The battle of Monterrey took place in September of 1846, relatively early in the Mexican-American War. There was significant fighting in the urban setting, as this print depicts. United States forces led by Zachary Taylor forced an armistice and the surrender of the city.

Lithographer Nathaniel Currier learned the printing trade as an apprentice at the Boston firm of William and John Pendleton, the first successful lithography firm in the United States. Currier moved to New York City with John Pendleton in the early 1830s and soon established his own firm there. Currier found success producing images of current events and making them available quickly and inexpensively. James Merritt Ives joined the firm in 1852 and became a partner in 1857.