Samuel E. Watson (died 17 November 1847) was an officer in the

U.S. Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through com ...

who led troops during the

Mexican–American War The Mexican–American War, also known in the United States as the Mexican War and in Mexico as the (''United States intervention in Mexico''), was an armed conflict between the United States and Second Federal Republic of Mexico, Mexico f ...

. Watson held the rank of

brevet Brevet may refer to: Military * Brevet (military), higher rank that rewards merit or gallantry, but without higher pay * Brevet d'état-major, a military distinction in France and Belgium awarded to officers passing military staff college * Aircre ...

lieutenant colonel in the Marines during the Mexican War. He commanded a Marine battalion that reinforced the army of Winfield Scott shortly before the

Battle for Mexico City The Battle for Mexico City refers to the series of engagements from September 8 to September 15, 1847, in the general vicinity of Mexico City during the Mexican–American War. Included are major actions at the battles of Molino del Rey and C ...

. (Watson had served under

Winfield Scott Winfield Scott (June 13, 1786May 29, 1866) was an American military commander and political candidate. He served as a general in the United States Army from 1814 to 1861, taking part in the War of 1812, the Mexican–American War, the early s ...

in 1813 and was a veteran Marine.) Watson and his men were attached to the 4th Division under Brig. Gen. John A. Quitman. During the critical attacks on

Chapultepec Castle Chapultepec Castle ( es, Castillo de Chapultepec) is located on top of Chapultepec Hill in Mexico City's Chapultepec park. The name ''Chapultepec'' is the Nahuatl word ''chapoltepēc'' which means "on the hill of the grasshopper". The castle has ...

on September 13, 1847, Watson showed little initiative, and many of his Marines missed the crucial action, waiting in reserve in a defilade for attack orders that never came. Shortly after the fall of Mexico City to the Americans, Watson died of natural causes.

References

* Alexander, Joseph H. and Horan, Don, "The Battle History of the Marines: A Fellowship of Valor." HarperPerennial, 1999. . * Nofi, Albert A., ''The Marine Corps Book of Lists: A Definitive Compendium of Marine Corps Facts, Feats, and Traditions.'' Da Capo Press, 2001. . American military personnel of the Mexican–American War 1847 deaths Year of birth missing {{US-mil-bio-stub