Siege of Fort Texas
| date | May 3 to May 9, 1846 |
|---|---|
| place | near Brownsville , Texas |
| output | Location exempt |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
| Commander | |
|
Capt. Edgar Hawkins |
|
| Troop strength | |
| few (exact number not known) | 5,700 |
| losses | |
|
2 killed |
no |
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The siege of Fort Texas marked the beginning of active military operations in the Mexican-American War . The battle is sometimes referred to as the Siege of Fort Brown , but this is not entirely accurate - the name Fort Brown is derived from Major Jacob Brown (not to be confused with the hero Jacob Brown in the War of 1812 ) who was one of two Americans killed during the bombardment.
background
After Texas acceded the United States on December 29, 1845, President James K. Polk made a Texas claim over the southern border in early 1846. General Zachary Taylor was to advance to the Rio Grande and occupy the disputed area.
On the morning of March 28, 1846, his forces reached the north bank of the Rio Grande , and Taylor immediately dispatched one of his officers across the river to Matamoros , Tamaulipas , to explain to the Mexican local commander why he was there. However, he saw the American troops as intruders and asked them to withdraw immediately, but they refused. Shortly afterwards, the Americans clearly saw across the river that Mexican soldiers and civilians were building additional earthworks and positioning guns to reinforce Fort Casamata there.
General Taylor watched this happening for some time and then finally decided to entrench himself as well. One began to build an earthwork opposite the Mexican place, which was named Fort Texas . The walls were 9 feet high and 15 feet wide with a moat 20 feet wide and 8 feet deep encircling the entire outside area. Inside, the US troops built a number of bomb-proof shelters as well as powder magazines as precautionary protection against fire.
siege
On May 3, the Mexican artillery took up position in Matamoros and began bombarding Fort Texas for a week. At this point in time there were: Major Brown's 7th Infantry, Captain Loud's Artillery Company (4 18-pounders) and Lt. Bragg's light artillery (4 guns). Two Americans were killed during the ongoing bombardment. Furthermore, the artillery fire prevented ( Engl. Artillery Barrage ) and the arrival of significant Mexican troops reinforcing the fortress and made placing the cannons inside the fortress very risky.
General Zachary Taylor came to support the defenders, with the result that the Mexican General Mariano Arista ordered his troops to position themselves on the nearby plain of Palo Alto, thereby abandoning the siege. The battles of Palo Alto and Resaca de la Palma on May 8th and 9th soon followed.
literature
- Jack K. Bauer: The Mexican War. 1846-1848. Macmillan, New York NY et al. 1974.
- NC Brooks : A Complete History of The Mexican War. Its causes, conduct, and consequences. Comprising an Account of the various Military and Naval Operations, from its Commencement to the Treaty of Peace. Hutchinson & Seebold et al., Baltimore MD et al. 1849 (Reprinted. Scholar's Bookshelf, Cranbury NJ 2006, ISBN 1-60105-070-4 ).
Web links
- Fort Brown , Handbook of Texas Online
- Palo Alto Battlefield NHS , National Park Service