Mr. Polk's Army: The American Military Experience in the Mexican War [Unknown Binding]

Product Details

• Unknown Binding
• ISBN-10: 058514740X
• ISBN-13: 978-0585147406
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)

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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Drawn from a vast amalgamation of diaries & journals, November 8, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr. Polk's Army: The American Military Experience in the Mexican War (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) (Paperback)

Historian Richard Winder's Polk's Army is a closely detailed, meticulously researched, scholarly and engaging presentation of the daily life of American soldiers who fought in the Mexican War, drawn from a vast amalgamation of diaries, journals, and reminiscences. Polk's Army goes further to connect the army to the society from which it was drawn, and portrays a military undertaking that was a unilaterally shared experience for all ranks and walks of American soldiers, despite their differences in background or politics. Illustrated with some black-and-white historical photographs and drawings, Polk's Army is a superb, in-depth reference for anyone with a vested interest in learning more about a war that forever changed the physical shape and political future of the United States of America.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars From the author's perspective., January 3, 2008

By 

peloncillojack "Richard B. Winders" (San Antonio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr. Polk's Army: The American Military Experience in the Mexican War (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) (Paperback)

I usually wouldn't comment on my own work but one of the reviewers on Amazon totally missed the point of this work. True, Mr. Polk's Army this is not a book that describes the war's battles. There were plenty of those books out there that already and even more have appeared since I wrote Mr. Polk's Army ten years ago. My book was intended as a description of the American forces that participated in the war. As such it places these men in the context of their time. That was the book's purpose as stated in the preface. It is gratifying to know that Mr. Polk's Army is recognized by historians as a key work in the field of Mexican War Studies.

Richard Bruce Winders


Richard Bruce Winders

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Detailed Account of the American Army in Mexico, December 7, 2005

By 

AP Teacher "Waiter" (Ogden, UT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mr. Polk's Army: The American Military Experience in the Mexican War (Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series) (Paperback)

Mr. Polk's Army is a detailed sketch of the U.S. Army that was built for and that fought in the U.S.-Mexican War. The author has gone to great effort to explain how the officers, regular army soldiers, and the volunteer soldiers differed as to their dress, habits, and attitudes about the war.

Winders has also included a discussion of the politics that were in play between President Polk and his democratic party, as well as the unfriendly/untrusting relationship polk had with his generals in the field.

This book is excellent if you are looking for something that does not solely focus on strategy and battle outcomes. Winders has created a excellent and unique account of the U.S.-Mexican War.