So Far From God

I'm currently reading the book "So Far From God" by John S. D. Eisenhower. This book is about the Mexican War. Why would I talk about a Mexican War book when I'm writing about the Civil War? Well, the Mexican War plays an integral part in what happened in the American Civil War and that was why I felt compelled to read a book about this war.

In my studies of the American Civil War, I have come across (repeatedly) accounts of the participants also being in the Mexican War. Most of the officers on both sides fought down in Mexico: Lee, Grant, Meade, Longstreet, Armistead, Hancock and the list goes on and on. Not only were the majority of leaders West Point graduates - using West Point techniques - but these men were also employing tactics that they learned in the war with Mexico.

While reading biography after biography I keep seeing the same battles come up: Churubusco, Chapultepec, Veracruz, Mexico City, Molino del Rey. So now, its time to start to learn about these men and what they did before the Civil War. I asked quite a few people for recommendations on a book that would give me a good overview of the war without getting into the nitty gritty. I really don't want to study it THAT intensely....just a good idea of what happened. This book was recommended by at least 4 people....so I figured it was the book for me.

The beginning of the book gets into the political situation of the nations involved: the United States, Mexico, and Britain. I'm not much of a political historian...but sometimes, you have to understand the political background in order to understand the war. This is one of those times. It seems that the fighting was over the annexation of Texas. I knew the story of the Alamo and how the men were killed...but never put it together with what was happening at the time with Mexico. Its funny how you start putting things together and suddenly you have one of those "AHA" moments. This is how I've been feeling as I read this book. Suddenly American history is starting to make sense....not the history itself but the events that seemed to weave itself among other events.

For anyone who is interested in the Civil War, I recommend this book. Its a good way to give yourself a background on the generals and what they were thinking and what they were doing. This book is an easy read. Not having a lot of background on the Mexican War (except for bits and pieces from biographies that I've read), I'm understanding this war and that's always a good thing.