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Las Cuevas War | |||||||
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Texas Rangers | |||||||
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Belligerents | |||||||
United States | Mexican bandits | ||||||
Commanders and leaders | |||||||
Leander McNelly | Juan Flores Salinas † | ||||||
Strength | |||||||
Unknown number of Texas Rangers | ~400 irregular militia | ||||||
Casualties and losses | |||||||
Unknown | ~80 killed |
The Las Cuevas War[1] was a brief armed conflict fought mainly between a force of Texas Rangers, commanded by Captain Leander McNelly, and an irregular force of Mexican bandits. It took place in November 1875, in and around Las Cuevas, Tamaulipas. The Texans crossed the Rio Grande into Mexican territory with the purpose of returning stolen cattle to the American side of the river but they were drawn into a battle with local militia forces. When the fighting was over the Mexicans returned the cattle to the Texans.[2]