Night Among the Wounded Wayside

This wayside provides a sense of Mexican Army casualties at the Battle of Palo Alto.

NPS Photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Brownsville, TX

Main Text

Hundreds of Mexicans suffered injury and death during the duel between American and Mexican cannon that took place here.

At nightfall their surviving comrades--some 3,000 strong--faced the heavy duties of burying the many dead and helping the wounded. They hastily buried the slain in shallow graves along the battle line. They took injured men to makeshift hospitals set up near the low wooded hill you see in the distance.

As Arista's weary troops attempted to snatch a few moments of much needed rest, carts bearing the wounded continually rumbled south through the dark.

Quote Text

During the silence of the night, the Mexicans in charge of the ambulances searched the battlefield and picked up their wounded. . .One can easily understand the feelings in the hearts of each one of those soldiers, as they saw they would have to carry their comrades all the way to the city of Matamoros, without [even being able to] dress their wounds, and [with the wounded] heaving out sad cries, torn [from them] by the pain.” ~ Infantry officer, Campaign Against the Americans, 1846

Image Descriptions

Center 
Color lithograph depicting Mexican Army soldiers huddled around campfires with an ambulance crew in the background carrying a patient.