Battle_Of_The_Rio_Gande_River

Battle Of The Rio Gande River BATTLE OF THE RI GRANDE RIVER On February 4, 1860, Texas Rangers, under the leadership of Colonel John S. “Rip” Ford and U.S. Army troops defeated Mexican- Texan Juan Nepomucena Cortina and put an end to the Cortina Wars. According to this article Cortinistas were burning ranches, driving off horses and cattle. There were rumors that Cortina and his men were planning to attack a steamboat named “Ranchero” the boat was carrying $200.00 in gold also the military payroll for Fort Brown. As the boat made its way down the river, along the banks of the river were the Texas Ranger to protect her. An artillery attachment was aboard a well. As the Texas Rangers headed south they came across some Cortinistas they were swimming herds of cattle across the river at Zacatal Ranch, opposite La Bolsa Ranch that was located north side of the Rio Grande. A confrontation broke out and left one ranger dead and seven Cortinistas. The Cortinistas attacked the ranchers about half a mile down from where the first confrontation had taken place. The soldiers that were on board the ranchero fired back on the cortinistas. The texas, cortinistas, rangers, cortina, river, mexican, ranchero, history, back, wounded, way, territory, south, ranger, ranch, lee, juan, grande, general, confrontation, commander, col, cattle, borders, boat, battle, army, across, 1860, zacatal, wars, visit, valley, until, undisturbed