Buzz
Before the era of modern technology and instant communication, news of an armistice often didn't spread quickly enough. In other instances, generals might have reached an agreement, while soldiers on the fringes of their forces continued to fight. Here are some notable battles that took place after the war was officially declared over.
1. Battle of New Orleans
The Battle of New Orleans is frequently cited as one of the most significant American victories in the War of 1812. It is also famously considered a battle fought after the war had officially ended, though this label is partially misleading. While the battle occurred on January 8, 1815, after the Treaty of Ghent was signed on December 24, 1814, and ratified by the Prince Regent (future King George IV), the American Senate and President James Madison didn't ratify it until February 16, adding an element of debate over the tactical relevance of the battle.
2. The Battle of Prague
The Battle of Prague actually began before the official end of the Thirty Years' War. Europe was deeply embroiled in a complex and lengthy struggle driven by significant religious and political disputes. As peace negotiations took place in Münster and Osnabrück, a Swedish army laid siege to Prague.
Both the peace talks and the battle itself dragged on for several months. The diplomatic negotiations culminated in a series of treaties, collectively known as the Peace of Westphalia, which redrew European political boundaries and established broad religious freedoms across the continent. Although the Swedish delegates signed the Treaty of Osnabrück on October 24, 1648, officially ending the conflict with the Holy Roman Empire and its allies, Swedish forces continued to fight for another eight days before word of the treaty finally reached Prague on November 1.
3. Pontiac’s Rebellion
Pontiac’s Rebellion was not a single battle but rather a continuation of the Seven Years’ War (1754-1763). While the conflict spanned across the globe, in North America, French colonists found themselves at a disadvantage against the British. They sought reinforcements from Native American tribes who were dissatisfied with British colonial policies. Following the end of the war and France’s cession of much of its territory to Britain, the policies of British colonial governors caused unrest among local Native American tribes. Led by Ottawa Chief Pontiac, warriors from the Great Lakes and surrounding areas united to drive the British out of their lands.
The hostilities intensified over the course of 16 months, leading to a series of negotiations from 1764 to 1766. One of the more disturbing moments of the conflict involved British soldiers allegedly distributing blankets contaminated with smallpox to Native Americans in an effort to infect them with the disease. Sadly, many Native Americans succumbed to smallpox, although it remains inconclusive whether the outbreak was directly caused by the infected blankets.
4. Fort Bowyer
The attack on Fort Bowyer is less well-known and less celebrated compared to the Battle of New Orleans, partly because it ended in an American defeat. After being defeated by Andrew Jackson's troops at Chalmette Plantation outside New Orleans, a British force of at least 3,000 men sailed east and took position at a stockade fortification on the edge of Mobile Bay. They laid siege to the fort until its commander surrendered on February 11, 1815, but their victory was short-lived. A few days after the British took control, news of the Treaty of Ghent finally reached the south, and Fort Bowyer was returned to American hands.
5. Battle of Palmito Ranch
Although Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his army at Appomattox on April 9, 1865, and President Andrew Johnson declared the end of hostilities on May 10, the American Civil War continued to simmer in Texas. Near the Gulf port of Los Brazos de Santiago, along the Rio Grande, Union and Confederate forces fought for nearly 24 hours on May 12 and 13, 1865. Curiously, this battle occurred after both sides had acknowledged the futility of further fighting and had already informally agreed to peace earlier in the year.
Even more bizarre, this late battle may have involved international forces. Though historical accounts remain unclear, reports suggest that shots were fired from the Mexican side, possibly from Mexican forces who had an interest in Confederate trade or even from members of the French Foreign Legion stationed along the border.
6. CSS Shenandoah
This Confederate ship captured or destroyed 38 Union merchant vessels during its active deployment, which continued for six months after Lee’s surrender. Due to the difficulty in receiving reliable information at sea, the captain and crew of the Shenandoah were unaware that the Confederacy had fallen and continued to hunt Union ships across the Pacific. In the summer, the ship sank or captured 21 vessels, including 11 Union whalers in sub-Arctic waters, all within a seven-hour span, making the last shots of the American Civil War possibly occur among the Aleutian Islands.
On August 2, 1865, the Shenandoah encountered a British barque and learned that the war was over. In response, the ship sailed south around Cape Horn and then north to Liverpool, where it officially surrendered on November 7, 1865. However, the officers and crew could not return to the United States for years to avoid prosecution for piracy.
7. Onoda’s Perseverance
Hiroo Onoda’s orders were explicit: defend the Philippine island of Lubang from enemy forces and never surrender under any circumstances. He followed these instructions faithfully, continuing his mission for 29 years after the end of World War II. Onoda, along with three fellow soldiers, survived the war and refused to surrender to the Allied occupation of the island starting in 1945. They hid in the mountains for the next three decades, carrying out guerrilla operations against local authorities. Immediately after the war and again in 1952, leaflets were dropped over the mountains to inform Onoda’s group that the war had ended, but they dismissed the messages as an Allied trick and remained defiant.
In 1974, after Onoda’s three companions had either surrendered or been killed and Onoda himself was presumed dead, a Japanese college student traveling through the region stumbled upon Onoda. Still loyal to his mission and skeptical of the situation, Onoda refused to surrender until his former commanding officer gave the order. Major Yoshimi Taniguchi, now a bookseller, flew to the Philippines and formally relieved Onoda of his duties.
Though Onoda is the most famous Japanese holdout, he was neither the first nor the last to be discovered. Shoichi Yokoi was found in Guam in 1972, and Teruo Nakamura was located in Indonesia nine months after Onoda’s release.
8. Battle for Castle Itter
Five days after Hitler’s suicide in his Berlin bunker, anti-Nazi German soldiers allied with American forces to defend an Austrian castle against the 17th Waffen-SS Panzergrenadier division. The castle, a satellite prison of the Dachau concentration camp, had been holding prominent French prisoners during the Nazi occupation.
In a review of Stephen Harding’s novelistic portrayal of the conflict, The Daily Beast’s Andrew Roberts argues that the peculiar battle is ideal material for Hollywood: it’s the only known instance of American forces defending a medieval castle and also the only significant occasion during World War II where American and German forces fought alongside each other. However, this untimely battle wasn’t the final act of the war; the Georgian uprising on Texel persisted for another 15 days.
The end of a war often marks the beginning of a complex aftermath. Unresolved conflicts from one war can ignite another, as seen between the World Wars, or mines and other leftover weaponry may continue to cause casualties years later, as in the Balkans and Sri Lanka. In some cases, treaties fail to satisfy all parties involved, leading to ongoing guerrilla warfare, like the conflict along the India-Pakistan border. History is filled with examples of battles that rage on long after the official end of the war.
This story was originally published in 2013. It has been updated for 2022.
