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Battle
Of Palmito Ranch Historical Marker
Photo courtesy Ken
Rudine, February 2007 |
BATTLE
OF PALMITO RANCHOn
May 13, 1865, the last land action of the Civil War took place here, more than
a month after Lee's surrender at Appomattox. The Confederates forces knew of the
surrender since May 1, when a New Orleans newspaper was tossed from a boat on
its way to Brownsville
to soldiers at Palmito Ranch. On May 9, 1865, Confederate Lt. Gen. Edmund Kirby
Smith, stated that he proposed to continue fighting.
On May 11th, under
the cover of darkness at Boca Chica Pass, 300 Union troops crossed to the mainland
in an attempt to occupy Brownsville.
After a forced march, they reached White's Ranch at dawn and attempted (unsuccessfully)
to conceal themselves to rest. With the element of surprise gone, the troops openly
marched toward Brownsville
but didn't get far.
At Palmito Ranch they were confronted by a Confederate
force of 190 members of Lt. Col. George H. Giddings's Texas Cavalry which resulted
in a brief skirmish. Both forces disengaged with the Union force camping for the
night. The Confederates attacked at 3 a.m., forcing the Union troops to return
to White's Ranch.
Early on May 13, 200 reinforcements arrived, bringing
the Union strength up to 500. This larger force moved on Palmito Ranch where the
major battle took place. The outnumbered Confederate received succor late that
afternoon, from Colonel "RIP" Ford's Second Texas Cavalry, and a six-gun battery
of field artillery.
The flat, open land gave the advantage to the Confederate
mounted cavalry and the Union troops were routed. A seven-mile running fight to
Brazos Island ensued - and there the Federal troops were met by reinforcements,
now causing the Confederates to retreat.
Since everyone knew the war
was officially over, this may have seemed to Ford to be a good note to go out
on. He addressed his troops, saying, "Boys, we have done finely. We will let well
enough alone, and retire."
The four hour battle left a score of Southerners
wounded, but the Union fared much worse. Thirty men were killed or wounded and
over a hundred were taken prisoner. A few days later a truce was signed. This
seemingly minor see-saw confrontation may have been small by comparison with the
Civil War's major battles, but it won a footnote in history by being the last
land fight of the war - one that was won by the losers. | |
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