So easily misunderstood: U.S.-Mexican War soldiers' motivation, experience, and memory, (1846-1890)

Were U.S.-Mexican War soldiers ideologically motivated to fight in the war against Mexico? Traditional historiography concerning the U.S.-Mexico War has put forth a range of answers from the perpetuation of slavery to a desire to punish Mexico to an Anglo-Protestant idea of destiny that drove the United States to invade Mexico. Other reasons cited are the economic, cultural, and even literary influences of the era. But do these conclusions accurately portray the actual sentiments of the soldiers themselves?;This study will attempt to answer some of those questions and fill a gap in the current dialogue concerning the U.S.-Mexican War. First, it will analyze the thoughts and opinions of the men who fought in the war to determine what caused American soldiers to fight in the conflict. I will also explore how they viewed and came to view themselves in comparison with the discourses of the day and current historiography. Next, soldiers' wartime writings will be examined to explore their thoughts, motivations, and opinions during their service to determine what sustained them to continue fighting the war. Finally, works written by soldiers after the conflict are examined to illustrate how the memory of the war for veterans and the American public developed.