the Mexican position and routed the Mexican army, which fled across the Rio Grande. These twin actions were an indication of qualitative superiority of the small American Army over the much larger Mexican Army.
After securing the region surrounding Matamoros and Fort Brown, Taylor marched his force west to the city of Monterrey in June of 1846. After resupplying his troops throughout the Summer, he surrounded the garrison at Monterrey in September, which surrendered on September 24. After the capture of Monterrey, the northern Mexico region became quiet except for isolated guerrilla raids; consequently, most of Taylor's troops were sent to reinforce the Mexico City campaign by the early part of 1847. Upon hearing of Taylor's weak force, General Antonio Lopez de Santa Anna, commander of the Mexican Army, assem
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