An Artillery Officer in the Mexican War, 1846-7 . Letters of Robert Anderson , Captain 3d Artillery, U. S. A. With a Prefatory Word by his daughter, Eba Anderson Lawton. (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons. 1911. Pp. xvi, 339.)

This is a volume of the letters of Captain Robert Anderson to his wife. The first letter is dated at Fort Brook, Florida, December 28, 1846, and the last from Mexico City, October 28, 1847. The writer participated in the capture of Vera Cruz, the battle of Cerro Gordo, and the battle of Molino del Rey, and was with the army at the battle of Churubusco, but was kept out of that engagement by a severe attack of malaria. He was disabled in the battle of Molino del Rey, and was invalided home in October. Covering as they do practically the whole of the southern campaign, one expects these letters to cast valuable side lights on General Scott's invasion of Mexico, but the expectation is disappointed. They are interesting human documents, and inspire abundant respect for the character of the writer; they occasionally contain excellent descriptions of the towns along the route from Vera Cruz to Mexico; but they are singularly devoid of material for the historian. The reason for this is partly explained by the writer: “The newspapers give you so regularly and constantly the last news from the Army, that it is hardly worth while for me to chronicle events as they transpire, or to detail rumors as they fly.” Again, “I, from my position, am debarred from all knowledge of the secret plans (if they have any) of our Commanders.” Trist is mentioned in several of the letters, but never a word is said of his relations with General Scott. Captain Anderson was a personal friend of Scott's, and had great admiration for his military qualities. The book is without an index, but this is less serious than would be the case if the letters were of greater historical importance.

E. C. B.

How to cite:
"An Artillery Officer in the Mexican War, 1846-7", Volume 016, Number 2, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, Page 217 - 218. http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v016/n2/review_23.html
[Accessed Sun Nov 23 13:15:19 CST 2008]