Jack of Harts

Mexico did not take kindly to American troops crossing the Nueces River and building a fort on the Rio Grande. They quickly sent troops across the Rio Grande to drive the Americans away. They attacked and defeated numerous American patrols, and America declared war soon thereafter. Numerous Texas forces volunteered to join the war effort, including many of their respected cavalry units and the Rangers. The far better equipped American Army quickly smashed through the poorly equipped Mexican Army and occupied New Mexico and California. They marched south of the Rio Grande with Texas Cavalry and Ranger patrols running interference around them to conquer numerous major Mexican cities. Initial attacks were repulsed by dug in defenders, but the Texas Rangers showed their American brothers how to dig holes through the adobe walls and fight the Mexicans in close quarters. America performed its first major amphibious landing in Veracruz, and then marched on Mexico City where the United States Marines earned “The Halls of Montezuma” line in their anthem. In the end, America held Mexico’s capital, their northern frontier, and many of their richest cities in an iron grip. And the Texas Rangers earned the name “Los Diablos Tejanos.” The Texan Devils.

The new Republic of Texas had an interesting relationship with both Mexico and America. America recognized Texas independence, and Texas happily welcomed further immigration from America. But neither major political party in America wanted to annex Texas. Mexico refused to accept Texas independence, and promised to drag them back whenever they found the time to do it from all their other distractions. Texas therefore did what was best for Texas, and tried to negotiate terms for peaceful annexation into both nations, at the same time. The Mexicans neither rejected nor accepted the deal, but President Tyler of the United States sought to win a second term and thought annexing Texas could provide him that win. He failed to win the next election, but did succeed in getting the annexation passed by Congress. At which point, Mexico finally agreed to accept Texas independence as long as they did not join America. Texas, with their typical respect for the demands of others, smiled, gave Mexico the proverbial middle finger, and voted to join America in 1846.

The Mexican government renounced the treaties Santa Anna signed to end the Texas Revolution and promised to retake the rebellious region. But there were so many other, more important to them, regions rebelling from the central government, that the army was far too busy to make good their promise. And who in the central government truly cared about the far frontier out beyond the Rio Grande? It was a wild land of bloodthirsty Indians, restive Tejanos, and crazy Texians, none of which anybody liked. To the Spaniards who had slowly brought civilization to both sides of the Rio Grande, they had grown up in the Province of Nuevo Santander, now known as the Free and Sovereign State of Tamaulipas by the Mexican Republic. They were separated from the old Province of Tejas by a wide desert and the Nueces River, the long recognized provincial border under both the Spanish and Mexican governments. The settlements on either side of the Rio Grande had little to do other than trade with that distant province, and certainly did not consider themselves part of Texas, no matter what the Texans said.