The Training Ground Grant, Lee, Sherman, and Davis in the Mexican War, 1846-1848

by Dugard, Martin

• ISBN13: 9780316166256
• ISBN10: 0316166251
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-05-14
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company

Summary

Few historical figures are as inextricably linked as Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee. But less than two decades before they faced each other as enemies at Appomattox , they had been brothers--both West Point graduates, both wearing blue, and both fighting in the same cadre in the Mexican War. They were not alone: Sherman, Davis, Jackson -nearly all of the Civil War's greatest soldiers had been forged in the heat of Vera Cruz and Monterrey . The Mexican War has faded from our national memory, but it was a struggle of enormous significance: the first U.S. war waged on foreign soil; and it nearly doubled our nation. At this fascinating juncture of American history, a group of young men came together to fight as friends, only years later to fight as enemies. This is their story. Full of dramatic battles, daring rescues, secret missions, soaring triumphs and tragic losses, THE TRAINING GROUND is history at its finest.

Author Biography

Martin Dugard is the New York Times bestselling author of such nonfiction titles as Chasing Lance, The Last Voyage of Columbus, Farther Than Any Man, Knockdown, and Into Africa. He has written for Esquire, Outside, Sports Illustrated, and GQ. Dugard lives in Orange County, California, with his wife and three sons.

Table of Contents

Author's Note	p. ix
Appomattox	p. xi
Prologue	p. 3
Line in the Sand
Corpus Christi	p. 39
Rio Grande	p. 47
Rough and Ready	p. 57
Fields of Fire	p. 66
Call to Battle	p. 73
Fort Texas	p. 77
Clash	p. 83
Resaca de la Palma	p. 94
Brown Bess	p. 103
Volunteers	p. 112
Growing Up	p. 120
Taylor's War
Camargo	p. 129
Star-Spangled Banner	p. 136
Eager for Action	p. 141
First Mississippi	p. 150
The Westerner	p. 158
The Rifles	p. 165
Supply Train	p. 171
Prelude	p. 184
Monterrey, Day One	p. 197
Monterrey, Day Two	p. 214
The Mortar	p. 218
Politics and War
Change of Command	p. 235
The Perils of Occupation	p. 243
Policy and Power	p. 249
Scott's War
Transfers	p. 259
The Artillery Officer	p. 263
One Step Closer	p. 268
California	p. 271
Taylor Stands Alone	p. 275
The Hacienda	p. 280
Lobos Island	p. 286
Invasion	p. 292
National Road	p. 311
Twiggs's Dilemma	p. 315
Reconnaissance	p. 319
Pressing the Advantage	p. 328
The Aztec Club
"Nothing Can Stop This Army"	p. 335
Old Glory	p. 352
Conquest	p. 363
Fourth of July	p. 370
Epilogue	p. 375
Acknowledgments	p. 381
Appendix A	p. 383
Appendix B	p. 389
Appendix C	p. 393
Selected Notes and Biographies	p. 397
Selected Bibliography	p. 421
Index	p. 431
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