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Gringo! Battle Book 1 The Battles of: Monterey • Buena Vista Cerro Gordo • El Molino del Rey and Chapultepec BATTLE BOOK © 2004 GMT Games, LLC P.O. Box 1308, Hanford, CA 93232-1308 www.GMTGames.com #0306 © 2004 GMT Games, LLC 2 Gringo! Battle Book Historical Background Taylor and Northern Mexico (Monterey and Buena Vista) The War with Mexico is not a topic that excites admiration in too Most US “survey” texts tend to place Arista’s Mexicans at about many minds, especially in these days of political correctness. With- 6000 to Taylor’s 2200+. While the latter figure is pretty much unas- out going into all the pros and cons of why we were there in the first sailable, the Mexican numbers are not so sacrosanct. In fact, all place, suffice to say both sides had a lot to be unhappy about. That Mexican sources state Arista had only about 3700 men! As 6000 President Polk, with Zach Taylor’s help, pushed the situation over would be accurate only if all the Mexican line regiments were up to the edge, is pretty much a given. Then again, Mexico, with her po- paper strength—which they almost never were, added to which litical stew at its usual boil, did not exactly shrink from wading in. Arista left a sizeable force behind at Matamoros—we have opted As a matter of fact, opinion below the Rio Grande—and throughout for a Mexican army of just under 4000 or so. Regardless, troop much of the Western world—was that the small and fractured U.S. numbers were almost totally irrelevant at the first major engage- Army would be a push-over for Mexico’s far larger, European- ment of the war, for Palo Alto was an artillery battle in almost its trained and armed force. entirety. Unfortunately for the Mexicans, all the good stuff was on the wrong side of the field. Whatever, Mexico still considered Texas part of Mexico, even though it was now a U.S. state. So, in May of 1846, with a prod from Presi- The Mexicans deployed in a rather extended—and thin—line across dent Paredes, Mexico’s commanding general, the unfortunate but the road south to the Rio Grande, just north of a large growth of not totally incapable, Mariano Arista, took his Army of the North, trees (Palo Alto means “tall timber”, or something to that effect). crossed the Rio Grande, and headed into United States territory for Taylor, who insisted on approaching the Mexicans complete with a a confrontation. Arista had executed a turning maneuver against rather huge wagon train, deployed in the face of the Mexicans. Both Taylor’s army at Fort Brown/Matamoros, by crossing the Rio Grande sides expected a classic, frontal battle—it was not to be. down river in an effort to seize Taylor’s supplies at Port Isabel. Un- fortunately for Arista, Taylor countered the move rather quickly by The Mexicans opened with a few desultory artillery shots, all of getting between Arista and the gulf and then heading south towards which hit the ground and bounced with such minimal impetus that the Mexican army. the deployed US regulars simply avoided them by stepping aside. Then the US artillery opened up. The “flying” field and horse artil- The US Army of Observation was a division-sized force of US regu- lery of Sam Ringgold and John Duncan moved and fired so rapidly, lars under “Old Rough and Ready”, Zachary Taylor, a man of im- and to such accurate effect, that the Mexicans could not believe mense courage and even larger political ambitions, but a tactician their eyes. After standing there and getting pounded for some time, of somewhat minimal military perception. His usual theory was to Arista finally ordered Torrejon to charge the US right and change take everything with a bayonet charge, and he had a poor apprecia- the impetus of the battle. Off went Torrejon’s men…but before they tion of the marvelous artillery he had been given and had a simi- could arrive, Garland swung the 5th infantry around and into Square, larly dim conception of logistics. His peers may have thought little successfully beating off Torrejon’s charge. It was then further dis- of him, but his men loved him. Not something the Mexicans could rupted by some counter-charging Dragoons. say about their generals. As Torrejon trotted back to the Mexican lines, some burning wads from Duncan’s guns lit a grass fire several hundred yards in front of © 2004 GMT Games, LLC Gringo! Battle Book 3 the US lines, starting a wall of grass fire that spread westward to- quick council of war was held, with Taylor’s advisors about split wards the road. With the billowing smoke providing cover, both down the middle