1846: America Declares War - The First Strike into Mexico

By summer 1846, the Mexican-American War was on. Both nations were rallying their armies and laying their plans to decide the fate of the American continent. The US would move first, seizing the initiative to claim vast lands in the west and take California while pressing the Mexicans in their homeland towards Monterrey. In this video, we will follow the events in the first months of the war as American forces rushed to make significant gains before Mexico could bring Santa Anna to bear. 0:00 America Declares War 1:55 Opposition to the War 02:34 Initial Strategies against Mexico 03:20 Attack on California 07:44 Manpower & Preparation in the US 10:56 Manpower & Preparations in Mexico 12:49 Soldaderes - Women Soldiers 13:15 Saint Patrick's Battalion 13:53 The Battle of Monterrey 19:05 Mexican Retreat - Preparation of Naval Invasion