Subsequently, Troop D was increasingly harrassed and violence was threatened against them on Nov. 20, 1899. Presuming an assault on the garrison that evening, Post Commander 2d Lt. E. H. Rubottom ordered extra guards and scouts as gunfire erupted between residents and soldiers. When the gunfire exchange escalated, Rubottom ordered a Gatling gun to be shot to quell the violence, resulting in one minor injury.

Official federal and state investigations and proceedings failed to assign culpability to the citizens of Rio Grande City, and unsurprisingly, the Starr County grand jury found the soldiers acted without provocation and the US Army stated Rubottom had acted unwisely.]]>