page_title: Braxton Bragg
section_title: Mexican–American War
hierarchical_section_title: Braxton Bragg / Military service / Mexican–American War
caption_attribution_description: English: "A Little More Grape, Capt. Bragg". Zachary Taylor at the Battle of Buena Vista, February 23, 1847. Lithograph depiction of the Mexican-American War. 1=# Creator(s): N. Currier (Firm), Date Created/Published: New York&#160;: N. Currier, c1847. Medium: 1 print&#160;: lithograph, color. Summary: General Taylor on horseback, in midst of battle scene. Reproduction Number: LC-USZC2-2774 (color film copy slide) LC-USZ62-7555 (b&amp;w film copy neg.) LC-USZCN4-64 (color film copy neg.) Rights Advisory: No known restrictions on publication. Call Number: PGA - Currier &amp; Ives--Little More Grape Capt. Bragg ... (A size) [P&amp;P] Repository: Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division Washington, D.C. 20540 USA
context_page_description: Braxton Bragg was an American army officer during the Second Seminole War and Mexican–American War and later a Confederate army officer who served as a general in the Confederate Army during the American Civil War, serving in the Western Theater. His most important role was as commander of the Army of Mississippi, later renamed the Army of Tennessee, from June 1862 until December 1863.
  Bragg, a native of Warrenton, North Carolina, was educated at West Point and became an artillery officer. He served in Florida and then received three brevet promotions for distinguished service in the Mexican–American War, most notably the Battle of Buena Vista. He resigned from the U.S. Army in 1856 to become a sugar plantation owner in Louisiana. At the start of the Civil War, Bragg trained soldiers in the Gulf Coast region. He was a corps commander at the Battle of Shiloh, where he launched several costly and unsuccessful frontal assaults but nonetheless was commended for his conduct and bravery.
  In June 1862, Bragg was elevated to command the Army of Mississippi.
context_section_description: On March 1, 1845, Bragg and his artillery company were ordered to join Gen. Zachary Taylor in the defense of Texas from Mexico. He won promotions for bravery and distinguished conduct in the Mexican–American War, including a brevet promotion to captain for the Battle of Fort Brown (May 1846), to major for the Battle of Monterrey (September 1846), and to lieutenant colonel for the Battle of Buena Vista (February 1847). Bragg was also promoted to captain within the regular army in June 1846. He became widely admired (professionally, not personally) in Taylor's army for the discipline and drill of his men and the newly tried tactics of light artillery that proved decisive in most of his engagements against the Mexican Army. But it was Buena Vista that brought him national fame. His timely placement of artillery into a gap in the line helped repulse a numerically superior Mexican attack. He fought in support of Col. Jefferson Davis and the Mississippi Rifles, which earned him the admiration of the future U.S. Secretary of War and president of the Confederacy.
  An anecdote circulated about Gen. Taylor commanding, "A little more of the grape, Capt. Bragg," which caused him to redouble his efforts and save the day. The stories are probably apocryphal and, according to the diary of Ethan Allen Hitchcock, Taylor's Chief of Staff (and recent son-in-law) Maj. William Bliss confirmed that "the stories of the General in connection with Bragg are all false. He never said, 'A little more grape, Captain Bragg,' nor did he say, 'Major Bliss and I will support you.'" Nevertheless, Bragg returned to the United States as a popular hero. A northwestern outpost, Fort Bragg, California, was named in his honor. The citizens of Warrenton presented him with a ceremonial sword. Congressman David Outlaw wrote about the honor: "Col. Bragg having, no thanks to them, won for himself a brilliant reputation, is now the object of the most fulsome adulation. Those who formerly sneered at the Braggs as plebeians, as unfit associates for them, they are glad to honor. With what scorn must Col. Bragg, in his secret heart regard them." Bragg traveled to New York, Washington, Mobile, and New Orleans, and in each place he was honored.
  On December 31, 1855, Bragg submitted his resignation from the Army, which became effective on January 3, 1856. He and his wife purchased a sugar plantation of 1,600 acres (6.5 km²) 3 miles (4.8 km) north of Thibodaux, Louisiana. Never one to oppose slavery in concept—both his father and his wife were slaveowners—he used 105 enslaved Africans on his property. He continued to uphold his reputation as being a stern disciplinarian and an advocate of military efficiency. His methods resulted in almost immediate profitability, despite a large mortgage on the property. He became active in local politics and was elected to the Board of Public Works in 1860. Throughout the 1850s, Bragg had been disturbed by the accelerating sectional crisis. He opposed the concept of secession, believing that in a republic no majority could set aside a written constitution, but this belief would soon be tested.
caption: A Little More Grape, Capt. Bragg by N. Currier
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