Hey, guys. A group of us are trying to put together a pitch bible for a TV show we're putting together. One of the characters is a ghost who died as a soldier during the Mexican American War (on the Mexican side). I'm trying to get more details on the uniforms, ranks, etc. of the Mexican army of that time.
I'm also trying to find out more about the war in general. It's been awhile since I learned about this war.
Honestly, anything can help. I'm one of the main writers, so I want to make sure my history is as accurate as possible. I hate to be inaccurate.
Thanks in advance!
Edit: The character we're looking at would either be the equivalent of a private or corporal. So whatever that uniform would be and the rank title, duties, etc.
Hi there - we're happy to approve your question related to your script, and we are happy for people to answer. However, we should warn you that many flairs have become reluctant to answer questions for aspiring writers, based on past experience: some novelists have a tendency to try to pump historians for trivia while ignoring the bigger points they were making, while others have a tendency to argue with historians when the historical reality does not line up with what's needed for a particular scene or characterization. Please respect the answers of people who have generously given you their time, even if it's not always what you want to hear.
Additionally, as amazing as our flair panel is, we should also point out that /r/AskHistorians is not a professional historical consultation service. If you're asking a question here because you need vital research for a future commercial product, you may be better off engaging a historical consultant at a fair hourly rate to answer these questions for you. We don't know what the going rate for consultancy work would be in your locality, but it may be worth looking into that if you have in-depth or highly plot-reliant questions for this project. Some /r/AskHistorians flairs could be receptive to working as a consultant in this way. However, if you wish for a flair here to do this work for you, you will need to organize this with them yourselves.
Thanks!
Check out The Dead March: A History of the Mexican-American War by Peter Guardino. It does describe the Mexican soldiers and the hardships they endured.