The Mexican War Journal and Letters of Ralph W. Kirkham

By Ralph W. Kirkham

A young West Pointer, Kirkham penned vivid eyewitness descriptions of several battles in the outskirts of Mexico City and a unique account of the exit from Mexico City after U.S. troops turned over the National Palace to the Mexican Army. He also described the daily life of central Mexico--crops, bullfights, theatrical performances, an earthquake, and exhibits in the Art Academy and National Museum. Kirkham's observations in his journal and in his letters home to his wife are accurate, astute, and compelling. Book jacket.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0890964637
• ISBN13: 9780890964637
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Texas A&M University Press
• Length: 141 Pages
• Weight: 1.05 lbs.

Customer Reviews

A Rare Pesonal View Before the Civil War

One of the few accounts of the Mexican War, Kirkham's journal contains many unique descriptions of U.S. military activity. He graduated from West Point in 1842. After serving on garrison and frontier duty, he participated in the Mexican War, where he was took part in the battles at Contreras and Clmrubusco and was wounded in the battle of Molino del Rey. He was noted for gallant and meritorious conduct in the storming of Chapultepec and assisted in the capture of Mexico City. While in Mexico he was one of a party of six American officers who climbed to the summit of Popocatapetl which hadn't been climbed since the time of Cortez.