Rackensackers and Rangers: Brutality in the Conquest of Northern Mexico, 1846-1848

This study exposes the atrocities and depredations committed by American volunteers serving in the Mexican War, 1846-1848. These behaviors are documented in the memoirs, narratives, and correspondence of Mexican War participants and observers.The presence of volunteer units had a significantly adverse effect on the inhabitants of northern Mexico throughout the conflict. American volunteers serving in the United States Army during the Mexican War committed numerous atrocities against the civilians and noncombatants of northern Mexico. This situation was unique to the American army's northern campaign, and several first-hand accounts serve as evidence to the undisciplined nature of volunteer units and the atrocities they committed.Department of Histor