Siege of Fort Texas

Siege of Fort Texas
Part of Mexican–American War

Major Jacob Brown with his sword, commanding the defenders of Fort Texas, one of which is holding a sign stating, "Death or Victory".
DateMay 3–9, 1846
Location
Belligerents
 United States Mexico
Commanders and leaders
Jacob Brown  
Earl Van Dorn
Mariano Arista
Francisco Mejía
Pedro de Ampudia
Strength
500 infantry men 1,600[1]
14 artillery pieces
Casualties and losses
2 killed
10 wounded [2]
2 killed
2 wounded[2]
3 prisoners wounded
Disposition of American and Mexican forces[3]

The siege of Fort Texas marked the beginning of active campaigning by the armies of the United States and Mexico during the Mexican–American War. The battle is sometimes called the siege of Fort Brown.[4]

Fort Texas was located on the northern side of the Rio Grande opposite the Mexican town of Matamoros. At the time, the Rio Grande border with the United States was disputed by Mexico. On 3 May 1846, the fort was fired upon and besieged by Mexican forces under General Mariano Arista. The main American force under General Zachary Taylor advanced from Port Isabel and successfully engaged Arista at Palo Alto on 8 May. The following day, the Mexicans were routed at Resaca de la Palma, 4 miles (6 km) from Fort Texas. The siege was lifted, with the Mexican force withdrawing south of the Rio Grande. Taylor occupied Matamoros and continued operations in northeastern Mexico.

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Bauer was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ a b The Siege of Fort Texas
  3. ^ Smith, J.H., 1919, The War with Mexico, New York: Macmillan
  4. ^ Brownsville, Mailing Address: 600 E. Harrison Street Room 1006; Us, TX 78520 Phone: 956 541-2785 x333 Contact. "Fort Texas / Fort Brown - Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service)". www.nps.gov. Retrieved 2022-12-25.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)