Rank: Private
Unit: 2d Dragoons
Campaign: Mexican American War
Died: 25 April 1846
Cause of death: Killed in action
Location of fatality: Rancho De Carricitos, Texas
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Notes: He was part the “Thornton Affair.” It was the justification needed for the United States to declare war on Mexico.
The conflict began due to a border dispute between the United States and Mexico, concerning the territory between the Nueces and Rio Grande rivers, which both countries claimed. After moving south into Texas, as part of Brig. Gen. Zachary Taylor’s Army of Observation, the 2d Dragoons were the first to engage in combat. On 25 April 1846, Capt. Seth Thornton and Companies C and F were attacked by a superior force of approximately 1600 Mexican Soldiers. 16 Dragoons were killed and approximately four dozen captured to include Capt. Thornton.