John Salmon Ford John Salmon Ford ( May 26 , 1815 – November 3 , 1897 ) , better known as " Rip " Ford , was a member of the Republic of Texas Congress and later of the State Senate , and mayor of Brownsville , Texas . He was also a Texas Ranger , a Confederate colonel , and a journalist . Ford commanded men during the Antelope Hills Expedition and he later commanded the Confederate forces in the last engagement of the American Civil War , the Battle of Palmito Ranch on May 12 and 13 of 1865 . It was a Confederate victory , but as it occurred more than a month after Robert E . Lee ' s surrender it had no effect on the outcome of the war . Early life . Ford was born in Greenville District , South Carolina , but grew up in Lincoln County , Tennessee . His parents were William and Harriet Ford . When he was 16 he moved to Shelbyville , Tennessee to study medicine . There he met his future wife , Mary Davis . However , the marriage ended in divorce and Ford decided to move to Texas , then fighting for its independence from Mexico . In Texas . Ford arrived in Texas in June 1836 , too late to participate in the Texas Revolution . He served in the Texas army until 1838 , when he opened a medical practice in the east Texas town of San Augustine . Ford practiced medicine until 1844 , when he won election to the Texas legislature , advocating annexation by the United States . The following year he moved to Austin , where he purchased the " Texas National Register " , renaming it the " Texas Democrat " . When the Mexican War began , Ford enlisted in John Coffee Hays ' regiment of Texas Mounted Rifles . However , he was promptly appointed a lieutenant and would serve as both adjutant and medical officer . He saw active duty with his regiment in Mexico , commanding a scout company part of the time . He received the nickname ' Rip ' for his peculiarity of including the words " Rest in Peace " after each and every name when composing his company ' s casualty lists . In 1849 , with Robert Neighbors , Ford explored the country between San Antonio and El Paso and published a report and map of the route , which became known as the Ford and Neighbors Trail . Later the same year he was made captain in the Texas Rangers and was stationed between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande , where he had numerous fights with the Indians during 1850 and 1851 . In 1850 he captured the War Chief , Carne Muerto , a son of Santa Anna . In 1852 he was elected to the Texas Senate and again became an editor of the " State Times " , published in Austin until 1857 . Early in 1858 , he accepted a commission in the state troops and defeated hostile Native Americans in two major battles on the Canadian River . Late in 1859 , he was sent to the Rio Grande , where he commanded operations against Juan Cortina . In 1861 , Ford served as a member of the Secession Convention , and initiated a trade agreement between Mexico and the Confederacy . He was elected colonel of the 2nd Texas Cavalry , with a command in the Rio Grande district . Between 1862 and 1865 he was commandant of conscripts , and at various times he was engaged in border operations protecting Confederate - Mexican trade . In May 1865 , he led Confederate forces in the Battle of Palmito Ranch , the last battle of the American Civil War . " Some of the Sixty - Second Colored Regiment were also taken . They had been led to believe that if captured they would either be shot or returned to slavery . They were agreeably surprised when they were paroled and permitted to depart with the white prisoners . Several of the prisoners were from Austin and vicinity . They were assured they would be treated as prisoners of war . There was no disposition to visit upon them a mean spirit of revenge . " - Colonel John Salmon Ford , May 1865 . When Colonel Ford surrendered his command following the campaign of Palmito Ranch he urged his men to honor their paroles . He insisted that , " The negro had a right to vote . "