Bulletin of the Texas Archeological Society 83 (2012) A Mass Grave of Mexican Soldiers from the Resaca de la Palma Battleield (41CF3): Demography and Battle-Related Injuries Daniel J. Wescott, Lori E. Baker, D. Clark Wernecke and Michael B. Collins ABstRACt The Battle of Resaca de la Palma, the second battle of the Mexican-American War, was fought on May 9, 1846 near the Rio Grande River in southern Texas. The battle was won decisively by United States troops and resulted in the death of hundreds of Mexican soldiers who were subsequently buried in mass graves. One of the mass graves (41CF3) contained the skeletal remains of 27 to 36 adult male soldiers, including those from the Seventh and Tenth Infantry companies. The skeletal remains were examined for battle-related injuries. The anatomical location of each wound was documented and each lesion was inspected to determine the timing, type of wound, and the direction of the force. More than half of the individuals exhibited osteological evidence of battle-related trauma. The wound distribution pattern and type of wounds present demonstrates that traditional battle tactics, as well as hand-to-hand combat, occurred at Resaca de la Palma. BAttle oF ResACA De lA PAlmA In 1845, the Mexican government perceived the annexation of Texas by the United States (U.S.) Congress as an intrusion onto their sovereign lands, setting in motion the Mexican-American War that lasted from May 1846 to February 1848. The Battle of Resaca de la Palma, fought on May 9, 1846, was the second major battle of the war. The decisive victory of this battle by U.S. troops is thought by many historians as having established the U.S. as a dominant military power (Smith 1919; Bauer 1974; Eisenhower 1989). Although there had been a few skirmishes be- tween U.S. and Mexican troops before May 1846, the war did not begin oficially until Mexican soldiers, commanded by General Mariano Arista, attacked the U.S. Army at Palo Alto in Texas on May 8, 1846 (Haecker and Mauck 1997). While the Battle of Palo Alto was generally inconclu- sive, the smaller U.S. Army (approximately 1700 - 2200 U.S. soldiers versus 3200 - 3700 Mexican soldiers), commanded by General Zachary Taylor, held a tactical advantage, and the Mexican Army withdrew the following morning to ind a more strategic position (DePalo 1997). The new de- fensive position was established at a dry channel of the Rio Grande River, known as Resaca de la Palma, approximately eight kilometers (5 miles) south of Palo Alto and just north of the Rio Grande River in present-day Brownsville, Texas. Arista’s artillery took up positions on both sides of the road to Matamoros, while his infantry regiments took cover along the channel walls and soldiers concealed themselves in the thick chaparral north of the channel. On the afternoon of May 9, 1846, General Taylor ordered his troops to strike. United States artillery, infantry, and cavalry units attacked the Mexican center. The U.S. infantrymen were armed with Springield 0.69 caliber (cal.) muskets or 0.52 cal. lintlock riles. In addition, there may have been a few Texas volunteers accompanying the U.S. troops that were equipped with shotguns and muskets (Haecker 1994) though the Texas volun- teers probably did not play a signiicant role in the battle. The U.S. artillery included the irst highly mobile horse unit known as the “lying artillery” (Haecker and Mauck 1997; Miksche 2002), and used cannons that ired round shot, canister, and explosive shell (Haecker and Mauck 1997). How- ever, the dense chaparral surrounding the channel prevented an organized offense by U.S. infantry or full use of the superior U.S. artillery. Consequently, ierce hand-to-hand combat using swords, sabers, and bayonets were reported (Frost 1848; Grant 1885). Later in the battle, U.S. soldiers made their