A Short, Offhand, Killing Affair

240 pp., 6.125 x 9.25, 8 illus., 3 tables, 1 map, notes, bibl., index

Paperback ISBN: 978-0-8078-5405-1
Published: October 2002
E-book PDF ISBN: 979-8-8908-7392-7
Published: November 2003
E-book EPUB ISBN: 978-0-8078-6200-1
Published: November 2003

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The Mexican-American War (1846-48) found Americans on new terrain. A republic founded on the principle of armed defense of freedom was now going to war on behalf of Manifest Destiny, seeking to conquer an unfamiliar nation and people. Through an examination of rank-and-file soldiers, Paul Foos sheds new light on the war and its effect on attitudes toward other races and nationalities that stood in the way of American expansionism.

Drawing on wartime diaries and letters not previously examined by scholars, Foos shows that the experience of soldiers in the war differed radically from the positive, patriotic image trumpeted by political and military leaders seeking recruits for a volunteer army. Promised access to land, economic opportunity, and political equality, the enlistees instead found themselves subjected to unusually harsh discipline and harrowing battle conditions. As a result, some soldiers adapted the rhetoric of Manifest Destiny to their own purposes, taking for themselves what had been promised, often by looting the Mexican countryside or committing racial and sexual atrocities. Others deserted the army to fight for the enemy or seek employment in the West. These acts, Foos argues, along with the government's tacit acceptance of them, translated into a more violent, damaging variety of Manifest Destiny.

About the Author

Paul Foos teaches history at Georgia State University in Atlanta.
For more information about Paul Foos, visit the Author Page.

Reviews

"A provocative study of the social, economic, and political motivations behind the Mexican-American War."--Civil War Book Review

"This is a useful book that will contribute to debates over early U.S. empire building, labor history, and military service. . . . Foos does a fine job of explaining why the U.S.-Mexico War matters and why it should not be forgotten."--American Historical Review

"A provocative addition to the social history of the common soldier in the Mexican-American War."--Historian

"[This book] deserves credit for raising new questions about a chapter in U.S. history in need of scholarly reappraisal. . . . [Foos] reminds us that the creation of an American empire carried a steep price for the victors as well as the vanquished."--Journal of Southern History

"[A Short, Offhand Killing Affair: Soldiers and Social Conflict During the Mexican-American War] is the first of its kind to view the Mexican War from the point of view of soldier as victim."--Post Library

"This book is well researched, and the author's arguments are frequently compelling. It helps fill an important niche."--Hispanic American Historical Review