Gone for Soldiers
More praise for
Gone for Soldiers
“In moving back two decades to a war fought in the name of Manifest Destiny and in the unabashed pursuit of vast stretches of new territory for the United States at the expense of Mexico, Shaara has found an intriguing way to introduce us to the men who would later lead both sides in the struggle for the future of the Union.”
—The Philadelphia Inquirer
“If you’re a fan of Jeff Shaara and his writings you are going to like this book. I’m a fan, and I highly recommend it.”
—Civil War News
“The book will instantly appeal to those who have followed the progress of Jeff Shaara and appreciate his engaging attempt at humanizing history.”
—Chicago Sun-Times
“Among the officers who experienced combat in Mexico were Capt. Robert E. Lee, Lt. Thomas (later ‘Stonewall’) Jackson, Lt. James Longstreet, Lt. Ulysses Grant, Capt. Joseph E. Johnston, and Lt. Pierre Beauregard. Shaara’s great accomplishment—and what keeps him on the bestseller lists—has been his vivid and credible depictions of these and other men, based on his research from original sources.”
—Contra Costa Times
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“[A] STIRRING AND DEEPLY
CAUTIONARY SAGA …
Mexico’s defiant military leader Santa Anna [is] a richly drawn character who probably deserves his own novel. Shaara offers superb impressionistic descriptions of such crucial campaigns as the (early) navy attack on the port of Vera Cruz; the battles of Cerro Gordo, the ‘lava field’ known as the Pedregal, and Churubusco; and the triumphant conquest of Mexico City.… Another fine historical novel from a new master of the genre.”
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
“This is first-rate military historical fiction … What a cast of characters! The book is simply wonderful, populated with eminently human heroes who are called upon to perform Herculean tasks in a war muddied beyond redemption by the ambitions of back-home and battlefield politicians.… Well worth reading.”
—Library Journal (starred review)
“An inspiring historical yarn of courage, ingenuity, and sacrifice that depicts the growing pains of young America at a political and military crossroads.”
—BookPage
“The action scenes are fluid and compelling.”
—Publishers Weekly
By Jeff Shaara
Published by Ballantine Books:
GODS AND GENERALS
THE LAST FULL MEASURE
GONE FOR SOLDIERS
RISE TO REBELLION
THE GLORIOUS CAUSE TO
THE LAST MAN
JEFF SHAARA’S CIVIL WAR BATTLEFIELDS
THE RISING TIDE
THE STEEL WAVE
NO LESS THAN VICTORY
Gone for Soldiers is a work of fiction. Names, places, and incidents either are a product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A Ballantine Book
Published by The Random House Publishing Group
Copyright © 2000 by Jeffrey M. Shaara
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
BALLANTINE and colophon are registered trademarks of Random House, Inc.
eISBN: 978-0-345-44439-4
Maps by Mapping Specialists Ltd.
www.ballantinebooks.com
v3.1_r1
To my friend Ralph Johnson,
who for thirty years has been my Winfield Scott
Where have all the young men gone?
Gone for soldiers, every one …
—Pete Seeger
“Where Have All the Flowers Gone?”
Contents
Cover
Other Books by This Author
Title Page
Copyright
Dedication
Epigraph
To the Reader
Introduction
Part One - The Invasion
Chapter 1. Lee
Chapter 2. Scott
Chapter 3. Lee
Chapter 4. Scott
Chapter 5. Lee
Part Two - Bloody the Sword
Chapter 6. Lee
Chapter 7. Santa Anna
Chapter 8. Lee
Chapter 9. Scott
Chapter 10. Lee
Chapter 11. Scott
Chapter 12. Lee
Chapter 13. Scott
Chapter 14. Lee
Part Three - Into the Valley
Chapter 15. Lee
Chapter 16. Scott
Chapter 17. Lee
Chapter 18. Lee
Chapter 19. Lee
Chapter 20. Santa Anna
Chapter 21. Scott
Chapter 22. Lee
Chapter 23. Scott
Chapter 24. Scott
Chapter 25. Scott
Chapter 26. Worth
Chapter 27. Lee
Chapter 28. Lee
Part Four - To the Halls of Montezuma
Chapter 29. Longstreet
Chapter 30. Jackson
Chapter 31. Grant
Chapter 32. Scott
Chapter 33. Lee
Chapter 34. Santa Anna
Chapter 35. Scott
Chapter 36. Scott
Chapter 37. Lee
Chapter 38. Lee
Chapter 39. Lee
Afterword
TO THE READER
ONE OF THE MOST OVERLOOKED STORIES IN AMERICAN HISTORY is our involvement in a war with Mexico, from 1846 through 1848. The most obvious reason why the Mexican War is overlooked is that it predates the Civil War by only thirteen years. Such proximity to the most horrific event in our nation’s history easily explains why history books often pass over this more minor of wars, and skip quickly to the events of the 1860s.
