Last updated: March 31, 2022
Place
Resaca de la Palma
Quick Facts
Location:
Brownsville, TX
Significance:
Second major battle of the U.S.-Mexican War
Designation:
Unit of Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park
Resaca de la Palma Battlefield lies near an old, dry river channel of the Rio Grande.
The old riverbed was chosen by the Mexican Army as the stage for the Battle of Resaca de la Palma on May 9, 1846 - the second major battle of the U.S.-Mexican War. The battle can be considered the first U.S. victory of the war. With the official declaration of war still days away, U.S. troops felt sure they could defeat their foe at any place and in any numbers. Mexican troops were thrown off-balance by the defeat and would never fully recover.
This site was acquired by Palo Alto Battlefield in 2008. Resaca de la Palma lies about five miles south of Palo Alto, just off the Brownsville Historic Battlefield Trail. Although most of the area surrounding the battlefield has been developed, the site has retained a trace of the thorny brush encountered by soldiers in 1846.
The old riverbed was chosen by the Mexican Army as the stage for the Battle of Resaca de la Palma on May 9, 1846 - the second major battle of the U.S.-Mexican War. The battle can be considered the first U.S. victory of the war. With the official declaration of war still days away, U.S. troops felt sure they could defeat their foe at any place and in any numbers. Mexican troops were thrown off-balance by the defeat and would never fully recover.
This site was acquired by Palo Alto Battlefield in 2008. Resaca de la Palma lies about five miles south of Palo Alto, just off the Brownsville Historic Battlefield Trail. Although most of the area surrounding the battlefield has been developed, the site has retained a trace of the thorny brush encountered by soldiers in 1846.