Palmito Ranch Battlefield State Historic Site

The Battle of Palmito Ranch was the final land battle of the American Civil War. It was fought May 12–13, 1865, along the banks of the Rio Grande, 13 miles east of Brownsville and 10 miles from the Union-held seaport of Los Brazos de Santiago at Texas’ southern tip. The battle, a Confederate victory, took place more than a month after Gen. Robert E. Lee’s surrender of the Army of Northern Virginia to Union forces and 13 days before the Army of the Trans-Mississippi under Gen. Edmund Smith surrendered in Galveston on May 26. There are historical markers nearby and a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service viewing platform with interpretive signage located at the intersection of Palmito Hill Road and Boca Chica Highway (HWY 4). There are currently no public services or facilities at this site.