While staying in Brownsville, the kids and I decided to spend a day exploring the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Park and learn about the Mexican-American war.
The free park is dedicated to the opening moves of the Mexican-American War of 1846. This war was the last significant map change for the United States. The US Army eventually occupied Mexico City and forced the annexation of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and the rest of Texas from Mexican control to the USA.
Mexican-American War Origin
The origin of this War was a territory dispute. The US and Mexico came to blows after the Independent Republic of Texas petitioned for, and was granted admittance into the USA. Mexico claimed that the Texas border was the Naches River, near Corpus Christi. Texans claimed it was the Rio Grande. Through various political actions, talks eventually broke down. US forces were sent to reinforce the populace and build a fort in what is now Brownsville.
Eventually, Mexican troops crossed the river in an attempt to cut off reinforcements to the fort. The forces met at the fields of Palo Alto.
The battle was fierce, and the park does an amazing job of painting the picture. They’ve planted Mexican and American flags to show the lines of battle. The park had a network of trails touring both battle lines. The mood was somber as we learned more about the battle.
US Victory!
While the US forces were heavily outnumbered, the US artillery’s superior training and size lead to a staggering casualty count. Mexico suffered 102 killed, 129 wounded, and 26 missing. While the US only had 9 dead, 44 wounded, and 2 missing. The battle only lasted one day, but set the stage for the rest of the war.
As I said, it was an educational and sobering experience. Throughout the site were copies of diary entries from both sides. It really brought to light that while the soldiers fight and die, it’s the politicians that start the wars. These weren’t nameless pawns, but people. People with their own hopes and dreams, dreams cut short by a callous government. To this day, the site is the resting place of an unknown number of Mexican troops. If you do spend some time in South Texas, I highly encourage you and your family to spend some time here, if not to learn, then to honor the brave people who fought and died.