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Declaring war against Mexico in May of 1846, the American government sent an invasion into northern New Mexico under the command of General Stephen W. Kearny and the "Army of the West." The American invasion followed the route of the Santa Fe Trail and required that Mexican merchants follow in their wake. Mexican merchants responded in patriotic fashion when threatened by the American invasion despite the fact that their wares were being "protected" by Kearny's army. As the war began, Mexicans followed a tradition of making individual contributions to the war effort, and Mexican merchants placed much of their wealth in service to their country. Most naturalized Mexicans supported their native land during time of war and many of them became prominent in the occupied territory. The conquest of northern Mexico was conducted by the Army of the West, commanded by General Stephen W. Kearny, who set out from Ft. Leavenworth, followed the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trade, and claimed Las Vegas and Santa Fe in August 1846.