Last Shot

While the American Civil War tore through the eastern half of the United States that was south of the Mason Dixon, Texas seemed to have escaped fairly unscathed. I won’t say completely, but considering how much Tennessee, the Carolinas, Alabama, Georgia, and other states in the Confederacy fared, Texas somehow managed to come out of the war in good shape.

While doing research for a new book and needing information of battles fought in Texas during the Civil War, it appears only five battles were fought in the Lone Star State, including what was probably where the last shots of the Civil War were fired—the Battle of Palmito Ranch in Cameron County. As casualties went, this one was light—only 118 Federal troops and an unknown number of Confederates, but as it is listed as a Confederate victory, I would assume Confederate losses were few, also. (I know—staggering isn’t it, that almost 120 dead is considered a light loss? But when held up to the death toll at Antietam—22,700 killed, wounded, or missing in one day; or Shiloh—23,700 killed, wounded, or missing; or even Gettysburg with more than 50,000 men killed, wounded, or missing, 120 dead is a small number.)

Palmito Ranch was fought May 12 and 13, 1865, more than a full month after Robert E. Lee’s surrender at Appomattox Court House.  Apparently, the news of the surrender didn’t travel that fast. Since March of 1865, there had been what local commanders termed a “gentleman’s agreement” that neither side would engage with the other on the Rio Grande. In spite of this agreement, Col. Theodore H. Barrett, commanding forces at Brazos Santiago, Texas, dispatched an expedition, composed of 250 men of the 62nd U.S. Colored Infantry Regiment and 50 men of the 2nd Texas Cavalry Regiment under the command of Lt. Col. David Branson, to the mainland, on May 11, 1865, to attack reported Rebel outposts and camps. At 2:00 am, on May 12, the expeditionary force surrounded the Rebel outpost at White’s Ranch but found no one there.

Exhausted, having been up most of the night, Branson secreted his command in a thicket. His men found places to sack out among weeds on the banks of the Rio Grande. Around 8:30 am, people on the Mexican side of the river informed the Rebels of the Federals whereabouts. Many combatants reported that firing came from the Mexican shore and that some Imperial Mexican forces crossed the Rio Grande but did not take part in the battle, though shots from the Mexican side of the Rio Grande or the involvement of Imperial Mexican forces has never been verified.

Branson promptly led his men off to attack a Confederate camp at Palmito Ranch. After much skirmishing along the way, the Federals attacked the camp and scattered the Confederates. Branson and his men remained at the site to feed themselves and their horses but, at 3:00 pm, a sizable Confederate force appeared, influencing the Federals to retire to White’s Ranch. Branson sent word of his predicament to Barrett, who reinforced Branson at daybreak, on the 13th, with 200 men of the 34th Indiana Volunteer Infantry.

The augmented force, now commanded by Barrett, started out towards Palmito Ranch, skirmishing most of the way. At Palmito Ranch, they destroyed the rest of the supplies not torched the day before and continued on. A few miles forward, they became involved in a sharp firefight. After the fighting stopped, Barrett led his force back to a bluff at Tulosa on the river where the men could prepare dinner and camp for the night. At 4:00 pm, a large Confederate cavalry force, commanded by Col. John S. “Rip” Ford, approached, and the Federals formed a battle line.

The Rebels hammered the Union line with artillery. To preclude an enemy flanking movement, Barrett ordered a retreat. The retreat was orderly, and skirmishers held the Rebels at a respectable distance.  The very last shot was fired approximately about 4:30 PM.