Juan Cortina takes Brownsville.
September 28-30, 1859. Rancher Juan Cortina and up to 80 Mexican riders take over Brownsville, TX. The spark: the local town marshal brutalized a former Cortina employee. But there are other tensions between Cortinistas and Texas authorities, especially over land control.
The conflict continues for some months, until Cortina’s forces are defeated by U.S. army troops and Texas Rangers led by John “RIP” Ford. Cortina is forced into Mexico, where he leads occasional raids into Texas (to no great effect).
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