Soldiers of Misfortune

Sam W. Haynes is Associate Professor of History at the University of Texas at Arlington.

• Preface1. "Carthage Must Be Destroyed"2. The VÁsquez and Woll Incursions3. The Southwestern Army of Operations4. The March to Laredo5. The Battle of Mier6. "Our National Calamity"7. The Black Bean Episode8. "There Is No Hope of Release"9. "A Mysterious Silence"10. "A Fragile Peace"11. The Annexation Crisis12. EpilogueNotesBibliographyIndex

Those interested in the Republic of Texas and the diplomatic history leading to annexation... will come away from this book with a new understanding of the human cost of the Texans' vainglorious attempt to attack Mexico. (Western Historical Quarterly) The author, perhaps for the first time in American published accounts of the Somervell/Mier fiasco, takes pains to honestly represent the Mexican point of view in this affair. All told, Soldiers of Misfortune emerges as an exceptionally well-informed, sensitive, and readable account of a pivotal series of events in Southwestern history. (Journal of the West) Sam W. Haynes has provided an excellent, well-written account of the ill-fated Texas expeditions against Mexico in the 1840s. Not only does the author cover these events in entertaining detail, he scrupulously places them in the context of the political and diplomatic realities of the Texas Republic. He also takes care to be even-handed in his treatment of Texans and Mexicans.... superb storytelling and penetrating analysis. (Password)