Mark Costin on “Battle of Cerro Gordo – Training Ground for the Civil War”

This talk explores the 1847 Battle of Cerro Gordo, where American forces under General Winfield Scott executed a brilliant flanking maneuver to defeat a much larger Mexican army commanded by General Santa Anna.

The battle proved to be an important training ground for the American Civil War. Many officers who fought at Cerro Gordo later became prominent generals on both sides of the conflict. Special attention will be given to the critical actions of a young Captain Robert E. Lee and other familiar names from the Civil War who played key roles in securing this decisive American victory.

Mark Costin is a recently retired engineer living in Sunnyvale, California. He spent his career working on functional safety for automated and autonomous vehicles. A longtime history enthusiast, Mark now has more time to devote to his hobby.

He holds a Ph.D. in Systems Engineering from Case Western Reserve University, an M.Eng. from McMaster University, and a B.Eng. from McGill University.