While not all wars are as momentous as World War II or our Civil War, to that generation which lived through the experience no war is ever unimportant. The most significant result of the Mexican War was the amount of land the United States acquired, extending our boundaries to most of the limits we are familiar with today. Compared to other wars, the cost in human life was minimal, if that term is ever appropriate. The war was short, lasting only two years, and the actual fighting involved only a dozen significant battles. But what the history lessons often overlook is the extraordinary cast of characters who first experienced the horror of combat during the Mexican War. And it is that cast of characters that brings this book to life.
This story primarily follows the exploits of two men, Robert E. Lee and Winfield Scott, from March 1847 to the final days of the war in 1848. It is the story of the relationship between old and young, the commander and the subordinate, the veteran soldier and the untested engineer. Throughout this story we are introduced to many other characters, an extraordinary cast whose names are familiar not only to historians but to those with even a casual interest in the American Civil War.
We are a nation hungry for heroes. That observation has become nearly cliché in recent times, but the passion inspiring that hunger is still profound. Our interest in the Civil War is testament to that passion. Some have strong loyalties to these characters because of which color uniform they wore. Thirteen years before the outbreak of the Civil War, there was no difference in their uniform. The issues that would tear apart our nation in 1861 were uncomfortable disagreements in 1847. The soldiers fought under one flag, and their loyalty was to one commander. In Mexico, so many of the familiar names would fight side by side.
To many of us, these
characters are appealing because they represent something fundamentally decent; they stand as examples of dignity and honor holding firm despite the shattering collapse of their world. There are many who hope that we would be capable of such decency today.
It is impossible to study the Mexican War without seeing the parallels to our own time, to the amazing similarities to Vietnam, and the conflicts that war brought home. If anyone believes that the noisy shame of political behavior is a recent phenomenon, the Mexican War will seem modern indeed.
The events in this story are true, and the participation of each character is as close to exact as I could make it. But this is not a history book. The story is told through the thoughts and the voices of the characters themselves, from their own points of view. However accurately I have tried to portray each character, in the end each must be my own interpretation, a product of research into much personal material, original sources, letters, diaries, and journals written by the men themselves. Much of that research is marvelous discovery, a surprising journey through their own personal histories that can alter a preconceived notion, or eliminate a much repeated myth. The final result is a story that often surprises. It is, after all, a story about … all of us.
JEFF SHAARA
APRIL 1999
INTRODUCTION
IN 1844 THE UNITED STATES IS VERY MUCH A NATION FEELING its youth. Since the country was doubled in size by the Louisiana Purchase, there has been a passion for expansion, for pushing the boundaries farther west, a mission to bring the new enlightenment of the “American Ideal” to the entire continent. To politicians in Washington, this expansion is justified not just by an enthusiasm for our system of government, but by official policy. The document is the Monroe Doctrine, and the rallying cry becomes Manifest Destiny, as though it is not only in the nation’s best interests to expand our influence, but the best interest of anyone whose culture we might absorb. This practice has already resulted in bloody conflict with several Indian Nations, notably the Seminoles in Florida. It also leads to a showdown with the British over the Oregon Territory, a threat the British defuse by backing away.
In summer 1845 the independent nation of Texas is annexed by the United States. The territory of Texas had been part of Mexico itself, and only became independent in 1836 when Mexican leader Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna was defeated by Sam Houston at the Battle of San Jacinto. This defeat followed Santa Anna’s highly publicized massacre of the defenders of the Alamo, in San Antonio.
To the Mexican government, led by the moderate General José Joaquin de Herrera, the loss of Texas is a severe blow to Mexican pride. While Herrera favors negotiation to resolve differences, specifically the growing border disputes, loud voices of ultrapatriotism within his country consider the loss an outrage, an assault on the sovereignty of Mexico, which must be avenged.
In December 1845, Texas is officially granted statehood. The decision is controversial. Because it was admitted as a slave state, many in the north opposed Texas’s inclusion. However, as a necessary ingredient of Manifest Destiny, even opponents concede that the land, and the passion for expansion, make Texas a valuable treasure.
The Texans consider their border to extend to the Rio Grande River. To the Mexicans, Texas stops at the Nueces River, some one hundred miles farther north. The land in between the two rivers is mostly barren and uninhabited, but both sides begin making moves to secure the land for their own cause.
To protect the new wave of citizens that move into the disputed area, President James K. Polk sends a military force of nearly three thousand men, under the command of General Zachary Taylor. This so inflames the spirits of many Mexicans that Herrera cannot hold power, and he is replaced by General Mariano Paredes, an ultrapatriot who immediately declares that Mexico is in a state of “defensive war” with the United States.
As the wheels of war grind forward, neither side seems to understand the forces driving the other. The Mexicans are far from accepting Manifest Destiny as legitimate, and the Polk Administration has no grasp of the nationalism and fiercely proud protectionism that so motivates the Mexicans.
