SEQUENCE OF EVENTS

1844

November 2	James K. Polk elected president of the United States.
December 6	Antonio López de Santa Anna ousted as president of Mexico.

1845

March 1	President John Tyler signs annexation proposal to Texas.
March 4	Polk inaugurated as tenth president of the United States.
July 4	Texas Congress accepts annexation as a state to United States.
July 25	Brig. Gen. Zachary Taylor lands a force near Corpus Cristi, Texas.
November 16	Polk confers with Senator Benton on Oregon and California. As a result, he sends messages via Lieut. Arnold Gillespie to Sloat, Larkin, and Frémont in California.
December 6	Polk’s emissary, John Slidell, reaches Mexico City.
December 9	Capt. John C. Frémont arrives at Sutter’s Fort, California.

1846

March 8	Taylor leaves Corpus Cristi for Rio Grande.
March 9	Frémont departs vicinity of Monterey for Klamath.
March 28	Taylor arrives on Rio Grande at Matamoros.
April 25	Capt. Seth Thornton’s force ambushed, Brownsville, Texas.
May 8	Battle of Palo Alto.
May 9	Battle of the Resaca de la Palma.
May 13	Congress ratifies existence of war, passes War Bill. Polk and Scott confer.
June 15	Oregon treaty signed between United States and Britain.
June 16	Col. Stephen W. Kearney leaves Fort Leavenworth for Santa Fe.
July 4	Bear Flag Republic declared at Sonoma, California.
July 7	Monterey, California, occupied by force under Commodore Sloat.
July 23	Commodore Robert F. Stockton arrives at Monterey, California.
August 13	Los Angeles occupied by force under Stockton.
August 16	Santa Anna returns to Mexico, landing at Veracruz.
August 17	Kearny occupies Santa Fe, New Mexico, without resistance.
September 20–24	Taylor seizes Monterrey, Nuevo León.
September 25	Brig. Gen. Kearny departs Santa Fe for California.
September 29	Gillespie, as governor, surrenders Los Angeles to Flores.
November 19	Polk appoints Scott to command the expedition to Veracruz.
November 23	Maj. Gen. Winfield Scott leaves Washington for Rio Grande.
December 12	Col. Alexander Doniphan departs New Mexico for El Paso.
December 6	Battle of San Pascual, near San Diego, California.
December 12	Kearny arrives in San Diego.

1847

January 3	Scott arrives at Camargo.
January 8	Battle of San Gabriel, Los Angeles.
February 3–4	Col. Sterling Price subdues New Mexican rebels at Taos.
February 22–23	Taylor defeats Santa Anna at Buena Vista.
February 28	Doniphan, after Battle of Sacramento, occupies Chihuahua.
March 2	Scott departs Lobos Island for Veracruz.
March 9	Scott lands at Veracruz.
March 29	Veracruz surrenders.
April 18	Battle of Cerro Gordo, occupation of Jalapa.
May 14	Nicholas Trist, Polk’s emissary, arrives at Jalapa.
May 21	Doniphan joins Wool at Buena Vista.
May 28	Scott moves main army to Puebla.
June 3	Scott is cut off from Veracruz.
August 20	Battles of Contreras and Churubusco.
August 24	Truce between Scott and Santa Anna.
September 6	Truce terminated.
September 8	Reduction of the Molino del Rey.
September 13	Assault on Chapultepec.
September 14	Scott occupies Mexico City.
September 17	Polk sends message of recall to Trist (received November 16).
October 9	Sam Walker, Texas Rangers, killed at Huamantla.

1848

February 2	Trist and Peña sign Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo.
March 10	Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ratified by U.S. Congress.
May 30	Treaty ratified by Mexican Congress.
July 15	Last U.S. troops, under Worth, leave Veracruz.