between aggression and caution. However, when sides re-dressed their lines, with the Mexicans attempting to swing Taylor—always a sucker for the basic principle of “…when in doubt, their right forward in an oblique manner and both sides, in effect, just slam right up the middle and hope the bayonet carries the day”— each wheeling about 30º. However, all this achieved was that, when heard that his men felt that, having prevailed rather easily the day the smoke lifted, the Mexican infantry was closer to the US guns, before, they would have no problem winning again, he ordered his which now proceeded to rain destruction on the Mexican right wing army to attack. infantry as it crossed in front of them. This put most of the Mexican right into a full retreat, and Arista’s request for a second Torrejon Without belaboring the point, his men were right. With a screen of charge came to naught. skirmishers in advance and to the side, the gringos started down the road towards the resacas. Part of the 5th US filtered through the Short of artillery ammunition, his men in a state of virtual shock, chaparral at the western edge of the resaca, while the rest of the Arista chose discretion over valor and withdrew from the field. The small army moved forward under heavy, and often effective, fire. Mexicans had lost some 350 men; the rest were almost totally de- After skirmishers unmasked the Mexican batteries at the center, moralized. US losses were limited to five deaths, but the Mexican batteries whose guns were taking their toll on the slowly advancing army was still intact (their retreat was quite orderly) and they still North Americans, Charles May’s dragoons were ordered to charge held the road. Unfortunately, one of the US losses was Major Samuel them. They did, knocking most of the Mexican gunners to the side. Ringgold, their brilliant artillerist, who had his entire groin area But their momentum carried them far beyond their target, across shot out by a Mexican cannonball as he stood up in the stirrups of the resacas and halfway to Mexico. May’s men had to turn around his horse. Ouch. and then fight their way back through Diaz de la Vega’s infantry, which had reformed behind them. In doing so, May’s bugler grabbed After Palo Alto, Arista marched his rather dispirited army some 20 hold of General Vega himself, taking him prisoner…for which May miles south, down the road, to what his engineers determined would then took the credit. be a far better defensive position: a broad “resaca” that cut across both roads south…a position virtually covered by dense chaparral Taylor was not overly happy at May’s failure and now ordered and approachable only at a difficult angle. The Mexicans called this Belknap’s infantry in to “… take those guns, and, by God, keep Resaca de Guerrero; the gringos chose the name by which the north- them.” This meant, of course, Taylor’s favorite tactic, the bayonet ernmost channel was known: de la Palma. assault…and it was a fearful one, with Mexicans and North Ameri- cans slugging it out in the resacas in desperate, hand-to-hand fight- The Mexican position was quite good…so good that Ampudia and ing. When the Mexican line started to waver, a final US assault several of Arista’s staff convinced Arista that the Americans would broke it… and the entire Mexican center collapsed. never attack such an unassailable position, especially outnumbered as they were. So, Arista deployed to cover both possible approaches and then sat down in his tent to write a few letters and reports. Un- fortunately for Arista, several things were now conspiring to work against both him and his army: •• His men had not eaten a half-decent meal in a day; •• Most, if not all, of his men were totally demoralized by what they had seen of the US artillery. Few had any desire to see them in action again. (Arista’s staff had chosen this location just for that reason, that it effectively limited the offensive effectiveness of the US guns.); •• Arista’s deployment left his left wing totally hanging, mostly because he was advised—and believed—that Taylor could not get any men into this area; •• The chaparral-covered terrain almost totally nullified Arista’s tre- mendous advantage in cavalry; and, of course, there was always… •• Pedro de Ampudia. Stung that the “government” had given com- mand to Arista and not him, the unabashedly fame-and-office seek- ing Ampudia apparently spent most of the battle playing Iago, whispering all sorts of lies into Arista’s ear. Then again, Arista could have taken a peek outside his tent to see what all the shoot- ing was about.