The Battle of Palo Alto marked several firsts in American history: a new generation of professional soldiers - Ulysses S. Grant, George G. Meade, and James Longstreet - provided a wealth of expert knowledge to their senior officers; the military demonstrated the superior qualities of their newly introduced "flying" artillery, one that would see fruition during the far greater epoch of the Civil War; and graduates of the U.S. Military Academy experienced their first major test.

The battle was essentially an artillery duel that pitted highly effective U.S. canon against Mexican cannon of antiquated design. Although the Mexicans attempted flanking and frontal attacks on the U.S. lines, they were repulsed with heavy losses. Unable to maneuver, and confused and bloodied after standing all day under artillery fire, the Mexicans withdrew. In On the Prairie of Palo Alto, Charles M. Haecker and Jeffrey G. Mauck use an interdisciplinary approach, coupling the research of a historian with that of a historical archaeologist, to present an accurate version of how the battle developed and concluded.