Historical Events
- 1846-04-25 Thornton Affair: Open conflict begins over the disputed border of Texas, triggering the Mexican–American War
- 1846-05-03 Mexican Army begins the Siege of Fort Texas near Brownsville, Texas, during the Mexican–American War
- 1846-05-08 First major battle of the Mexican–American War fought at Palo Alto, Texas
- 1846-05-09 Battle of Resaca de la Palma-US sends Mexico back to Rio Grande
Congress Votes for War
1846-05-13 US Congress votes in favor of President James K. Polk’s request to declare war on Mexico over border disputes
- 1846-05-18 US troops attack Rio Grande occupying Matamoros, during the Mexican–American War
- 1846-08-17 Commodore Robert F. Stockton of the US Navy, annexes California
- 1846-08-18 General Stephen W Kearney's US forces capture Santa Fe, New Mexico
- 1846-09-25 US troops under General Zachery Taylor occupy Monterey, Mexico, during Mexican–American War
- 1847-01-19 Mexican and indigenous Pueblo warriors kill territorial governor Charles Bent (47), and 5 others in a revolt against new American rulers in Taos, New Mexico Territory
- 1847-01-24 1,500 New Mexican Indians & Mexicans defeated by US Colonel Price
- 1847-02-22 Battle of Buena Vista begins between US and Mexican troops
Battle of Buena Vista
1847-02-23 Battle of Buena Vista, Mexico; Zachary Taylor leads mostly volunteer troops against larger Mexican Army force; Mexico retreats, both sides claim victory
- 1847-03-07 US General Scott occupies Vera Cruz, Mexico
- 1847-09-08 US under General Scott defeat Mexicans at Battle of Molino del Rey
- 1847-09-12 Mexican–American War: the Battle of Chapultepec begins
- 1847-09-13 Battle of Chapultepec: American forces capture Chapultepec Castle during the Mexican–American War allowing US General Winfield Scott to go on to take Mexico City
- 1847-09-14 US Marines under General Scott enter Mexico City (halls of Montezuma)
- 1848-02-02 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ends the Mexican–American War. Mexico loses 55 percent of its territory to the US, including California, Nevada and Utah in exchange for $15 million.
- 1848-05-30 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo between the United States and Mexico comes into force, giving California Nevada, Utah and most of Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona to the US in return for $15 million
Compromise of 1850
1850-01-29 Senator Henry Clay drafts the Compromise of 1850 to defuse tensions between slave states and free states over territories won during the Mexican–American War
Famous Birthdays
Zachary Taylor (1784-1850)
1784-11-24 12th US President (1849-50) and major general in the Mexican–American War, born in Barboursville, Virginia
- 1796-09-22 Cornelius Stribling, American Naval Commander (Mexican–American War, Civil War), born in Pendleton, South Carolina (d. 1880)
- 1807-06-11 James F. Schenck, American rear admiral (Mexican–American War), born in Franklin, Ohio (d. 1882)
- 1811-11-19 John Ancrum Winslow, American naval officer (Mexican–American War), born in Wilmington, North Carolina (d. 1873)
- 1821-06-13 Gustavus Fox, U.S. Navy officer (Mexican–American War), born in Saugus, Massachusetts (d. 1883)
- 1822-05-21 Mosby Monroe Parsons, United States officer in the Mexican–American War and brigadier general of the Confederate States Army, born in Charlottesville, Virginia (d. 1865)