February 22–23, 1847 · Northern Mexico Theater
February 22–23, 1847
Santa Anna marched an army of roughly 15,000 north from San Luis Potosí to destroy Taylor's reduced force of fewer than 5,000 men near the hacienda of Buena Vista. In two days of desperate fighting in a mountain pass, American artillery and the Mississippi Rifles regiment — led by Colonel Jefferson Davis — repeatedly broke Mexican charges. Santa Anna withdrew despite his numerical advantage, claiming victory but effectively ending offensive operations in the north.
Commanders