Essay on the Literature of the Mexican War

"Essay on the Literature of the Mexican War" by W. T. (William Thornton) Lawson is a mid-19th century historical analysis of the writings and stories about the Mexican War. The book looks at different points of view and things that were written back then, during, and after the war. Lawson checks out how the war is shown in books and what that tells us about American history. He talks about how the war changed America, like how the country got more land and the economy grew. He looks at a lot of historical records, military stories, and books, even ones by General Ripley and Colonel Benton, pointing out that they all saw the war differently, both in terms of fighting and politics. Lawson wishes there were more good books about the war and wants people to understand how important it was, encouraging future experts to study its literature more closely. Lawson shines a light on poets such as Theodore O'Hara and political writers similar to James Russell Lowell, demonstrating how the account of this major time in American history was starting move forward.