The first battle of the U.S.- Mexican War took place on April 25, 1846. The Mexican Cavalry, which comprised 2,000 soldiers, attacked a U.S. scouting party of 63 soldiers led by General Zachary Taylor. Nearly a dozen U.S. soldiers were killed in the battle. Over the course of the war, nearly 38,000 soldiers died. The deaths related to actual combat were approximately 2,000; the rest were attributed to disease in the U.S. camps. The war ended in 1848 when U.S. troops entered Mexico City.

Read about the events of the war in the timeline map at the link provided below.

Using this link to access the timeline map of the U.S. - Mexican War, complete the chart below.

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Date of Event	Summary of Event	U.S. Leaders	Mexican Leaders	Impact on the U.S.-Mexican War
May 1846	U.S. Army crosses the Rio Grande and occupies Matamoros	General Zachary Taylor	General Mariano Arrista	U.S. declares war on Mexico
May 8-9, 1846	U.S. Army wins the battles of Palo Alto and Resaca	General Zachary Taylor	General Mariano Arrista	Mexican Army is forced back across the Rio Grande
February 22-23, 1847	U. S. Army defeats Mexican Army at the Battle of Buena	General Zachary Taylor	Santa Anna	Mexican troops retreat south
September 12-13, 1847	Mexican soldiers defend the Castle of Capultopec against the U.S.	General Winfield Scott	Santa Anna	Mexican army falls to the U.S. troops
September 14, 1847	U.S. occupies Mexico City	General Winfield Scott	Santa Anna	The occupation of Mexico City gives the U.S. Army an advantage in the war

After capturing Mexico City, the United States was able to bring the war to a close. Mexico's leader, Santa Anna, was stripped of his command and exiled to Jamaica. Negotiations began to end the war peacefully.