James Sennott's Mexican War Service

James Sennott

Mary Ann Newsham Sennott filed for a widow's pension on 26 December 1889 which was approved 14 March 1890 and she began receiving $8 per month. She was allowed this pension because James served in the army during the Mexican War.

His service was included in the History of Randolph, Monroe, and Perry Counties, Illinois. It was also chronicled in his Compiled Service Record at the National Archives. James enlisted for twelve months in Miller's Company 2nd Illinois Foot Soldiers as a private. The unit was organized at Waterloo in May, 1846 and was mustered in at Alton, Illinois on 24 June 1846.

They served one year and were mustered out 18 June, 1847 at Carmargo, Mexico.

The Mexican War changed both the United States and Mexico. The U.S. gained a million square miles of territory by the signing of the treaty in 1848 at the end of the war. In 1845 Texas was disputed territory. The U.S. offered statehood, the residents voted to accept, and Texas became a state by December 1845. Mexico did not accept the annexation. The border of Texas was in question, the area between the Nueces and Rio Grande Rivers was disputed. U.S. troops that had been stationed in Texas moved to the Rio Grande River and arrived on the north bank on March 28, 1846. Mexico viewed this as an invasion and attached the Americans at Fort Texas which had been constructed on the bank of the Rio Grande River. Mexico officially declared war on July 1, 1846.

Company I was led Captain Madison Miller was part of the Second Illinois Regiment under the command of Colonel William H. Bissell who later became the eleventh Governor of Illinois . James was one of 55 privates in the company. The pay of a private was $15.50 per month.

The regiment was transported down the Mississippi River and across the Gulf of Mexico arriving at Camp Erwin near Victoria, Texas. From there they marched to San Antonio, Texas. Leaving there on 26 September 1846 they arrived in Santa Rosa on 24 October where they met no opposition. They marched on to Monclova and then on to Parras. Their original mission to capture Chihuahua was abandoned at this point. They remained in Chihuahua for twelve days. Having learned about Santa Anna's attack on Monterey, they continued marching and on 21 December they occupied Agua Nueva. They had marched for approximately one thousand miles.

In January, 1847 the regiment was part of a group that joined Major General Zachory Taylor and on 22 and 23 of February they took part in the battle of Buena Vista which was a victory for the American troops despite the fact that they were severely out numbered by Santa Anna's troops.  The battle was fought in a narrow mountain pass. The 2nd Illinois and two other units barricaded the road. They stood firm and conducted a slow, fighting retreat when units around them were collapsing.

Map of the Battle of Buena Vista

Print depicting the battle on the morning of Feb 23, 1847

Here is a quote from a report on the Battle of Buena Vista by  General Taylor dated 6 March 1847:

"The First and Second Illinois and the Second Kentucky Regiments served immediately under my eye, and I bear a willing testimony to their excellent conduct throughout the day... while the list of casualties will show how much these three regiments suffered in sustaining the heavy charge of the enemy in the afternoon...Colonel Bissell, the only surviving Colonel of these regiments, merits notice for his coolness and bravery on this occasion."

In 1847, Congress passed a law to award bounty land for service in the Mexican War. James received a warrant for 160 acres of land anywhere in the United States. James sold his warrant to Edward Mehan 18 February 1850 who redeemed the warrant for land in Monroe County.

James returned to Monroe County after the war. He and Amanda Miles were married 6 April 1848. The couple had three children who all died within a month of their birth. Amanda died 16 December 1854. Six years later he married Mary Ann Newsham Starkey, the widow of William Starkey. James and Mary Ann were married 10 February 1860.

James and Mary Ann had one son, John Stephen who was born 23 January 1861. James died 6 December 1862. Mary Ann was pregnant with their second child.  Mary Ellen was born 30 August 1863.

Mary Ann was left to raise two children from her first marriage and the two from her second marriage. This was not the last tragedy in her life, however. Mary Ellen died 11 October 1864 and her son William died 17 November 1864 at the age of 6. Between 1858 and 1864, Mary Ann lost two husbands and two children.

Mary Ann Newsham Starkey Sennott

In 1893, Mary Ann petitioned for an increase in her $8 per month pension. Her application says that she had been confined to her house for more than a year and is still unwell. She suffered a great deal and is not able to do manual labor. She is suffering from an inflammation of the kidney and bladder. Her income does not reach four hundred dollars a year. The increase was denied. She was still receiving $8 per month when she died 24 July 1907.

Sources

• Taylor's official report of the Battle of Buena Vista -  http://www.dmwv.org/mexwar/documents/bvista.htm 
• Bounty Land Warrants for Military Service 1775-1855, Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• Pension and Bounty Land Application Files Based on Service between 1812 and 1855. Department of Veterans Affairs, Record Group 15. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• Compiled Military Service Record, James Sennott, Pvt., 2nd Illinois Foot Vols, Mexican War, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• Mary Ann Sennott, widow's pension certificate no. 6876, Mexican War, National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• Bauer, K. Jack, The Mexican War, 1846-1848, (Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1974).
• Combined History of Randolph, Monroe and Perry Counties, Illinois With Illustrations Descriptive of their Scenery and Biographical Sketches of some of their Prominent Men and Pioneers, (Philadelphia: J. L. McDonough & Co., 1883)