Two Armies on the Rio Grande: The First Campaign of the US-Mexican War by Douglas A. Murphy

New book added to the Bronsbil Estacion historical resource library

Longtime park ranger at Palo Alto National Battlefield Site Douglas A. Murphy was hosted by the Brownsville Historical Association for a book signing of Two Armies on the Rio Grande: The First Campaign of the US-Mexican War on Saturday April 18, 2015.

He signed my book:  "For Javier, a fellow history fan.  Thanks for your support"  :D

From Amazon:
The opening campaign of the US-Mexican War transformed the map of each nation and shaped the course of conflict.

Armed with a broad range of Mexican military documents and previously unknown US sources, Douglas Murphy provides the first balanced view of early battles such as Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma. He reassesses previously covered territory and also poses new questions.

Why did Mexico establish its defenses south of the Rio Grande while claiming territory north of the river? What was Mexico’s strategy in the campaign against the United States? What factors most affected Mexico’s defeat?

In confronting these questions, Murphy shows that the campaign was a complex chess match with undercurrents of political intrigue, economic motivations, and personal animosities as much as military action. Two Armies on the Rio Grande will transform our understanding of the US-Mexican War

Review

"Two Armies on the Rio Grande is much more than a minutely detailed narrative of the earliest engagements of the US-Mexican War. It manages to vividly recreate the tedium of camp life and the horror of combat; the harshness and beauty of the natural environment; the calculations and intrigues of leaders; and the aspirations and fears of men at war. And it does all this with exhaustive knowledge of, and great sensitivity toward, both sides in the conflict. Assiduously researched and gracefully written, this is military history at its best."--Timothy Henderson, author, A Glorious Defeat: Mexico and Its War with the US

(Timothy Henderson 2014-08-15)

"For over twenty years Douglas Murphy has worked as an historian at the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park, the only federally-protected site from the US-Mexican War. Drawing upon battle reports, journals, and letters from both US and Mexican archives, Murphy provides a rare glimpse into the minds of the leaders of the opposing sides and skillfully narrates the inciting events that ultimately led to conflict. Two Armies on the Rio Grande fills an important gap in the historiography of the US-Mexican War and sheds considerable light on a poorly understood campaign that ultimately changed the course of world history."--Michael Scott Van Wagenen, author, Remembering the Forgotten War: The Enduring Legacies of the US-Mexican War

(Michael Scott Van Wagenen 2014-08-15)

DOUGLAS A. MURPHY is park historian and chief of operations at Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park. He also serves as an adjunct professor of history at the University of Texas at Brownsville.