Answer:
Yes, some Americans at the time thought President Polk provoked the Mexican attack by stationing soldiers on the Rio Grande River.
Step-by-step explanation:
It was believed by the members of the Whig Party and the anti-slavery Abolitionists in America that President Polk's intention of stationing his forces on the Rio Grande River was to occupy the Mexican border in order to spread slavery.
They believed that President Polk had no genuine intentions of occupying Mexican territory. When he ordered to station his forces on the Rio Grande River, they blamed him for the Mexican attacks against the American soldiers as they believed he provoked them.
Many Americans condemned his move and opposed his actions. They even termed the war as 'Mr. Polk's war' as they believed that Americans had nothing to do with it and that it was his personal war.