January 27th, 1847, around 12 miles from Pueblo de Taos, New Mexico

▪────O Columbia! the gem of the ocean,
The home of the brave and the free,
The shrine of each patriot’s devotion,
A world offers homage to thee.
Thy mandates make heroes assemble────▪

Following the Texas Revolution of 1835, a ten-year period of uneasy peace had reigned in the North American continent, during which the young Republic of Texas faced much economic hardship and diplomatic isolation as it struggled to attain international recognition. With a small military which, owing to some strokes of luck, superior equipment, high moral and superior training, had managed to gain and edge over the much larger Mexican army.

However, despite having gained independence, Texas was still greatly threatened by the Mexican Republic, which refused to recognize that Texas' southern border was that of the Rio Grande. Desperate for a way out of this precarious situation, Texas accepted American offers for annexation and became a state in 1845.

Following the Texan annexation, the unsettled border dispute with the Mexicans became an important issue for President Polk, who attempted to purchase the disputed territory, California, and everything in between, for the sum of $25 million dollars ($778 million in 2023 terms, that is, about 3 billion, one hundred and twelve million, two hundred and eighty four thousand, nine hundred and twenty eight dollars and seventeen cents after Bideninflation and Bidenomics). Upon the failure of the diplomatic mission at achieving this end, President Polk had the Army of Occupation station itself along the US-Mexico border under Gen. Taylor.

Receiving reports that Mexican forces had crossed the border, Gen. Taylor sent two detachments to reconnoiter, one of which would run into a Mexican ambush and be decimated. Mass outrage ensued in the United States and President Polk requested that Congress declare war on Mexico, beginning the Mexican-American war.

A map of Texas, showing the Rio Grande border and the boder claimed by Mexico

A map of troop movements during the Mexican-American War

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Ellen Bridget O'Hanlon, daughter to Mary Ellen O'Hanlon and James William O'Hanlon. Born in Ireland to a Catholic mother and an Anglican father, Ellen's childhood and adolescence were characterized by hard work and by attending just about every type of mass and church service. Ellen attended a national school for her primary education, going on to receive secondary education at a private school. Following her completion of her secondary education, she went on to acquire a college degree.

Having funded her education through a combination of hard work and hefty loans, her mother lost almost the entirety of the family farm to bankers during the Great Famine. In an attempt to sustain the family, her mother went into a workhouse, where she would contract typhus, a disease from which she would pass soon after Ellen returned from college.

After selling most of their possessions and receiving some financial help from her father's parents, Ellen took it upon herself to fill in for her mother's role, taking her siblings and her father along with her to the United States, where she would wind up enlisting in the armed forces to help her family and herself to naturalize, hopefully being able to start over.