Scope and Contents The James Ahern Papers document James Ahern's research and writing process as he worked on a book about John Bankhead Magruder (1807-1871), a lieutenant-colonel in the Mexican-American War, general in the Provisional Confederate Army during the US Civil War, and general in the Imperial Mexican Army.  Ahern's research covered the full span of Magruder's life including his birth and early life in Virginia, his years fighting in the Mexican-American War in...