A Ravaged Army Regroups Wayside

This wayside provides a sense of the impact of the battle on the Mexican Army.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Brownsville, TX

Main Text 

As the sun rose on the second day, May 9th, Mexican soldiers were still in battle formation and prepared to fight--but they would not fight here.
General Arista ordered his Army of the North to form up, corps by corps, here on the Matamoros road so that they could withdraw in good order. Five miles to the south, these regiments would take up stronger defensive positions in the tangled thickets next to Resaca de la Palma. There, in the early afternoon, still unfed and shell-shocked, they would try again to repel the American invasion.

Quote Text

The national army was conspicuously brilliant, and in spite of having borne a tremendous ravaging by the enemy's superior artillery, [our troops] did not yield even a hand's breadth of ground. ~ Mariano Arista, general commanding, Army of the North

[Our] army spent the night sad and downhearted. Although the battle had ended with no clear winner, a deadly foreboding of defeat prevailed. Men began to give credit to rumors of treason that circulated before. The battle of the coming day was dreaded in advance. ~ Ramón Alcaraz, staff officer

Image Description

Center 
Color lithograph depicting the Mexican Army’s retreat.