Santa Anna’s Plan

In the fall of 1846, President Santa Ana left control of the government in the hands of his vice president and moved to San Luis Potosi to organize an army to retake northern Mexico. According to one historian, his army was composed of “raw recruits, unhappy conscripts, disgruntled veterans, and criminals” overwhelmingly outfitted with inadequate clothing and weapons. On January 6, 1847, Santa Ana received captured American orders revealing that Taylor’s army (located around Saltillo) had shrunk significantly in preparation for an attack on Veracruz. After going to great lengths to clothe, feed, pay, and equip his men, Santa Ana prepared an army of about 20,000. He began his march on Saltillo on January 27. He planned to destroy Taylor’s army, eliminating American control of northern Mexico and allowing Mexican forces to concentrate on defending their capital. Santa Ana also hoped that such a defeat would cause the U.S. government to bow to increasing anti-war sentiment and seek peace.