For the Mexican government to go to war with its more powerful northern neighbor in 1846 was folly. Mexico surrendered to the United States more than half a million square miles of territory, contributing to a legacy of distrust and bitterness towards the U.S. that has never entirely dissipated. The real prize was California. The Californios--Spanish speaking, non-native inhabitants of the province of Alta (Upper) California--had ambiguous loyalties to the Mexican government and minimal military capabilities. American control of California was considered the keystone of Manifest Destiny, and naval and amphibious operations along the Pacific coast began as early as 1821 and continued for weeks after the end of the war. This book describes the often overlooked military and naval operations in California before and during the Mexican War, and introduces readers to the colorful Californios, the American adventurers who arrived after them, and the Indians, who preceded them both.

Excerpt from The Conquest of California and New Mexico, by the Forces of the United States, in the Years 1846 and 1847 Whether by emigration or by war - by conquest or by purchase - New Mexico, and the Californias, one or all, are to become territories of the United States of North America, is no part of this work to discuss. Their geographical position and the course of events may tend to this result. It is, how ever, left to others to canvass the possibilities or probabilities, along With the policy of such consummation. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

2006 Scholar's Bookshelf reprint edition of one of the few sources for the events of these years, in particular the expedition in 1846 and 1847 under Col. Stephen W. Kearney and his ""Army of the West"" through New Mexico and on to California. The work chronicles the involvement of such figures as Kit Carson, Col. A.W. Doniphan, Charles Bent, Commodore Robert F. Stockton, and Captain John C. Frmont, and records many details about the rivalries and confusions of these leaders and their men as they undertook independent campaigns that eventually brought about the capture of California and the Treaty of Cahuenga. Reprint of the Philadelphia: 1847 edition. 2 maps.

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