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Mexcian Soldier Taking Aim

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Description

A reenactor portraying a Mexican soldier of the Army of the North commanded by Mariano Arista; aims his British Brown Bess musket at Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site. This was a living history demo to commemorate the 163rd anniversary of the battle.


The man here is an officer (carries a saber not shown here) and belongs to the 3rd Regiment (based on the brass plate on his sako hat). But this is speculative. For whatever reason I didn't ask him, but I'll find out sooner or later.


[EDIT] Soldier actually belongs to the 4th Line Infantry Regiment


The Mexican arsenal at this time was antiquated and deteriated. According to the US Army Center of Military History's article Guns Along the Rio Grande: Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma by Steven A Carney


"Mexican soldiers were poorly armed with out-of-date, inaccurate, and often unserviceable muzzleloading flintlock muskets. Drill thus emphasized precision marching but did not incorporate target practice to reduce wear and tear on the force's limited inventory of antiquated weapons."


A link to this article can be found here [link]


This factor alone is not enough to explain why they lost the Battle of Palo Alto. The battle itself was primarily an artillery duel between the US-Mexican Armies rather than Napoleonic column tactics which both armies fully expected. The Mexicans were further hindered not only by the superior enemy artillery but they also fought in a bad position (with the sun in their eyes) and suffered poor leadership. Despite having many things going against them were any less brave by any means.




Palo Alto Battlefield is located just outside Brownsville, Texas and is totally free to the public. This is the ONLY national park dedicated solely to the Mexican American War. I encourage you all to go if you have the means too.

More info on the park can be found here. [link]




Enjoy
Image size
2816x2112px 1.54 MB
Make
Canon
Model
Canon PowerShot S3 IS
Shutter Speed
1/807 second
Aperture
F/4.0
Focal Length
26 mm
Date Taken
May 9, 2009, 10:07:42 AM
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