"On May 8th 1846 the armies of Mexico and the United States met in battle at a place called Palo Alto, near Brownsville, deep in Southern Texas. The two countries had been anticipating war since the annexation of Texas in 1845. For Mexico, Texas was too important to surrender and at Palo Alto, the battle began. The future President, General Zachary Taylor led the Americans. Among his officers, 51 future generals including Ulysses S. Grant and George Meade. The US commanders in the field represented a new generation of professional soldiers. But for over 150 years, what really happened here has remained a mystery. The only official contemporaneous sketches of the battle implied that it ended in a draw. Yet by day's end, the Mexican army was in full retreat. Archaeologists, forensic scientists and historians join forces, with the assistance of tests at the US Army's Yuma Missile Proving Ground, they are cracking the puzzle of what really happened." -- Publisher's web site.

Originally aired December 10, 2004 on the History Channel. Copyright 2006 from end screen.