Sharing as well as stimulating the progressive spirit of the age, (the press) advances into the wilderness with our hardy pioneers....and contends for supremacy with the sword upon every battle-field which is won by our victorious arms....
nothing is more remarkable or more indicative of the intelligence and education of our people, than the fact that newspapers have been established in every town of importance which has been captured from the enemy.
...American journals have been busy in imparting information, in combatting crime, in inculcating virtue, in fostering all of the attributes of humanity in the bosoms of the American soldiery and in striving to extend over the benighted territory conquered by our arms, the ameliorating influences of our civilization....-- Secretary of the Navy John Y. Mason, 18471
The Mexican War, 1846-48, was the first foreign war reported extensively by American correspondents. Daily newspapers provided organized coverage of the American expeditionary forces and made expensive, elaborate arrangements to have the news carried back to the United States.
Also important to the war's coverage, a large number of American civilians followed in the wake of the army and established "occupation newspapers" in Mexico. Before the conflict was over, enterprising American printers established 25 such publications in 14 occupied cities. Serving both the troops at the front and the public at home, these papers provided much of the war's coverage.
Many of the war papers were encouraged by the U. S. military authorities because they helped the army maintain local control by publishing official decrees and regulations. In a number of instances these papers were supported by military patronage. Of the 25 American-operated occupation papers, 16 eventually closed their doors because of financial or related problems, five were suppressed by the U.S. military and four continued to operate even after the war ended.
The newspapers proved valuable for the U. S. military occupation of Mexico. For a considerable time during the war, large areas of Mexico had to be occupied by American troops, many of them poorly trained volunteers. Undermanned and spread thin over hundreds of miles, the rear area troops often were harassed by Mexican guerrilla forces and hostile civilian populations. In many instances order was maintained only through the strict use of martial law.
One of the most valuable functions of the American journalists during
the war was to keep American public opinion, at home and in Mexico, aware
of conditions and issues in the expeditionary army. The American press often
was the channel by which officials in Washington and Mexico City learned
of actions in the other capital. For the general public, it was the only
communication link. The establishment of the American Star and the North
American was somewhat the logical conclusion of the push by the American
printers to follow the army into Mexico. Out of a mixture of motives --
adventure, patriotism, politics, professional news sense and desire of personal
gain -- they established their papers in the Mexican cities. The occupation
newspapers helped Americans of the 1840s to better understand the war, and,
as the New Orleans Crescent prophesied, they now allow the history of the
war to be better understood by Americans of this generation.
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Last updated: March 9, 1998.
Comments to: Communication Department
