Palmito Ranch Battlefield National Historic Landmark, TX
On May 12th, 1865, the Union and Confederate forces engaged in what’s widely considered the final battle of the Civil War.
Though it had officially ended with Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House over a month earlier, there would still be one more battle to be had at Palmito Ranch on the Texas-Mexico border.
Even though casualties were extremely low: Union troops counted two killed and 28 wounded, Confederate troops suffered minor losses, and a final victory, the four-hour conflict was seen as a lost cause.
It’s been described by US historian Bruce Catton as a “final, lonely, meaningless little spatter.” Nowadays, the myth is that the two armies didn’t know the Civil War was over, but historians say that it’s questionable.
The site of Palmito Ranch today appears much as it did in 1865. It’s a remote stretch of marshy prairie.
There’s little battlefield interpretation except for a marker, some signage on Boca Chica Highway, and an observation platform that will give visitors a good look at the battlefield.
Most combine a visit with historic sites in nearby Brownsville, a central hub in the international trade flowing out of the Rio Grande.
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Thank you so much for this informative article. We will be travelling through these areas in the next few months. Will bring this list with us for sure.
Surely, Appomattox is a must visit and would bump Palmito from your list of “to seven”. Anyone reading Lincoln’s words that guided General Grant’s terms of surrender will think long and hard on the struggle this nation faced during Reconstruction and the bitter cost of this war.
Mom was born in Keedysville, just a few miles from Antietam. We went there often when visiting uncles, cousins, and other family. Uncle lived in Boonsboro, just a mile or so from the gates of Antietam. One friend’s house is the backdoor to the battlefield and burial site. Across the street from the cemetery is where most of them are buried now.
You can feel and sometimes see the spirits at all the battlefield sites.