Eagles and Empire

June 1, 2009
The former chief historian for the U.S. Forest Service examines one of the most ignominious chapters in American history: the Mexican-American War.

It's a measure of Mexico's continuing weak-sister status that the 1846-1848 conflict—because of its implications for the contentious issue of American slavery and because it introduced characters that later loomed much larger in American history—is still too often treated by Anglos as a mere dress rehearsal for the Civil War. Clary (Adopted Son: Washington, Lafayette, and the Friendship that Saved the Revolution, 2007, etc.) considers the war on its own terms, giving particular attention to both sides' mismanagement of the bloody enterprise. With the exception of the dutiful Kit Carson, virtually none of the well-known historical figures come off creditably here. These include a succession of hapless U.S. ministers to Mexico; the many prominent intellectuals and Whigs who ineffectually opposed this"most unrighteous war"; the micromanaging, near-paranoid President James Polk; the vainglorious caudillo Santa Anna;"The Pathfinder," John C. Fremont, a blundering egomaniac richly deserving of his court martial;"Old Rough and Ready," Zachary Taylor, who kept one eye on his political future while allowing horrible atrocities by his occupying army; and"Old Fuss and Feathers," Winfield Scott, a competent army administrator but a dull-witted soldier in the field. Both generals owed their victories to a talented officer corps, superior artillery and the enemy's poverty, corruption and inefficiency. The war began with each country announcing the other had invaded and ended with Mexico losing half (counting Texas) its territory. Readers put off by Clary's occasional too-breezy locutions—he refers, for example, to America's lust for the continent's west coast as"California dreaming"—will inevitably succumb to the narrative's headlong spirit, recounting one slapdash improvisation after another that rearranged the continental map.

A lively history of the war that humiliated Mexico and accounts for an enduring grudge against its northern neighbor.

(COPYRIGHT (2009) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

June 1, 2009
Several books on the Mexican War have appeared in recent years, none of them telling the entire story. Clary (former chief historian, U.S. Forest Svc.; "Adopted Son") attempts to provide a comprehensive synthesis of that conflict and its origins, beginning with the formation of both countries, and he also sketches its effects to the present day. While previous accounts have focused on either the United States or Mexico, Clary tracks the war on both sides and relates the action on the battlefield to the political machinations in Washington and Mexico City, although he provides much more detail for Washington. VERDICT As occasionally happens with historical writing, Clary was completing his book about the time Will Fowler's balanced "Santa Anna of Mexico" appeared; its contents would have enabled Clary to present events on the Mexican side with greater understanding and coherence. Likewise, John Pinheiro's "Manifest Ambition" would have given him deeper insights into Polk's conduct of the war. Readers who seek a thorough understanding of the Mexican War will need to consult those two books in addition to Clary's well-written synthesis.Stephen H. Peters, Northern Michigan Univ. Lib., Marquette

Copyright 2009 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2009
Even before Mexico gained independence in 1821, its relations with the U.S. had been complicated and often tortuous. The Spanish government in Mexico City felt constantly threatened by U.S. expansionist impulses, especially after the Louisiana Purchase. Of course, those fears were confirmed by the annexation of Texas and the loss of vast Mexican territory after the 184648 defeat by the U.S. Clary presents an excellent chronicle of the events and people that shaped the relationship between these nations throughout the nineteenth century. His narrative is filled with heroic struggles, betrayals, rank greed, and fascinating characters. Many of the U.S. charactersLee, Grant, and Jefferson Daviswould later achieve lasting fame in the Civil War. On the Mexican side, the dominant figure was General Santa Ana, a fascinating mix of charm, bravado, deceit, and incompetence, who was destined to make his country weep. Clary is a fine writer, scrupulously fair to both nations still struggling to understand their painful common past and to redefine their current relationship.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)