Battle of Palo Alto — US Artillery Dominates

General Arista's 4,000-man Mexican army and Taylor's 2,300 Americans met at Palo Alto prairie north of the Rio Grande. US 'flying artillery' — light, fast-moving cannon — proved devastating against the massed Mexican infantry formations. The Mexicans suffered approximately 250–400 casualties to Taylor's 55. The battle established the pattern of the entire war: superior US artillery repeatedly shattered larger Mexican forces.