Siege of Fort Texas

Siege of Fort Texas
Part of Mexican–American War
Major Jacob Brown with his sword, commanding the defenders of Fort Texas, one of which is holding a sign stating, "Death or Victory".
Date May 3–9, 1846 Location near Brownsville, Texas
Belligerents
United States	Mexico
Commanders and leaders
Jacob Brown  † Earl Van Dorn	Mariano Arista Francisco Mejía Pedro de Ampudia
Strength
500 infantry men	1,600[1] 14 artillery pieces
Casualties and losses
2 killed 10 wounded [2]	2 killed 2 wounded[2] 3 prisoners wounded

The siege of Fort Texas marked the beginning of active campaigning by the armies of the United States and Mexico during the Mexican–American War. The battle is sometimes called the siege of Fort Brown.^[4]

Fort Texas was located on the northern side of the Rio Grande opposite the Mexican town of Matamoros. At the time, the Rio Grande border with the United States was disputed by Mexico. On 3 May 1846, the fort was fired upon and besieged by Mexican forces under General Mariano Arista. The main American force under General Zachary Taylor advanced from Port Isabel and successfully engaged Arista at Palo Alto on 8 May. The following day, the Mexicans were routed at Resaca de la Palma, 4 miles (6 km) from Fort Texas. The siege was lifted, with the Mexican force withdrawing south of the Rio Grande. Taylor occupied Matamoros and continued operations in northeastern Mexico.