Crossville chronicle. [volume] (Crossville, Tenn.) 1894-current, 1919-07-23
FAMOUS
PEACE TREATIES
TREATY OF GUADALUPE-HIOALGo, 1s48.
The of the and the United
BY II. IRVING KING
.Copyrigh-. 1913. by the

In April of 1915 the United States
entered into war with Mexico. BY
September 1S47, the American flag
as paciflst orator of the day put it
waved in insolent triumph in the
halls of the Montezumas," and on Feb
ruary of the following year wholly
unauthorized private citizen signed on
the part of the Americans a treaty
by which the United States obtained
undisputed sovereignty over a terri
tory more than four lines the size of
the German empire as 1t was before
the recent debacle, paying Mexico in
return $15,0O0,000 and assuming 49,
100000 of MexicO's debts. BY the
treaty with Spain In 1910, the United
States had, indeed, acquired Florida,
but she had released her claims TO
Texas, over part Of which at least
she had claimed right under the
Louisiana Purchase. When the last
Spanish successor of COrtez as viceroy
of Mexico was deposed in 1921, Mexico
succeeded to the right Of Spain in
forlOrn and undevelOped as it had been
under Spanish rule.
A year of war ensued. Everybody
remembers the name of Sam Houston
and the fact that Thermopylae had
its messengers of death; the Alamo
had none" From 1886 to 1916 Texas
was an Independent republic under the
banner Of the Lone Star"
In 1916 it was annexed to the United
States and dispute at once arose
with Mexico over the southwestern
boundary of the newly acquired state,
Mexico claiming that boundary to be
the Nueces while the United States
claimed it to be the Rio Grande. John
Slidel, afterwards so we'll known in
the Mason and Slidel affair of the Civil
war, was sent to Mexico to try and
arrange the matter In dispute, but was
refused a hearing.
Early in 1876 General Taylor was
ordered to move to the Rio Grande.
Mexico had severed diplomatic rela
tons with the United States upon the
annexation of Texas General Taylor
established his headquarters at a point
opposite Matamoras. His force con-
sisted of little over $500 regulars.
Learning that the Mexicans were pre-
pairing to cross the river higher up.
Taylor sent out a accommodating party
consisting of 63 dragons under Cap
tain Thornton who, on April &c, was
surprised and captured by the Next
cans after the loss of 10 men. The
war had begun. The news of Thorn
TONS capture reached Washington on
May o. President Polk sent mes
has passed the boundary of the United
States and shed American blood on
American soil" Congress passed Il
bill providing for the enrolment of
10000 volunteers and q war apprO-
priation of $10OO0,000, congress agree
ing with the president that war ex-
lists by the act of Mexico"
General Taylor gained the victories
of Palo Alto May g. Resaca de la
Palma May 0, captured Monterey Sep
TENDER "a, and won the hard fight of
Buena Vista on February % of the
next year. In March of 1917 General
Scott captured Vera Cruz and march
ed to the City of Mexico, winning the
battles of Cerro GordO April Is, Con-
treras August 10, Churutusco August
20, Moline del Rey September 8, and
Chapultepec September ID. The next
day he stormed the Belem gate and
entered the Mexican capital.
When Vera Cruz fell President Polk
decided that 1t would be well to have
along with SCOTS army commission
er authorized to sign peace with the
Mexicans as soon as they had been