ALMONTE, Juan Nepumoceno. Memoria del ministerio de estado y del despacho de guerra y marina del gobierno supremo de la Republica Mexicana, leida al augusto congreso nacional el dia 9 de diciembre de 1846. Mexico City: Imprenta de Torres, en el ex-convento del Espíritu Santo, 1846. [1-5] 6-43 [1, blank], [2] pp., 17 folding tables on 16 sheets. 8vo (25.5 x 17 cm), modern red buckram with original pink lower wrapper bound in (wanting upper wrapper). Some minor wrinkling, lower wrapper chipped, 3 charts faintly waterstained, otherwise fine. With Mexican binder’s small ink stamp on rear pastedown.

First edition.

Full report on the Mexican land forces, including material on Texas. An important, interesting picture of the Mexican Army at the beginning of the Mexican-American War. Judging from the report and from the reality on the ground, the United States should have lost the war. As is obvious from this text, they were outmanned and outgunned except in naval capacity. In the section “La Guerra de Tejas y la consiguente de los Estados-Unidos,” Almonte briefly reviews events to Monterrey and states that an army of 30,000 troops is massing in San Luis Potosí to meet the invasion. Issued only three days after Santa-Anna was elected President.

Almonte (1803-1869) was a prominent military and political figure who fought at the Alamo. He accompanied Santa-Anna to Washington after the Battle of San Jacinto. He supported Maximilian, but after the emperor’s execution, fled to Europe, where he died.