Atlas of Battles

battle, notable, nineteenth century

Battle of Resaca de la Palma

Battle of Resaca de la Palma was a battle fought on 9 May 1846 in what is now Texas, United States. It was part of the Mexican-American War, which ran from 1846 to 1848. The recorded result: American victory; Retreat of Mexican Army to south of the Rio Grande. Recorded strength: 1,700 against 4,000.

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Genl. Taylor at the battle of Resaca de la Palma (Currier & Ives)
Genl. Taylor at the battle of Resaca de la Palma (Currier & Ives). Currier & Ives, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought9 May 1846
WhereTexas, United States25.937N, 97.486W
OutcomeAmerican victory; Retreat of Mexican Army to south of the Rio Grande
BelligerentsUnited StatesagainstMexico
Casualties and losses33 killed; 89 woundedand154 killed; 205 wounded; 156 missing
Part ofMexican-American War1846 to 1848

Where it sits in the Mexican-American War

Battle of Monterrey, 1846Siege of Fort Texas, 1846Battle of San Pasqual, 1846Capture of Santa Fe, 1846First Battle of Tabasco, 1846Siege of Los Angeles, 1846Blockade of Veracruz, 1846Thornton Affair, 1846Battle of Palo Alto, 1846Battle of Resaca de la Palma, 1846Battle of Monterey, 1846Battle of Yerba Buena, 1846Battle of Dominguez Rancho, 1846Battle of Natividad, 1846Capture of Tucson, 1846Battle of Chapultepec, 1847Siege of Veracruz, 1847Battle of Buena Vista, 1847Battle of Mexico-city, 1847Battle of La Paz, 1847Battle of San José del Cabo, 1847Second Battle of Tabasco, 1847Battle of Rio San Gabriel, 1847Battle of La Mesa, 1847Second Battle of Mora, 1847Battle of the Sacramento River, 1847Battle of Cerro Gordo, 1847First Battle of Tuxpan, 1847Second Battle of Tuxpan, 1847Third Battle of Tuxpan, 1847Battle of Churubusco, 1847Battle of Contreras, 1847Battle of Molino del Rey, 1847Siege of Puebla, 1847Battle of Mulege, 1847Battle of Huamantla, 1847Skirmish at Matamoros, 1847Siege of La Paz, 1847Siege of San José del Cabo, 1848Battle of Santa Cruz de Rosales, 1848Skirmish of Todos Santos, 184818461848Battle of Resaca de la Palma, 1846
41 placed engagements of the Mexican-American War in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date9 May 1846
PlaceTexas, United States
25.937N, 97.486W
KindBattle, nineteenth century
Strength1,7004,000
Casualties and losses33 killed; 89 wounded154 killed; 205 wounded; 156 missing
Commanders
Battle of Resaca de la PalmaBattle of Resaca de la PalmaBattle of BrownsvilleSiege of Fort TexasBattle of MatamorosBattle of Palo AltoBattle of Palmito RanchBattle of Palo AltoBattle of Palmito RanchEdinburgSan FernandoReynosa100 km25.937N, 97.486W
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 4 times between 1836 and 1863.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1846

Combat data (CDB90)

Attacker: US ARMYDefender: MEX ARMY
Strength1,7005,600
Casualties122 (7.2%)600 (10.7%)
Mission accomplishment, 1 to 1071
Outcomeattacker won
Duration1 day
Front width1.9 km2.7 km
Attacker advanced2.7 km

From the US Army Concepts Analysis Agency Database of Battles (CDB90, battle 158), public domain, in the CC0 tidy edition by Jeffrey B. Arnold. Figures are the database's estimates, compiled in 1990 from published histories, and may differ from the Wikipedia infobox above.

Battle of Resaca de la Palma is one of 3,507 engagements of the 19th century in the atlas and one of 1,148 in present-day United States (58 in Texas).

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q2890818, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Battle of Resaca de la Palma, revision 1378742666, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.