When studying American Military history, there are several recurring characteristics of America’s manner in which it conducts warfare. Many colonists who lived in America before it became a country had similar ideologies to the Americans who came after them one hundred years later in the Civil War. Despite the lapse of time, early Americans can be characterized as being uniquely opportunistic in the way in which they conduct war. Americans collectively operated on the ideology of opportunity. America in its early stages was not the military power it is today, therefore it to relied on patiently waiting for the enemy to expose any sort of weakness to capitalize on.
The unique characteristic of opportunity was adopted by America just prior …show more content…
In fact, the Mexican American War is believed to be entirely a war of opportunity. During the years prior to the war, Mexico was in debt after recently gaining its independence from Spain, because of its debt, the newly founded country was no longer to offer healthy trade with the surrounding Indian tribes. One of these tribes, the Comanche, retaliated by conducting raids throughout the Mexican country side leaving destruction everywhere they went. United States believed that Mexico was incompetent in handling the surrounding Native American tribes so seizing the state appear to be the best course of action to ensure the safety of its people. United States initiated the Mexican American War with the annexation of Texas in 1845. The war was short lived as the US forces were met with little resistance against a ravaged Mexican country side. The war ended when U.S. troops captured Mexico City in 1848. Because America was able to utilize not only the debt of the Mexico but as well as the raids from Indian tribes, it was able to achieve victory over Mexico. The Mexican-American is just another example of America’s opportunistic characteristic of conducting warfare.
Robert E. Lee, one of the greatest generals in U.S. history also relied on opportunity during the Civil War. One of his greatest victories was the battle for Chancellorsville in which he was facing an exponentially larger Union army lead by General Hooker. Lee knew that going head to head against Hooker’s Army would be suicide. Lee also knew Hooker’s egotistic nature., which he was able to capitalize on when he sent Stonewall Jackson to flank Hooker’s army, pulling off the greatest civil war victory for the
The unique characteristic of opportunity was adopted by America just prior …show more content…
In fact, the Mexican American War is believed to be entirely a war of opportunity. During the years prior to the war, Mexico was in debt after recently gaining its independence from Spain, because of its debt, the newly founded country was no longer to offer healthy trade with the surrounding Indian tribes. One of these tribes, the Comanche, retaliated by conducting raids throughout the Mexican country side leaving destruction everywhere they went. United States believed that Mexico was incompetent in handling the surrounding Native American tribes so seizing the state appear to be the best course of action to ensure the safety of its people. United States initiated the Mexican American War with the annexation of Texas in 1845. The war was short lived as the US forces were met with little resistance against a ravaged Mexican country side. The war ended when U.S. troops captured Mexico City in 1848. Because America was able to utilize not only the debt of the Mexico but as well as the raids from Indian tribes, it was able to achieve victory over Mexico. The Mexican-American is just another example of America’s opportunistic characteristic of conducting warfare.
Robert E. Lee, one of the greatest generals in U.S. history also relied on opportunity during the Civil War. One of his greatest victories was the battle for Chancellorsville in which he was facing an exponentially larger Union army lead by General Hooker. Lee knew that going head to head against Hooker’s Army would be suicide. Lee also knew Hooker’s egotistic nature., which he was able to capitalize on when he sent Stonewall Jackson to flank Hooker’s army, pulling off the greatest civil war victory for the