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RI335 Assignment

The Mexican American War

Mexican coat of arms commonly worn during the war

US coat of arms commonly worn
during the war

President Polk, Trist and the difficulties with Scott

With the series of victories obtained by Scott at Veracruz and Cerro Gordo, Polk believed it was time to reopen negotiations with Mexico. He entrusted this important mission to N.P. Trist. Trist was recommended by Buchanan, who he described as "an able man, perfectly familiar with the Spanish character and language."37 Trist indeed was an intelligent man, well experienced and well suited to the task at hand. However "he was inclined to a visionary kind of self-conceit, and was at times lacking in sober perspective and common sense. Polk was destined to find him an insecure support"38 Trist was soon to find himself at odds with Polk for his actions. On 21st of April, 1847, the details of Trist's mission were published in the New York Herald with "remarkable accuracy."39 This greatly angered Polk, as he described "I have not been more vexed or excited since I have been President than at this occurrence."40 Polk was inclined to blame Mr. Derrick, a clerk in the Department of State. However, it could be supposed, given Trist's vanity and sense of self-importance, that he himself leaked the information. Trist further frustrated Polk in his negotiations with the Mexicans. As Polk wrote on 21st of October, 1847, "Mr. Trist in other respects had in his conferences departed from his instructions and the simple duty with which he was charged…He had no right to depart from his instructions, and I disapprove his conduct in doing so…in this he has committed himself and embarrassed future negotiations. His course is much to be regretted."41 And again on 23rd of October, 1847 Polk wrote "Mr. Trist has managed the negotiation very bunglingly and with no ability."42
If Trist and Scott frustrated Polk separately, then together they near infuriated him. When Trist reached Mexico and joined Taylor's camp, prepared to enter into negotiations with the Mexicans, he found a hostile Scott suspicious that Polk had sent another civilian agent to supersede him. Scott sent a defiant letter to Trist, and Trist's response was equally as aggressive. The result was that neither party was willing to correspond with the other, and much time was wasted. Polk was furious. "The protraction of the war may properly be attributed to the folly and ridiculous vanity of General Scott."43 Neither was Trist to escape Polk's wrath; "I gave him [General Benton] a statement of the unfortunate collision between General Scott and Mr. Trist in Mexico and said that in consequence of it the golden moment to conclude a peace with Mexico had probably been suffered to pass, and expressed the opinion that the duration of the war might be indefinite."44 Eventually, once Scott was assured that Trist was not there to over rule him; the two resolved their differences. Scott even managed to be self-effacing. After the battle of Cherubusco on the 20th of August, 1847, after crushing Santa Anna's army, the war was practically over, and Scott could enter Mexico City whenever he wanted. "But Scott unselfishly gave up the personal glory of at once occupying Mexico City because he felt that such action might delay a favorable peace."45
Scott and Trist's failure to co-operate, in reality and despite Polk's complaints, probably didn't affect the duration of the war. However, they clearly demonstrates the difficulties Polk had in directing the war from Washington and having to rely on agents. The reasons for these problems between Polk and Taylor, Trist and Scott are not clear. Polk attributes most of it to political adversity and personal ambition. Obviously each had their faults, most notably their own sense of self-importance and their aspirations, but Polk's shortcomings cannot be overlooked. He was evidently a difficult man to work under, and highly suspicious of those he directed. The only thing that can be said for any of them with any certainty is that they made the ambitions of Polk all the more difficult to obtain.