Mr. Polk's Army: The American Military Experience in the Mexican War (Texas a&M University Military History Series) [Hardcover]

Richard Bruce Winders (Author)

Book Description

Series: Texas a&M University Military History Series | Publication Date: June 1997

Drawing on numerous diaries, journals, and reminiscences, Richard Bruce Winders presents the daily life of soldiers at war; links the army to the society that produced it; shares his impressions of the soldiers he "met" along the way; and concludes that American participants in the Mexican War shared a common experience, no matter their rank or place of service. Taking a "new" military history approach, Mr. Polk's Army: The American Military Experience in the Mexican War examines the cultural, social, and political aspects of the regular and volunteer forces that made up the army of 1846-48, presents the organizational framework of the army, and introduces the different styles of leadership exhibited by Zachary Taylor and Winfield Scott.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

RICHARD BRUCE WINDERS received his Ph.D in history from Texas Christian University in 1994. He is the assistant editor of the Encyclopedia of the Mexican War as well as historian and curator of the Alamo.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 284 pages
• Publisher: Texas a & M Univ Pr; 1st edition (June 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0890967547
• ISBN-13: 978-0890967546
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,233,701 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

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.