Historical Marker

The Spot Where "American Blood was Shed on American Soil"

Los Indios · Cameron County · Dedicated 1936 · THC Atlas #5061005478

The roadside stories worth pulling over for.

Marker Inscription

The spot where "American blood was shed on American soil" April 25, 1846 Here Captain Philip Thornton and 62 dragoons were attacked by Mexican troops.

About this site

The Spot Where "American Blood was Shed on American Soil" is a historical marker in Los Indios, Cameron County, dedicated in 1936. It is one of 116 historical markers documented in Cameron County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 194 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 26.0619, -97.7841 near Los Indios. The nearest cataloged historic site is Near Routes of Alonso de Leon Expeditions (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include Los Alamos Cemetery at Galveston Ranch, Moreno Cemetery, and Weaver Cemetery #2.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5061005478. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.

History

This marker commemorates the April 25, 1846, skirmish at Las Rucias in southwest Cameron County, where Mexican cavalry attacked a U.S. dragoon patrol under Capt. Seth Thornton. President Polk cited the clash, in which "American blood was shed on American soil," as justification for war, helping to ignite the Mexican-American War.

Sources: tshaonline.org forttours.com

📍 26.0619, -97.7841 · Los Indios, Cameron County

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Nearby in Cameron County

Historical Marker

Near Routes of Alonso de Leon Expeditions

Los Indios · 1968

Cemetery

Los Alamos Cemetery at Galveston Ranch