Bookcover: From the Halls of the Montezumas: Mexican War Dispatches from James L. Freaner, Writing under the Pen Name

From the Halls of the Montezumas: Mexican War Dispatches from James L. Freaner, Writing under the Pen Name "Mustang"

vol. 14: War and the Southwest Series

October, 2019

Published

576

Pages

31 b&w illus. 3 maps. Notes. Bib. Index.

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$39.95

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About Gaff and Gaff's From the Halls of the Montezumas

James L. Freaner was one of America’s first war correspondents covering General Winfield Scott’s campaign during the Mexican War. His letters appeared in newspapers under the byline “Mustang,” and his reports from the front included publication of complete casualty lists (long before official reports became public), detailed battle descriptions, and observations on postwar Mexico. Freaner’s greatest contribution was persuading Nicholas P. Trist, negotiator with Mexico, to ignore his recall and conclude a peace treaty that added California, Nevada, Utah, and other territory to a growing country.

From the Halls of the Montezumas is a complete compilation of Freaner’s Mexican War reporting. Editors Alan D. Gaff and Donald H. Gaff annotated the text with footnotes identifying people, places, and events, also adding pictures of key figures and maps.

About the Editor

ALAN D. GAFF is an independent scholar and President of Historical Investigations. His previous books include Bayonets in the Wilderness, Blood in the Argonne, and On Many a Bloody Field.

More from Alan D. Gaff

DONALD H. GAFF is Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Northern Iowa, and co-editor with Alan D. Gaff of A Corporal’s Story: Civil War Recollections of the Twelfth Massachusetts.

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