Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site, Brownsville

On May 8, 1846, the thunder of cannon fire rumbled across the prairie at Palo Alto, signaling the start of a two-year war between the United States and Mexico.  The Matamoros-Point Isabel Road was a primary feature of the 1846 battlefield.  United States General Zachary Taylor led his troops on the prairie from the north and immediately spotted the Mexican troops, led by General Mariano Arista.  During the five hour battle, the opposing lines shifted slightly, but neither army made a significant advance.  United States troops suffered relatively few losses in the cannon exchange while Mexican casualties numbered in the hundreds.  This set the stage for a Mexican withdrawal from the field and a U.S. victory the following day at Resaca de la Palma.

Views of Battlefield

Replica of an 8 pounder Mexican cannon.  The distinctive “Prussian Blue” color is an accurate color for Mexican artillery of this period.  Mexican forces at Palo Alto had 12 cannon, compared to 10 on the U.S. line, but the Mexican guns were older and of smaller caliber than the American pieces.

Replicas of two U.S. 6 pounder cannons.

 

Replica of an 18 pounder U.S. Cannon

 

Today, only six miles from the international boundary, the Palo Alto Battlefield National Historic Site is the only unit of the National Park Service dedicated to telling the story of the war between the United States and Mexico.