USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Contents. On May 8, 1846, shortly before the United States formally declared war on Mexico, General Zachary Taylor (1784-1850) defeated a superior Mexican force in the Battle of Palo Alto. The battle took place north of the Rio Grande River near present-day Brownsville, Texas.

Detailed explanation-2: -Battle of Palo Alto, (May 8, 1846), first clash in the Mexican-American War, fought in the disputed territory between the Nueces and the Rio Grande rivers. The site of the battle is in present-day southeastern Texas, U.S., about 9 miles (14.5 km) northeast of Matamoros, Mexico.

Detailed explanation-3: -Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park near Brownsville, Texas is a National Park Service unit which preserves the grounds of the May 8, 1846, Battle of Palo Alto. It was the first major conflict in a border dispute that soon precipitated the Mexican–American War.

Detailed explanation-4: -In the early hours of May 8, 1846, General Mariano Arista led his 3, 200 men onto this field. The Mexican general positioned his cannons on the roadway to block the U.S. advance. He also placed lines of infantry and additional artillery across the prairie. Arista capped his mile-long battle line with his cavalry.