DUANE
Duane's take
The marker at Palmito Ranch tells this story, and here's how I tell it. Now, most wars have the good sense to end when somebody says they're over. But the Civil War — well, it had one last thing to say.
By May of 1865, Robert E. Lee had already surrendered at Appomattox. The ink was dry, the flags were folded, and a reasonable person might have figured that was that.
But thirty-four days later, out on the southern tip of Texas where the Rio Grande meets the Gulf, the last land engagement of the Civil War was about to get itself fought. Here's the setup. Federal troops were sitting on Brazos Island, twelve miles to the east.
The Confederates held Fort Brown, twelve miles to the west — a fort their own troops had captured from the Federals back in 1864, commanded by General James E. Slaughter and a man you may have heard of, Colonel John S. Ford, who went by the name Rip.
Now that is a name that carries weather. On the Federal side, Colonel Theodore H. Barrett commanded the island garrison, and he had orders with ambition in them: recapture Fort Brown.
So he sent Lieutenant Colonel David Branson west with three hundred men on May 12, 1865. Branson's boys won themselves a skirmish with Confederate pickets that day. A decent start.
Maybe even a promising one. May 13, Barrett decided to press the advantage. He reinforced Branson with two hundred more men and they renewed the march toward Fort Brown.
Confederate cavalry moved to hold them in check — and they did, steady as a fence post, buying time for one thing: Rip Ford. That afternoon, Ford arrived with reinforcements, and the math changed in a hurry. Ford's artillery advanced and opened fire on the northern end of the Federal line.
While the cannons did their work up north, Confederate cavalry charged straight into the Federal position. Then the Confederate right swung hard at the southern end of the Federal line and captured part of the Union infantry outright. Barrett ordered a retreat toward Brazos Island.
When the smoke cleared, the Confederates reported no fatalities. The Union forces reported four officers and a hundred and eleven men killed, wounded, or missing. Thirty-four days after the war ended at Appomattox — on May 12 and 13, 1865, in the far southern corner of Texas — the last land engagement of the Civil War was fought and finished.
And the side that lost it had already won the war. Some things don't know when to quit. And some things, when the full cost gets counted, make you wish they had.
What the marker says
The last land engagement of the Civil War was fought near this site on May 12-13, 1865, thirty-four days after Robert E. Lee surrendered at Appomattox. Col. Theodore H. Barrett commanded Federal troops on Brazos Island 12 miles to the east. The Confederates occupied Fort Brown 12 miles to the west, commanded by Gen. James E. Slaughter and Col. John S. (Rip) Ford, whose troops had captured Fort Brown from the Federals in 1864. Ordered to recapture the fort, Lt. Col. David Branson and 300 men advanced from Brazos Island. They won a skirmish with Confederate pickets on May 12. Barrett reinforced Branson's troops with 200 men on May 13 and renewed the march to Fort Brown. Confederate cavalry held the Federals in check until Ford arrived with reinforcements that afternoon. Ford's artillery advanced and fired on the northern end of the Federal line while the cavalry charged. The Confederate right charged the southern end of the Federal line and captured part of the Union infantry. Barrett ordered a retreat toward the U.S. position on Brazos Island. While the Confederates reported no fatalities in the Battle of Palmito Ranch, the Union forces reported four officers and 111 men killed, wounded or missing.