Historedia
AmericasEvent

Battle of Palmito Ranch, the last land battle with casualties

When
1865
Where
Banks of the Rio Grande east of Brownsville
Episodes
1

The Battle of Palmito Ranch occurred on May 12–13, 1865, in far south Texas, more than a month after Lee's surrender. Despite an unofficial truce, Union forces attacked, resulting in a Confederate victory. This engagement is widely recognized as the last land battle of the Civil War with casualties, though some sources cite a later skirmish in Alabama.

Episodes

  1. May 12–13, 1865 · Banks of the Rio Grande east of BrownsvilleBattle of Palmito Ranch

    Union forces attacked Confederate positions on May 12–13, 1865, resulting in a Confederate victory and significant Union casualties.

Background and detail

The Engagement. The battle took place on the banks of the Rio Grande east of Brownsville, near Los Brazos de Santiago. Union forces, including the 34th Indiana and the 62nd U.S. Colored Troops, engaged Confederate defenders. The Union suffered 115 casualties, including one killed, nine wounded, and 105 captured, according to Barrett's official report.

Aftermath and Significance. Although officially considered the last land battle, some sources suggest Hobdy's Bridge in Alabama was the final skirmish. The area remained relatively unchanged, with marshy prairies similar to 1865. President Johnson declared the insurrection at an end in Texas and throughout the United States on August 20, 1866.

People involved

Sources

  1. Battle of Palmito Ranch Wikipedia, revision of 2026-10-03
  2. Texas in the American Civil War Wikipedia, revision of 2026-09-03

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.