"The Best Soldier": Robert E. Lee's Mexican War Heroics

After watching him perform so valiantly as an officer in the Mexican-American War, General Winfield Scott would publicly declare Robert E. Lee to be "the very best soldier that I ever saw in the field." This is the story of what Lee accomplished as a middle-aged scout and engineer in the Mexican campaign. From his role in securing victory during Winfield Scott's Veracruz campaign by perfectly siting and building batteries to helping scout and lead assaults at Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Churubusco, and Chapultepec, Lee's Mexican War record is one of heroics, immense skill, and indefatigable energy. We discuss all his heroics, and how what he learned during the Mexican-American War shaped his Civil War generalship, from his audacious assaults with split-up forces to his reliance on talented scouts and improvised field works. We also cover Lee's heroic feats in depth, from when he hid under a log as Mexican soldiers sat nearby in the Cerro Gordo, to when he crossed the deadly Pedregal thrice in a night to save 3500 Americans, a feat Gen. Scott called "the greatest feat of physical and moral courage performed by any individual, to my knowledge, pending the campaign."

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0:00 Lee's Mexican War Baptism in Leadership

3:41 Lee Gets The Call to War

8:01 The Texas Coast Landing

11:18 The Sheep Scout

18:03 Scott's Veracruz Gamble

30:25 Into the Mountain Pass: Cerro Gordo Heroics

39:08 The Pedregal Crossings

48:13 Chapultepec Assault

55:29 Occupied Mexico City

58:49 Home to Arlington

1:01:27 What Robert E Lee Learned in Mexico

Sources Referenced in this Episode:

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Marie-Lan Taÿ Pamart, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons