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So Far From God Essay

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Eisenhower, John S. D. So Far From God: The U. S. War with Mexico 1846 – 1848. New York: Random House, 1989, xxvi, 436.

Mr. John Eisenhower is a retired Army General from Westchester, Pennsylvania. He is also the son of retired General and later President, Dwight D. Eisehower. He is an author as well as a military historian. Mr. Eisenhower’s other works include, The Bitter Woods, published in 1987 and critically acclaimed by Life magazine author, S. L. A. Marshall as being “written with power by a true military historian.” Reviews of his work from The New Yorker and New York Times Book Review describe his accounts as “Exceptionally interesting” and “Written with enthusiasm that is hard to resist.” Using his military background, Mr. …show more content…

S. was outnumbered. The level of discipline that Taylor and Scott’s men possessed stands as a testament to these two leaders’ resourcefulness. By including something as simple as sanitation in their training, they were able to conserve the additional strength for battle, which would have normally been lost through disease. This concept was considerably less effective with the volunteers. A clear and concise understanding of why as well as how many of the events took place on the battlefield and behind the lines was provided through maps and background information. A detailed description of the events that lead up to the annexation of Texas in 1845 through the troops departing Veracruz on July 15th 1848 allowed the reader to comprehend the entire story of this conflict.
The author provides background into the events leading up to the war, particularly the collapse, imprisonment, and exile of Santa Anna. Events and key personnel on the American side are also outlined in detail. President Tyler is described as “seizing the initiative” to shift public opinion against Mexico by assigning a troublemaker, Wilson Shannon, as the minister to that country in 1844. Eisenhower provides a detailed description on the implementation of weaponry and tactics during all stages of warfare. He often refers to the performance of the main characters in other conflicts such as the war of 1812 and forward to the civil war. The cause of this war is summed up early in the text followed by

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