Lee surrendered to Grant on April 9, 1865, but fighting continued after that. The last battle of the Civil War was the Battle of Palmito Ranch in Texas. The Union and the Confederacy had small forces on the southern tip of Texas along the Rio Grande River. A gentleman’s agreement kept things peaceful until May 11, a full month after Lee’s surrender. In spite of knowledge of the surrender, Union Col. Theodore Barrett decided to march inland towards Brownsville. Barrett commanded the 62nd Colored Infantry Regiment and he and his men had not tasted combat yet. It is likely that Barrett decided to “see the elephant” before hostilities ceased. There was also the lure of a large amount of cotton at Brownsville. After marching seven miles, Barrett’s column, commanded by Lt. Col. David Branson, encountered Confederate cavalry. A skirmish resulted and both sides withdrew, the Confederates to Palmito Ranch and the Yankees to a hill. On May 13, Barrett brought reinforcements, which brought his force to 500. Barrett attacked and captured the ranch. He pursued for a mile, but Confederate Col. John “Rip” Ford brought up more Rebels and six cannons. Ford’s counterattack routed the Yankees and Barrett was barely able to escape being surrounded. Only a determined stand by the 62nd saved his force. With possession of the battle site, the Confederates ironically was credited with victory in the last battle of the war. Bloodshed was low as the Union suffered up to 30 killed and 100 wounded while the Confederacy only had 6 men wounded. Union Private John J. Williams goes down in history as the last man killed in the Civil War.
https://www.battlefields.org/learn/civil-war/battles/palmito-ranch
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Palmito_Ranch
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