President John Tyler formally declared the annexation of Texas in 1845 after tension increased between American immigrants and the Mexican government, who owned the territory. Annexation sparked war and Ohioans enlisted to fight. Many northern states like Ohio were against the Texas annexation as it would create a new slave state. Five Infantry Regiments were raised in Ohio, plus 11 independent companies and five companies for the U.S. Infantry Regiment. A total of 8,102 Ohioans served in the war, and 580 deaths were recorded.
The Official Roster of the Soldiers of the State of Ohio in the War with Mexico, 1846-1848 [R 973.624 Of2 1991] is available for research in the Library and on microfilm [FLM 290 1-9] in the Library Microfilm Room. This roster includes histories of each regiment's activities during the war.
The Index to Mexican War Pension Applications [R 973.624 W832i 1985] and the Index to Mexican War Pension Files [R 973.62 W586i 1986] is also available for research in the Library.
The Ohio Militia Officer Elections, 1803-1857 [State Archives Series 9] spans through the Mexican-American War and includes an index. This collection is self serve in the Library Microfilm Room on microfilm reels GR 6950A through GR 6987.
Burial and biographical information for Mexican War soldiers can be found using Graves Registration Cards [State Archives Series 183] on microfilm rolls GR 3146 through GR 3238 in the Library Microfilm Room.
County Histories located in the Library may also hold valuable biographical information related to Mexican-American War soldiers.
Further Mexican-American War information can be accessed by using Ancestry and Fold3 which are available via computers in the Library.
You can browse all Mexican-American War era newspapers, library, archives, and museum records using our Online Collections Catalog.
Below is a an example of a Mexican-American War battle flag found in our museum collections.
Description: Captain Schuyler Hamilton carried this national flag, the colors of the 1st Ohio Volunteer Infantry (O.V.I.), in the battle of Monterrey in September 1846 during the Mexican War. It measures 65.35 by 188.11 inches (166 by 300 cm). Parts of the flag are missing. Six white, six-pointed stars remain on a blue silk canton above United States arms. Instead of the customary U.S. shield, there is a shield with a side-wheel steamboat bearing the text "Rio Grande," a rising sun, a plow, and a river.
Discover books, newspapers, periodicals, company catalogs, pamphlets, maps, atlases and more!
We do not hold military service or pension records. That information can be obtained by contacting the National Archives and Records Administration. Records prior to World War I are located at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.
You may also wish to read the military records section of the National Archives Genealogy webpage.
If you have questions, please contact us at reference@ohiohistory.org or 614.297.2510.