Colonel Francis S. Belton distinguished himself in the Battle of 1812 and at Contreras and Churubusco during the U.S. War with Mexico.
Of the six letters in this collection, three were composed in 1847 during the Mexican War: an original letter written to Belton from his son W. J. Belton (May 29); and copies of two letters written by Belton to his wife and son from Tacubaya, 4 miles west of Mexico (August 26), and later from the National Palace (September 26). These last two letters have significant content about military operations in the area of Mexico City. Three additional letters in Belton’s own hand were addressed to his son from September to November, 1854, from Fort Trumbull [CT] and Fort Moultrie [SC]. In the September 1854 letter, Belton talked of his Catholic faith and expressed regret for the wartime desecration of a church and convent in Puebla, Mexico.
Open for research.
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Gift/purchase from Michael Vinson,
Gift/purchase,
Accessioned as number 2010-136.
Colonel Francis S. Belton Mexican War Letters,1847-1854, GA51, Special Collections, University of Texas at Arlington Library.
Finding aid was prepared by Brenda S. McClurkin on August 17, 2011.
The letters are arranged chronologically.
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