Jack of Harts

The United States and Mexico settled on the border between our nations after the Republic of Texas and Mexico got into their second dustup over whether or not Texas existed. Mexico said no and we’re going to kill you dirty rebels. Texas said yes and we’re going to shoot you first. And the United States bellied on up to the bar and said we’d like to have some input on this. Maybe we can talk things over? In Mexico City. So the United States Marines and the Texas Rangers took a little road trip down to Mexico City. Mexico did not by the way agree to the road trip, and in fact tried to stop it. And that’s how the Marines added “To the Halls of Montezuma” to the Marine Anthem. It’s amazing how many lines in that anthem were inscribed via extreme violence.

Raconteur Press is releasing the first of two Wyrd Warfare anthologies this week. The two anthologies are geared towards showing you how warfare might be pursued if wyrd and magical powers were available to us. I am looking forward to it, even if I am not in the first anthology. My story of Captain William Carter during the Revolutionary War will be in the second anthology though. And if you wish to check out another example of him at war while you’re waiting for Wyrd Warfare, check out Last Ride on the Asia Express in The Big Ones. That anthology is devoted to alternate histories of World War II, and I can say without any reservation that the Marine Raiders never rode the Asia Express in Manchuria, and the Japanese never sent a terrible weapon on the Asia Express to Dalian where a submarine that could travel around the world was absolutely not waiting for it. There is nothing at all wyrd about any of this. Nothing at all. None of it ever happened. Or did it?

The short-lived Republic of Texas survived for a time between Mexico and the expanding United States of America. The problem was that there were some disagreements with Mexico as to the exact nature of the Republic of Texas. Firstly, the ruler of Mexico had been captured when he signed the agreement that they were free. That was considered coercion, and the Mexicans had declared him no longer their ruler, elevated someone else, and did not recognize the entire agreement. Secondly, even if they did accept the agreement, they disagreed over the particulars. Texas said the agreement gave them all territory north of the Rio Grande River. Mexico said that they had a lot of towns full of Mexicans on the north side of the Rio Grand River, they weren’t giving them up, and if they DID accept a river border, it was a different river further north. But they still really didn’t. The disagreement turned violent when Texas patrols between the two rivers ran into Mexican patrols that did not want them there. As far as Texas was concerned, that meant war. As far as Mexico was concerned, it was another chance to shoot dirty rebels. As far the United States was concerned… well… who doesn’t love the story of plucky underdog rebels standing up to a vast empire trying to kill them? We Americans eat those stories for lunch.