A lowly state department functionary, whose only claim to fame was his marriage to Thomas Jefferson’s granddaughter, opened negotiations with Mexico on Aug. 27, 1847 to finally bring an end to the war that had dragged on long enough.
By February 1847, the Mexicans’ intransigence was giving President James K. Polk fits. Though badly beaten in every battle, the hopelessly outclassed opponent refused to concede defeat and showed not the slightest interest in stopping the carnage.
As the victor, Polk expected the vanquished to sue for peace, yet Mexico kept on fighting. Meanwhile, back in the States where the war never had been popular, criticism of the puzzled president threatened to paralyze his administration.
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