Description
The first edition of The Battle of Buena Vista, With The Operations Of The “Army of Occupation” For One Month by James Henry Carleton, from the library of Colonel T.L. Alexander, who fought in the Mexican Wars.
Octavo, vii, 238, [2], 8pp ads. Brown cloth, title stamped in gilt. Fraying of cloth at heel of the spine, 2cm loss at head of the spine. Solid text block. Even toning throughout, faint foxing, limited impact to text. Complete with two folding maps, including the “Plan of the Battle of Buena Vista,” and “Map of the Country of Buena Vista.” Bookplate of “T.L. Alexander / U.S. Army” on the front pastedown.
(Sabin 10905)
Col. Thomas L. Alexander (1807-1881), a veteran of both the Black Hawk and Mexican wars, graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1830 and entered the United States Army as a second lieutenant in the 6th Infantry.
His long career included frontier service, combat against the Sac Indians in the Black Hawk War (Battle of Bad Ax), service in the Florida Indian campaigns, and distinguished action in the Mexican War at Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, Contreras, and Churubusco, for which he received a brevet promotion to major for gallantry. Rising to lieutenant colonel, Alexander later served in senior administrative roles as Deputy Governor of the Military Asylum at Harrodsburg, Kentucky, and for six years as lieutenant governor of the Soldiers’ Home near Washington, D.C. He retired from active service in 1863.
He was a founding member of the Aztec Club of 1847, along with future presidents Franklin Pierce and Ulysses S. Grant. His wife was a longtime friend of Mary Todd Lincoln, often sharing correspondence and visiting the Lincoln’s at the White House in 1864.
