We Found the Spot Where the Last Land Battle of the American Civil War Was Fought
Battle of Palmito Hill
Just 30 miles south of where we are currently living, on Highway 4, which is the road to Boca Chica Beach and State Park, is a small historical reminder of a lesser-known battle fought at the end of the American Civil War.
“At this site — the last battle of the Civil War known as Palmito Hill was fought by Confederate Troops under Colonel John S. (Rip) Ford and Union forces on May 13, 1865 — 34 days after Lee’s surrender at Appomattox.”
We specifically drove to this wind-swept coastal plain at the southern tip of Texas to see this historical landmark. If you know me, I am going to make Rich drive me to all the historical spots I can find. But oh, how disappointed we were in the lack of care of such a site. Down a dirt road just off the main road is this little reminder of history, forgotten and left to rot with the weather. I wondered why this historical spot would be left by the wayside and not taken care of.
The land was unkept and filled with overgrown patches of cactus and weeds. Nothing but a boundless prairie, probably just as it was all those years ago when the fighting occurred. I understand leaving the land itself to nature, but still, I thought the plaques and viewing platform should be better taken care of. Weeds had grown up around everything and as I walked to the platform I heard much shuffling in the brush. I viewed nothing with my eyes, but assumed it was probably a snake — or two. We quickly left the area as we were barefoot in our flip-flops.
It seems that even though the Confederates won this final battle, it was fought more than a month after General Lee had already surrendered. Confederate Colonel Ford’s stubborn refusal to yield defeat and Union General Barrett’s desire for a final win led these men and their troops into one last battle. Barrett’s troops attacked and Ford refused to back down. There was no glory in the win and therefore no reason to promote it.
This battle caused the death of 117 Union soldiers and only 6 Confederate soldiers. The last man to die in the Civil War died at this battle. His name was John J. Williams, and he was from Indiana.
Battle of Palmito Ranch
Just down the main road sits another historical marker commemorating this last land engagement of the Civil War naming it the Battle of Palmito Ranch (also known as the Battle of Palmito Hill). Once again it sits unkempt among grown-up grass and weeds—a simple marker in the middle of nowhere.
Traveling down Highway 4 you will find markers noting the Civil War Trail, and as you reach the end of the road at Boca Chica Beach there is one more sign for the Palmito Ranch Battlefield National Historic Landmark stating that you are currently standing north of the battlefield area.
It seems preservation efforts are ongoing to maintain the original condition of the battlefield landscape to help visitors imagine the soldiers fighting on the field before them, but my request would be to clean up the monuments and the area around them to make visiting them a better experience for us historical nuts.
Works Cited
1. Final battle of Civil War was 150 years ago today and the Confederates won
2. About Palmito Ranch Battlefield
Traveling With Rich & Julie is free to read but if you would like to buy us a gallon or two of gas you can donate through Ko-fi, CashApp ($jakeirns), or Venmo (@JuliaAKeirns). You can also sign up for a paid subscription which is only $5 per month.
Keep writing about your travels because I'm really enjoying them.