What was Stephen Kearny’s mission during the Mexican-American War?

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How the Mexican-American War changed the U.S. forever — Mexican-American War Learn how the Mexican-American War ultimately pushed the United States closer to civil war.

At the outbreak of the Mexican-American War, the primary mission of U.S. Army officer Stephen Watts Kearny was to lead an expedition from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, to seize New Mexico and California for the United States.1

Kearny successfully captured Santa Fe in August 1846, largely through diplomacy rather than military force, and established a civil government there. Upon arriving in California, he found that the territory had been partially reclaimed by Mexican-Californian rebels. Despite initial friction with Commodore Robert F. Stockton regarding command authority, Kearny led a combined force to defeat the resistance at San Gabriel and the Mesa in early 1847, ultimately securing the region and establishing a stable administration.1