[jocon307]

"The name of the University of Tennessee's athletic teams –"The Volunteers" – is linked to this episode."

Very interesting, I'd always wondered where that nickname came from. Thanks for posting this and enlightening me. The rest of the article is very interesting too. I think the Mexican-American war is not properly understood. At least not here in Yankee-land where I live.

[Incorrigible]

I agree Jocon! I didn't learn anything about it in Horace Mann School!

[VOA]

I think the Mexican-American war is not properly understood.

Agreed.
I was suprised how good the series was that PBS did on The Mexican-American war.

Until I saw it, I didn't know that Mexico City was taken by less than 10,000
US troops coming up THE SAME ROAD from Veracruz that Cortez had also taken.

How embarassing...defeated by small armies coming up the same road.
About the only exuse is that after 300 years, the gradees of
Mexico City had forgotten about that Cortez guy.

I was suprised that some Mexican or illegal-immigrant rights group
didn't get that PBS production squelched. Or outright turn it into
a lesson into historical revision.

[Strategerist]

The rest of the article is very interesting too. I think the Mexican-American war is not properly understood. At least not here in Yankee-land where I live.

War of 1812 is the same way.

Basically, the War of 1812 was a US attempt to conquer Canada, which failed rather miserably. This isn't covered in school. The fighting along the Canadian border tends to be completely and utterly ignored - and that's where the vast majority of the war was fought.

The whole impressment of sailors thing was a cover. Virtually all the sailors being impressed were from New England, yet New England congressmen voted against the war (and later even threatened to secede in protest) while the war got its support from the South and West in districts where there were few or no sailors - they saw the war as an opportunity to take Canada while the British were occupied with fighting Napoleon.

[Restorer]

"The name of the University of Tennessee's athletic teams –"The Volunteers" – is linked to this episode."

While this may be partially true, the name goes back much farther, to the War of 1812, when the Tennessee militia volunteered en masse to fight the British and Indians.

[jblair]

The Volunteers rule. Yes, it is true.

President Polk served as Governor of Tennessee, and is buried in Nashville.

At the rate illegals are committing crimes in Tennessee, I wonder how long it will take for Tennesseans to kick some Mexican ass, again.

[Memphis Moe]

I have read that the Volunteer nickname came from the Tennessee troops that volunteered to serve with General Jackson to put down the Creek Indians during the War of 1812 after the massacre of men, women, and children at Fort Mims.