdrew to a mountain pass at Buena Vista 12 miles north of Agua Nueva. Wool was charged with laying out the defenses. Santa Anna perceived the U. S forces declined the surrender. Taylor, worried about the safety of his supplies, rode to Saltillo that night to ensure the protection of his rear. Taylor returned to the field and made his presence known to his men; he was escorted by the Mississippi Rifles under his former son-in-law, Col.
Jefferson Davis. The Mississippians hit the flank of Ampudia's attacking column and Davis was wounded in the foot.
Meanwhile Wool rallied the broken regiments using the walls of the hacienda at Buena Vista as a defensive position supported by a battery under Thomas W. Sherman and two regiments of dragoons. The 3rd Indiana was brought to the support of Davis, and the two regiments formed an inverted V.
The Mexicans attacked this new line. The Hoosiers and Mississippians held their fire so long that the confused attackers paused briefly and were then hit by a wave of gunfire.
About 2, Mexicans were pinned down. A young Mexican lieutenant attempted to trick the U. Taylor and Wool saw through the ploy, but it did buy the trapped Mexicans enough time to escape. Santa Anna renewed an attack on the main U. An artillery battery under Braxton Bragg unlimbered with orders to maintain his position at all costs.
Taylor rode over to Cap. Bragg, and after a brief conversation in which Bragg replied he was using single shot, Taylor ordered "double-shot your guns and give them hell, Bragg". Later this order, although misquoted as "give them a little more grape , Captain Bragg", would be used as a campaign slogan which carried Taylor into the White House. During the night, Santa Anna declared victory and withdrew to Agua Nueva, after receiving a letter from Mexico City declaring that Santa Anna was needed to quell a political coup.
Santa Anna had taken his best shot at Taylor's army: he would now move south and try and hold off Scott. For the Mexicans, Buena Vista was a disaster. Santa Anna, whose ineptitude as a general has become legendary, actually had a good plan: had he crushed Taylor as he planned, Scott's invasion might have been recalled. Once the battle started, Santa Anna put the right men in the right places to succeed: had he committed his reserves to the weakened part of the American line on the plateau he might have had his victory.
If the Mexicans had won, the entire course of the Mexican-American War may well have changed. It was probably the Mexican's best chance to win a large-scale battle in the war, but they failed to do so. As a historical note, the St. Patrick's Battalion , a Mexican artillery unit comprised largely of defectors from the United States Army mainly Irish and German Catholics, but other nationalities were represented , fought with distinction against their former comrades.
The San Patricios , as they were called, formed an elite artillery unit charged with supporting the ground offensive on the plateau.
They fought very well, taking out American artillery placements, supporting the infantry advance and later covering a retreat. Taylor sent an elite squad of dragoons after them but they were driven back by withering cannon fire. They were instrumental in capturing two pieces of US artillery, later used by Santa Anna to declare the battle a "victory.
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