Company "A" Corps of Engineers, U.S.A., 1846-1848, in the Mexican War, by Gustavus Woodson Smith

by Gustavus Woodson Smith (Editor)

The U.S. Company of Sappers, Miners, and Pontooniers, which Congress authorized on May 13, 1846, quickly became one of the army's elite units. During the Mexico City campaign, Company ‘A' played a significant role in scouting, building fortifications, and setting artillery batteries. Gustavus Woodson Smith, the unit commander and author of the text, describes the training and discipline of the enlisted soldiers. His commentary also provides interesting insights into the early careers of future Civil War generals - Lee, Beauregard, Pemberton, and McClellan. The narrative is also a striking testament to the impact of West Point-trained officers on the course of the war and to the effectiveness of Winfield Scott's army.

120 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

Reviews

[Dori Sabourin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Texas

“Company 'A,’ Corp of Engineers, U.S.A., 1846 – ’48, in the Mexican war ,” by Gustavus Woodson Smith, chronicles the war, following the possession of Texas by the United States.

Mexico disputed the annexation of Texas, believing the land , which was part of the parcel that they acquired in the Spanish Mexican war, 1810 – ’21, when they won their independence belonged to them.

General Major Winfield Scott was the general who led the forces into Mexico. Along with General Zachary Taylor, General Major Winfield Scott were mentors to Grant and Lee.

Who was the soldier who shot and severely wounded Colonel Garland?Was excessive drinking a problem; and, if so, what were the consequences?

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although the Mexican War was a watershed event in American history, it does not have the huge body of literature covering it, like the American Civil War does. This memoir by G.W. Smith provides a rare look at the war from someone who was there. There are other Mexican War memoirs by men who would later gain fame in the Civil War (although Smith didn't gain much), but not many, and Company A was at the center of the decisive campaign of the war.

Smith's narrative covers the formation, deployment, and service of Co. A, and it's virtual disbandment after returning from Mexico. While Smith avoids the florid prose that some of his contemporaries' writing falls prey to, but his writing is almost too basic. While some anecdotes and asides provide some flavor, he doesn't dive into too much detail covering events, his writing is very matter of fact. He also relies a bit too heavily on quoting official records and reports by himself and other officers. Smith sometimes feels like he doesn't have enough of his own to relate about his experiences.

The editor used a relatively light touch is editing this book, which is nice. Hudson didn't change much, although I personally would have preferred if he had left the footnotes instead of changing them to end notes. He also is a bit too thorough describing the content of the narrative in his introduction. If you're going to tell me about everything of importance I'm going to read about in the following narrative, it detracts a bit from my motivation to read said narrative. These are relatively minor issues, though, and I still found Smith's memoir enjoyable and informative, if a bit brief and dry.

[Monte Lamb · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting book that covers the Mexican War that G.W. Smith experienced. It is very well written and easily understood. You get an accurate sense of what the engineers did during the war. What is especially interesting is all of the junior officers that Smith mentions who later become leaders in the Civil War. This book gives a particularly good view of the American march from Vera Cruz to Mexico City and all the battles required to conquer the country. If you read this book and Grant's memoirs covering the Mexican War, you get a very good understanding of what happened.

[Avis Black · Rating 2 out of 5]

An uneven work. Parts of it are interesting, but other parts really drag. I'm not keen on it when someone quotes for many pages from official reports. If I wanted to read them, I'd go ahead and read them. I don't need them in someone else's book.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent short read