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Historical Roots of the Mexican Invasion
On April 21, 1836, the expansive Mexican Department of Coahuila y Tejas took a substantial haircut on its northern border. How substantial was the subject of continuing dispute.
Neither side came away from the Battle of San Jacinto with much respect for the other. On the rebel side, that would be because about 900 Texas militiaman (“volunteers”) had beaten 1,200 Mexican regulars.
On the Mexican side, they blamed General Antonio López de Santa Anna, who had left 4,000 troops out of the fight and chosen a place for the battle that offered no line of retreat. There was also the folklore that Santa Anna had been dallying with a female slave, “the yellow rose of Texas,” when the battle began, and had been caught trying to escape dressed as a woman. Santa Anna was surrounded by politicians happy to kick him while he was down.
Partially because Mexico thought San Jacinto proved nothing but Santa Anna’s incompetence, it never recognized the Republic of Texas. When the U.S. annexed Texas, it inherited a border dispute. Texas claimed the border with Mexico was the Rio Grande; Mexico claimed it was the Rio Nueces.
When President James K. Polk tried to settle the dispute by purchase, he was soundly rebuffed. The Mexican leadership was under some domestic duress at the time and in need of some decisive action…