As Taylor’s forces move into the disputed territory between the two rivers, Mexican General Ampudia marches troops northward, intending to turn Taylor away. While politicians in both capitals seem helpless to find some middle ground, some way of avoiding the inevitable war, Taylor confronts a sizable Mexican force at Palo Alto, a small crossroads village. The resulting fight is the first engagement of the war, and is a decided victory for Taylor and the Americans. The Mexicans retreat to a strong defensive position at an old riverbed called Resaca de la Palma. Taylor pursues, and defeats the Mexicans again. The Mexican forces have no choice but to retreat below the Rio Grande.
With the spilling of blood, the disputes move beyond the angry protests of politicians. The diplomatic wrangling gives way to the harsh reality that the dispute over boundaries and the inability of each culture to understand the customs and needs of the other has but one possible outcome. Even the voices of reason in both capitals are powerless to stop the momentum. On May 13, 1846, President Polk convinces Congress to declare war on Mexico.
As the momentum for war rolls forward, President Polk is approached by Colonel Alexander Atocha, a representative for the exiled Santa Anna, who lives now in Cuba. Atocha proposes that if Santa Anna receives Polk’s support in his return to power in Mexico, the charismatic Santa Anna will calm the angry voices, and with his considerable influence over the weaker political figures in Mexico, he will stop the war. In August 1846, Santa Anna is allowed to quietly pass through the American blockade of Mexican ports. Upon reaching Mexico City, he has little difficulty assuming command of the Mexican military. Despite what Santa Anna had promised Washington, his first act is to organize an army of more than twenty thousand troops and march them north to confront and destroy the forces of Zachary Taylor.
In February 1847, at the Battle of Buena Vista, Taylor’s greatly outnumbered forces defeat Santa Anna in a battle that comes to symbolize much of the war itself. Santa Anna relies on old customs, his cavalry, and employs the European methods of fighting war, unchanged for centuries. Taylor cannot rely on strength, so he relies on technology: the American artillery is significantly superior, and ultimately controls the field.
Taylor then bogs down in the great expanse of wilderness in northern Mexico, and Washington understands that if the Mexicans are to be defeated, victory will have to come from another front. It is General-in-Chief Winfield Scott who proposes an assault by sea, to invade Mexico through the port of Vera Cruz, to take the fight straight into the heart of Mexico.
In the field, the American soldiers are a mix rarely seen in military history. The regular officers are a strange combination of old and new, veterans of the War of 1812 and the bright young graduates of the United States Military Academy at West Point. It is not a smooth blend. Zachary Taylor’s methods are loose, and discipline and drill are foreign to him. The younger officers take to their duty with enthusiasm, but feel frustration with the poor planning and execution of the commander’s decisions.
At Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma the younger officers and their men experience war for the first time, and they learn quickly that it is not necessarily conducted in the manner they had been taught in the classroom or as instructed in the camps.
As the army is reinforced, Taylor’s numbers swell with volunteers, men who seek some marvelous adventure, a chance for glory or, better yet, wealth. If the volunteers have enthusiasm for a fight at all, they know nothing of discipline, of the ways of the army, of drill and rank. Many of their officers are volunteers as well, and they are often as undisciplined as their men. While Washington frets over Taylor’s lack of initiative in pursuing the war, Taylor’s mission stagnates and his army suffers from a lack of discipline and the lack of focus that only comes from marching into the guns of the enemy. And though Taylor is seen by many back home as a great hero, if there is duty to be performed, or glory to be found, i
t will have to come from the spirit of a new commander.
MAJOR GENERAL WINFIELD SCOTT
Born July 13, 1786, near Petersburg, Virginia, he is raised by an extremely strict mother, who does not hesitate to apply the whip. She dies when he is seventeen, and her lessons stay hard within him. He grows into a huge man, takes pride in his strength and ability to win physical disputes, remarking often on his “great power of arm.” Aware always of the social class structure of eastern Virginia, he never seems to make the grade, is usually awkward and socially clumsy. He attends school in Williamsburg, cannot find acceptance from the elite, aristocratic youth who dominate the social scene, is considered too plainspoken. Though he is never a farmer, many assume he is a product of that simpler class, and he is often accused of reaching beyond his own breeding. He attends William and Mary for one year, but has no patience again for the social elitism, and drops out. He finds employment in a law office, and is allowed to observe the trial of Aaron Burr, where he meets Thomas Jefferson and Andrew Jackson. The experience shapes him in ways he does not yet understand, and gives him a solid appreciation for the intellectual power behind the founding principles of the nation. It is an admiration and a loyalty that will be tested throughout his military career.
In 1807 he volunteers for military service with local defense forces and personally captures a British shoreboat which is discreetly searching the coast for supplies. He arrests the British officers, though there is no official hostility with Britain, and so creates an international incident, which very nearly starts the War of 1812 five years early. Chastised by President Jefferson, he returns to the law offices, but cannot escape the lure of the adventure he finds as a soldier. He seeks out the army again, finds the rumbling threats from the British creating new positions in a growing army, and in May 1808 he receives a commission as Captain of Artillery. He reports for duty though he has never fired a cannon. He is ordered to New Orleans, immediately shows no understanding of life under the command of temperamental superiors, and is charged with misconduct for a variety of poor decisions, but can only be found officially to be “unofficer-like.”