Battle of Adams Hill - Bexar County, TX - Battlefields on Waymarking.com

A Union force of 270 men from the 8th Infantry from Fort Bliss, Fort Davis and Fort Quitman, all from the West Texas area under the command of LCOL I.V.D. Reeve met near Lucas Springs at Adams Hill in Bexar County, west of San Antonio, a Confederate force of as many as 1,370 men commended by COL Earl Van Dorn. On May 9, 1861, the Union and Confederate forces were prepared for battle, but COL Van Dorn first sent a flag of truce to the Union commander to request he surrender. LCOL Reeve refused. A second flag of truce was sent, again asking the Union troops to surrender, but again the offer was refused. To the credit of both commanders, Van Dorn sent a third representative to invite Reeve over to see the manpower and artillery pieces set up to defeat any Union attack. Apparently Reeve realized he was out numbered and out gunned and conceded to surrender without attacking or firing of canons.

This battlefield drama of May 9th had actually began in San Antonio in February 1861 when General Twiggs surrendered all Union military property over to the Confederates, commanded by General Ben McCulloch. Twiggs soldiers were allowed to march to the coast and return North by ships. However, by April 1861, armed conflicts had begun within Texas and all Union forces were declared Prisoners of War. However, in 1861, news traveled slowly and the Union forces in West Texas had not gotten word until much later. These Union troops, under Van Dorn, were still armed and still intending to fight, contrary to the surrender conditions agreed upon by Twiggs and McCulloch.
After a six week march from El Paso through the western parts of Texas, the original 347 Union troops were down to only 270 soldiers by the time they formed for battle at Adams Hill. Although Van Dorn surrendered in May, it wasn't until February 1863 that the last of these 8th Infantry troops made it out of Texas. So, the one day battle that ended in a bloodless surrender had a history that began in February 1861 and went on until February 1863 before it ended. What other battlefield of the Civil War began or ended as civil as this one at Adams Hill?

Link to Texas Historical Association entry of Battle of Adams Hill:
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Battle of Adams Hill waymark:
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Name of Battle: Battle of Adams Hill Name of War: US Civil War Entrance Fee: 0.00 (listed in local currency) Parking: N 29° 22.856 W 098° 44.400 Date(s) of Battle (Beginning): 05/09/1861 Date of Battle (End): 05/09/1861

Visit Instructions:
Post a photo of you in front of a sign or marker posted at the site of the battle (or some other way to indicate you have personally visited the site.

In addition it is encouraged to take a few photos of the surrounding area and interesting features at the site.

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Date Logged Log User Rating   06/15/2019 WayBetterFinder visited it