[EternalVigilance]

I think that if people want to have a thorough understanding of the events leading up to the war of the rebellion, they have to understand something about the Mexican war, since so many of the officers on both sides served there together.

One excellent place to start is with Grant’s memoirs, in which he tells of his experiences in that conflict.

http://www-tc.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/media/uploads/special_features/download_files/memoirs.pdf

[Homer_J_Simpson]

Personal Memoirs is a great read. (My paperback copy doesn't include any of those maps.) I recommend Jean Edward Smith's bio of Grant as a supplement. He provides a more clear and colorful accounting of Grant's own exploits in Mexico and, IMO, provides a better overview of the Mexican War.