Battle of Palo Alto

E56631

The Battle of Palo Alto was the opening major engagement of the Mexican–American War, fought on May 8, 1846, near present-day Brownsville, Texas, where U.S. forces under General Zachary Taylor used superior artillery to repel a larger Mexican army.

Aliases (1)


Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf battle
military engagement
alsoKnownAs Battle of Palo Alto
surface form: "Batalla de Palo Alto"
belligerent Mexico
United States of America
surface form: "United States"
campaign Taylor’s Northern Mexico campaign
causeContext border dispute between United States and Mexico over Texas
combatantStrength Mexican army numerically larger
U.S. forces smaller than Mexican forces
commander Mariano Arista
Zachary Taylor
commemoratedBy Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park
conflict Mexican–American War
country United States of America
surface form: "United States"
date May 8, 1846
engagementType artillery duel
followedBy Battle of Resaca de la Palma
front U.S.–Mexico border
surface form: "Texas–Mexico border"
geographicalContext north of the Rio Grande
historicalEra Antebellum period
surface form: "Antebellum period in United States history"
historicalPeriod 19th century
location Palo Alto, Texas
near present-day Brownsville, Texas
MexicanArmyUnit Army of the North
MexicanCasualties significantly higher than U.S. casualties
MexicanCommanderRank General
notableFor opening major engagement of the Mexican–American War
use of U.S. flying artillery
outcome Mexican forces retreated
partOf Mexican–American War
precededBy Thornton Affair
preservedAt Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Park
primaryWeaponType field artillery
region North America
result United States victory
significance first major battle after U.S. declaration that American blood had been shed on American soil
state Texas
strategicEffect boosted Zachary Taylor’s national reputation
secured U.S. position north of the Rio Grande
tacticUsed superior U.S. artillery firepower
terrain open prairie
theater Texas frontier
USArmyUnit Army of Occupation
UScasualties relatively light
USCommanderRank Brigadier General
year 1846

Referenced by (6)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

Battle of Palo Alto alsoKnownAs Battle of Palo Alto
this entity surface form: "Batalla de Palo Alto"
Mariano Arista battle Battle of Palo Alto
Mexican–American War majorBattle Battle of Palo Alto
Zachary Taylor notableWork Battle of Palo Alto
Battle of Monterrey precededBy Battle of Palo Alto
Battle of Resaca de la Palma precededBy Battle of Palo Alto