Mexican-American War Archive Tops Sale

A rare account of the Mexican-American War is found in an extensive archive of Raphael C. Smead, the captain of Company D of the Fourth Artillery. Auctioned by Swann Auction Galleries in New York City on May 12, the archive was the top-selling lot with its $70,000 bid. “Diaries and letters from the Mexican-American War are far less common than those from the Civil War or other 19th-century American engagements, likely due to the smaller size of the army in the conflict, and the difficulties