Army Campaigns of Mexico Gateway south Battle of Monterrey

The Battle of Monterrey (September 21–September 23, 1846) was an engagement in the Mexican-American War in which General Pedro de Ampudia and the Mexican Army of the North managed to fight US troops to a standstill at the important fortress town of Monterrey.

After a number of embarrassing defeats and near misses, the Army of the North attempted to retreat south and refit before engaging the seemingly unbeatable US forces under General Zachary Taylor. Near the old fortress town of Monterrey, General Pedro de Ampudia received orders from Antonio López de Santa Anna to retreat further to the city of Saltillo where Ampudia was to establish a defensive line. But Ampudia, who was hungry for victory and conscious that his men were nearing mutiny through constantly being forced to retreat, refused the order and chose instead to make a stand at Monterrey. Joining Ampudia at this engagement were an elite artillery unit, the largely Irish-American San Patricios (or the Saint Patrick's Battalion), in their first major engagement against US forces.
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