Panting For Glory: The Mississippi Rifles in the Mexican War

The “Mississippi Rifles,” so called because they were the first volunteer force in American history to have been issued rifles rather than smoothbore muskets, served in the war against Mexico that followed the annexation of Texas in 1845. In Panting for Glory, Richard Bruce Winders skillfully uncovers the contrasting wartime experience of two regiments, the 1st and 2nd Mississippi Rifles.

The 1st Mississippi Rifles were lauded for their service and remain a familiar part of the history of the Mexican War. Under the leadership of Col. Jefferson Davis—later the President of the Confederate States of America—the 1st enjoyed significant victories at the Battle of Buena Vista and the Battle of Monterey. The 2nd Mississippi Rifles, by contrast, saw little action and returned home overlooked and largely forgotten.

Panting for Glory contrasts these two experiences to show that the contours of history were sometimes arbitrary and that military historians, in their analysis of failure, should take into account a wide range of factors that influence outcomes, not merely records of wins and losses. As Winders concludes, “the 1st and 2nd Mississippi Rifles . . . offer the perfect opportunity to examine two sides of war: glory gained and glory denied.”