St. Paul daily globe., 1892-09-11
THE LAST BATTLE.
Said to Have Been Fought in
Texas Nav 13 1QSE

Said to Have Been Fought in
Texas, May 13. 1865.
A correspondent of the st. Louis Re.
public writes from Austin. Tex, as fol-
lows: In your issue of Sunday, June IS
last, you have an article copied from the
Atlanta Journal headed 1.-The Last Shot
The Question as to Who Fired 1t Def
nitely. Settled" in which it is stated
that the last shot fired in the late war
was at West Point. Ga, on the 10th of
April, 1865. in an engagement between
Federal command under 0. Ii. La
grange and the ConfederateS under Col.
j. b. Fannin. of Georgia.
This was not the last battle of the
war, as know from conversations with
the participants in the actual last battle
as shown by the record. The last battle
of the war, which was also 10y troops
regularly in the service of the United
States and the Confederate States, took
place on May 13, 1865, at the Palmetto
ranch, Texas, the forces engaged on
the Federal side being the SiXty-Seco nd
United States colored troops, Thirty
fourth Indiana Volunteers and the Sec
ond United States Texas cavalry, and
those on the Confederate side consisting
of Mia. ID. NJ. Wilson'S battalion of
Texas cavalry portion of Gidding's
battalion and Smiths battery.
For the truth of this statement l refer
to the members of those commands now
living MAI. Wilson still resides in this
city, and l also refer you to page 212 OF
Phisterer's Statistical History of the
War, Which gives the dates of the last
engagement, as follows:
April 16, 1865, Capt. Taylor, West
Dnit fnIn ~ l,,,,o-a Il
First division military, department of
April 1s, 1865, French Mills, S. C.
federaD, troops of the department of
the South.
April 30, 1865, Tobosofkee, Ga. (feder-
als), Seventeenth Indiana mounted in
fantry.
April 20, 1865, Macon, Ga. (Federals),
Second division Wilson's Cavalry corps.
April %. 1865. Talladega, Ala. Fed-
erals, First division cavalry, Military
division OF the Mississippi.
May 13, 1865, Palmetto Ranch, Tex.
Federals), Sixty-second United States
Colored troops, Thirty-tourth Indiana
Again, "McCarty's Annual Statisti-
clan for 1872 gives the dates of the
last battles OF the war as follows: Bat
ties Of West Point, Ga" Fort Tyler
captured by Lagrange, April 16, 1865
Battle of Palmetto Ranch. near battle
ground of Palo Alto. Texas. Slaughter
defeated Col. Barrett: last battle of the
war.
This does settle it. and Georgia has
not the credit, if credit it be, of fighting
the last battle on her soil.
A singular circumstance occurred in
connection with the Palmetto ranch
fight. The SecOnd(U United States)Texas
cavalry was composed in part, that is to
say, about one company. of men who
left this city (Austin, Texas, to join the
United States army, while Wilson's
cavalry battalion Confederate was also
composed i'll part of Austin men, so that
Austin boys participated in the last bat
tie of the war on both sides.
Two Of the Austin Federals, well
known men, ,nephews of distinguished
Democrat, who has since served as
representative in congress from this
place, were captured by their own
townsmen, one being wounded, aud
both are still residents of this county.
Maj. Wilson, who commanded Con-
federate battalion in the fight, will cor
robOrate all the statements herein. He
resides in this city, is fat and jolly, and
if any one visits our city and will call,
he will find him a jolly, good fellow,
who has not yet got old and never in
tends to.