Episode 1 of 3

The Thornton Affair

When: April 25, 1846
Where: Contested territory north of the Rio Grande and south of the Nueces River, about 20 miles west upriver from Taylor's camp
Part of: Outbreak of the Mexican–American War over the disputed Texas border

Mexican forces attacked a U.S. patrol in the disputed territory between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande, sparking the war.

On April 25, 1846, a 2,000-man Mexican cavalry detachment attacked a 70-man U.S. patrol commanded by Captain Seth Thornton. The patrol had been sent into the contested territory north of the Rio Grande and south of the Nueces River. This engagement, known as the Thornton Affair, occurred 20 miles west upriver from Taylor's camp along the Rio Grande.

Sources

Mexican–American War Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-10
Thornton Affair Wikipedia, revision of 2026-08-27

Machine-drafted from the cited Wikipedia passages and checked by a reviewing model, not by a human editor. Every passage cites the revision it was written from; dates and places follow those passages.