{"nrhp_refnum":"66000813","name":"Resaca de la Palma Battlefield","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"N edge of Brownsville on Parades Line Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Brownsville","county":"Cameron County","state":"TX","lat":25.93743738200007,"lon":-97.48625395051526,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1966-10-15","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"1960-12-19","areas_of_significance":["Military"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 50-acre battlefield site on the north edge of Brownsville, Cameron County, Texas, along Paredes Line Road, where fighting took place on May 9, 1846 during the Mexican War.","why_significant":"The battle was one of only two important battles of the Mexican War fought on what is now American soil. General Zachary Taylor's cavalry charge captured Mexican artillery and forced the Mexican army back across the Rio Grande. The victory opened the way for the invasion of Mexico and raised American military prestige.","narrative":"Resaca de la Palma Battlefield is a 50-acre site on the northern edge of Brownsville, Texas, where American and Mexican armies fought on May 9, 1846. The day after the Battle of Palo Alto, Mexican forces under General Arista made a stand along a resaca, or old river bend. Artillery was slowed by thick wire grass, so General Zachary Taylor ordered Captain May's dragoons to charge. The Mexican line broke, Arista narrowly escaped capture, and the army fled toward the Rio Grande, leaving behind its artillery and supplies. The engagement was one of only two important battles of the Mexican War fought on what is now American soil, and it led to the American invasion of Mexico. Today the dense chaparral is gone and the ground is an open polo field, with surrounding areas developed for housing. The resaca has been excavated and holds water again, tall palms remain, and a Texas Centennial Commission monument marks the site. The remaining open land serves as a commemorative setting.","period_of_significance":"1846","architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"The site is an open field used for polo, with the resaca re-excavated and holding water again. The form says surrounding areas are heavily developed, though this portion keeps some commemorative value.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:18.534512-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/11/9709/40970911/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/66000813_NHL.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000813/ed3d836492-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/66000813/ed3d836492-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"25or6to4","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Resaca_De_La_Palma_Battlefield_2012-09-04_11-07-21.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">25or6to4</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Resaca_De_La_Palma_Battlefield_2012-09-04_11-07-21.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40970911","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Resaca_de_la_Palma_Battlefield","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7314917"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/cameron-county/resaca-de-la-palma-battlefield-66000813/"}