Alright so a challenge in this thread (Warning there are some spoilers in that thread)made me write a scenario that now evolved into a TL about a Mexico that does better off in the second half of the 19th century. After a different Mex-American war. It will be short just a few updates long, unless it really gathers interest.
Declarations of War
In the fall of 1845 the character of Mexico City was tense; the National Palace erupted with nationalistic boasts generals and congressmen who lusted for war against the United States; earlier that year news had arrived that the American congress had approved the annexation of the “Republic of Texas”, a territory that most of the delegates present in Mexico City believed was rightfully Mexican. “Por la Patria!” “Y por integridad nacional!” had become a frequent chant in the halls of the Palace. With the news of annexation, a letter from Juan N. Alamonte, Mexico’s ambassador to the US, had arrived urging Mexico to declare war stating that war could be easily won since the US was divided internally over issues of slavery and expansion; inciting a slave revolt or finding an alliance amongst the US’s native Indians wouldn’t be difficult. President José Joaquín Herrera, however was not as enthusiastic. Or rather he had a more realistic view of the situation.
Over the next months the President had met continuously with, Richard Pakenham, the British liaison in Mexico City. Pakenham was as ambitious as the Americans with a clear goal of securing British interests in California and preventing the U.S. from reaching the Pacific. Most in congress saw Herrera’s meetings with Pakenham as treason but as long as he didn’t receive, the American ambassador no one was going to call it out loud. Furthermore to appease the war mongers Herrera had sent Mariano Paredes Arillaga with a small army to reinforce the border. Paredes was a nationalist and a Santaanista! Giving him control of a large number of troops unnerved the President, but as long as he remained in the North patrolling the border the nationalists would remain calm and Herrera could attend to the ambassadors.
Later that year Paredes led a 2,500 strong cavalry detachment north of the Rio Bravo and stationed in Laredo, Tamaulipas and reinforced Mariano Aristas forces in Matamoros two fold. On the American side General Zachary Taylor had camped out and established Fort Brown, north of Matamoros. Laredo as well as Fort Texas was located north of the Bravo in a territory previously claimed by the Republic of Texas and now the US but had always been administered by the provincial government of Tamaulipas. The arrival of a large number of Mexican forces tensed the situation; it was only a matter of time before Taylor’s forces engaged against the Mexican army. Early in March 1846, Paredes lead his forces eastwards north of the Bravo; refusing to back down from Fort Texas Taylor’s forces engaged against Paredes’ north of Mier, Tamaulipas. Hostilities had begun; in less than a month news of the skirmish will have arrived to Mexico City and Washington. Upon hearing the news President Polk addressed congress stating, “Mexico has invaded our territory and shed American blood in American soil”. Two days after Polk’s address the American Congress declared war against Mexico on April 5th 1846 [1]; it is only the northern abolitionists and moderate Whigs who oppose the war as they see it as a “Southern war of expansion”. The First Mexican-American War had officially commenced; Mexico will have officially declared war until May 13th after a final meeting between President Herrera and ambassador Pakenham regarding Britain’s position on the issue.
[1] POD: in OTL Paredes led the army back to Mexico City to stage a coup against Herrera for receiving the American ambassador. ITTL Herrera receives Pakeham first so Paredes remains in the North. Mexican forces around the Bravo and in the Nueces strip are almost 2x OTL’s. The hostilities between Taylor’s forces and Mexican forces happen earlier and in larger numbers. The US declares war against Mexico a month earlier than OTL, without Paredes ever issuing a manifesto and will thus be seen as the aggressor by Europe, particularly Britain.
A Mexican "Victory"
Declarations of War
In the fall of 1845 the character of Mexico City was tense; the National Palace erupted with nationalistic boasts generals and congressmen who lusted for war against the United States; earlier that year news had arrived that the American congress had approved the annexation of the “Republic of Texas”, a territory that most of the delegates present in Mexico City believed was rightfully Mexican. “Por la Patria!” “Y por integridad nacional!” had become a frequent chant in the halls of the Palace. With the news of annexation, a letter from Juan N. Alamonte, Mexico’s ambassador to the US, had arrived urging Mexico to declare war stating that war could be easily won since the US was divided internally over issues of slavery and expansion; inciting a slave revolt or finding an alliance amongst the US’s native Indians wouldn’t be difficult. President José Joaquín Herrera, however was not as enthusiastic. Or rather he had a more realistic view of the situation.
Over the next months the President had met continuously with, Richard Pakenham, the British liaison in Mexico City. Pakenham was as ambitious as the Americans with a clear goal of securing British interests in California and preventing the U.S. from reaching the Pacific. Most in congress saw Herrera’s meetings with Pakenham as treason but as long as he didn’t receive, the American ambassador no one was going to call it out loud. Furthermore to appease the war mongers Herrera had sent Mariano Paredes Arillaga with a small army to reinforce the border. Paredes was a nationalist and a Santaanista! Giving him control of a large number of troops unnerved the President, but as long as he remained in the North patrolling the border the nationalists would remain calm and Herrera could attend to the ambassadors.
Later that year Paredes led a 2,500 strong cavalry detachment north of the Rio Bravo and stationed in Laredo, Tamaulipas and reinforced Mariano Aristas forces in Matamoros two fold. On the American side General Zachary Taylor had camped out and established Fort Brown, north of Matamoros. Laredo as well as Fort Texas was located north of the Bravo in a territory previously claimed by the Republic of Texas and now the US but had always been administered by the provincial government of Tamaulipas. The arrival of a large number of Mexican forces tensed the situation; it was only a matter of time before Taylor’s forces engaged against the Mexican army. Early in March 1846, Paredes lead his forces eastwards north of the Bravo; refusing to back down from Fort Texas Taylor’s forces engaged against Paredes’ north of Mier, Tamaulipas. Hostilities had begun; in less than a month news of the skirmish will have arrived to Mexico City and Washington. Upon hearing the news President Polk addressed congress stating, “Mexico has invaded our territory and shed American blood in American soil”. Two days after Polk’s address the American Congress declared war against Mexico on April 5th 1846 [1]; it is only the northern abolitionists and moderate Whigs who oppose the war as they see it as a “Southern war of expansion”. The First Mexican-American War had officially commenced; Mexico will have officially declared war until May 13th after a final meeting between President Herrera and ambassador Pakenham regarding Britain’s position on the issue.
[1] POD: in OTL Paredes led the army back to Mexico City to stage a coup against Herrera for receiving the American ambassador. ITTL Herrera receives Pakeham first so Paredes remains in the North. Mexican forces around the Bravo and in the Nueces strip are almost 2x OTL’s. The hostilities between Taylor’s forces and Mexican forces happen earlier and in larger numbers. The US declares war against Mexico a month earlier than OTL, without Paredes ever issuing a manifesto and will thus be seen as the aggressor by Europe, particularly Britain.
