USA > Texas > A comprehensive history of Texas, 1685-1897 > Part 14
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After the capture of the ship it was ascertained that she was an unarmed trans- port, with a crew of about forty men, one six-pounder carronade, and a large supply of fireworks for signals. The Texans were not aware of the unprotected condition of the ship, and it is not probable that Colonel Van Dorn himself was advised of it ; for the prominent part taken by her at Charleston in the inauguration of the bloody scenes of civil war would naturally cause them to expect that she would be pre- pared for any emergency.
The prize and the General Rusk were carried to Galveston, but the Star of the West, drawing too much water to cross the bar, was placed under command of Captain Sam Farwell, of the steamship Me.rico, and sent on to New Orleans. After entering the Mississippi River the passage to New Orleans was one continuous ovation from the sympathetic crowds which lined the river-banks at the plantations. News of the capture had flashed over the wires, and the first ocean steamship sail- ing under the flag of a new-born nation inspired its votaries with unbounded enthu- siasmı ; and the little carronade on deck was kept hot all the way to New Orleans,
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A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF TEXAS.
responding to the salutes of the generous friends. Upon arrival at that city the prize crew received a royal welcome amid booming cannon and blazing fireworks, and the midnight scene was one of unalloyed rejoicing. The next day the prisoners were paroled and sent north, the Texans discharged ; and for three days the hos- pitable citizens of the Crescent City entertained them in princely style. Each man received his mileage of forty-five dollars, returned to his home, and was soon in- volved in the black vortex of war, where he was a gallant participant in more bloody, but not more exhilarating scenes than the capture of the Star of the West. This vessel was carried up the Mississippi River, thence into the Yazoo, and about a year after her capture was sunk by the Confederates in the Tallahatchee River at Fort Pemberton, to prevent the descent of the Federal fleet under General Wash- burne into the Yazoo River, in his expedition to take Vicksburg in the rear.
When Colonel Van Dorn returned to Galveston, he found the volunteer com- panies at that city still unprepared to take the field, and he proceeded to Indianola overland, and was joined on the route by the volunteer companies from Colorado, De Witt, Matagorda, Caldwell, Victoria, Fort Bend, Lavaca, Gonzales, Goliad, Hays, Calhoun, and Jackson Counties, before named, and the volunteers from Gal- veston, having gone by water, arrived in Matagorda Bay in time to witness the surrender of the Federal troops from a distance, but did not reach the shore in time to participate in the achievement.
OPERATIONS ON THE COAST.
During the summer of 1861 the blockading fleet of the United States navy appeared off the city of Galveston, declared all the ports on the coast in a state of blockade, and prepared to enforce the order. Vessels were anchored off all the harbors and commerce suspended. The coast of Texas was in a very defenceless condition, there being no fortifications at any point, and but few heavy guns were in the State. Some large guns from New Orleans for the defence of Galveston were sent up Red River to Alexandria, and thence overland to Houston, but they did not arrive until late in the fall. There was a great scarcity of lead, powder, and ammunition of all kinds, as well as arms. This matter soon attracted the attention of the commanding general, and he instructed the quartermasters to malte arrange- ments for the shipment of cotton to Mexico with which to purchase ammunition. The commanding general, being without means to put the coast in a state of defence, called on the owners of slaves throughout the State to hire them to the government for the purpose of building fortifications. This appeal was very gener- ally responded to, and a large number of negroes put to work building fortifications at Galveston, Sabine Pass, Velasco, and other places. These were paid for in Con- federate States money, which, at that very early period of the war, was available as currency for the purchase of articles that were to be had in the country. Until the money could be received, the patriotic citizens of Galveston and Houston advanced five thousand dollars to General P. O. Hebert for these purposes, and took the obligations of the government until it could be repaid them.
On the 4th of September. Colonel Van Dorn, having been promoted to briga- dier-general and ordered to Richmond, relinquished the command of the Depart- ment of Texas to Colonel II. F. McCulloch until the arrival of his successor.
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Brigadier-General P. O. Hebert, and on the 18th of September General Hebert arrived and assumed command.
During this year the excitement was very great throughout the State, and the military ardor ran high. A great many companies were organized all over the State, and the announcement was made by the Confederate States authorities, in the early part of the year, that only a limited number of troops from Texas would be accepted. This determination was prompted by the strong peace sentiment in the North, which for a time gave promise of prevailing, that the Southern States, the "erring sisters," as they were called by Horace Greeley, be permitted to go their way in peace. From the beginning there was a very decided preference manifested by Texas for service in the cavalry, and a very marked indisposition to enlist in the infantry or artillery, while the authorities wanted the latter more than the former.
The State authorities also insisted that all the troops raised in Texas should remain in the State for the purpose of defending the State against an expected invasion, and the authorities of the Confederate States seemed for a time to have lent a willing ear to this demand. For these reasons a number of independent companies left the State singly, at their own expense, for the scenes of hostilities in Virginia, Kentucky, and Missouri, and were there organized into regiments, and some fully organized regiments also left the State for a like purpose.
About three o'clock on the morning of November 8, 1861, a small party of Union sailors in launches from the blockading squadron entered Bolivar Channel, at Galveston, and captured the schooner Royal Yacht, with its crew, which was the private property of Captain Thomas Chubb, and was doing service for the Confed- erates in watching the blockaders.
In February, 1862, a force of marines from the blockading ship Afton landed on Mustang Island and burned the dwellings of Mrs. Cluff and Mrs. Mercer, and captured the patrol-sloop used by Captain Neal's company of cavalry. The ship shelled the town of Aransas Pass, but without any loss of life to the inhabitants. The intention of the blockaders was expressed by them to be to break up the coast- wise trade that was being carried on through the bays and inlets along the coast. On the 21st of February they captured a sloop entering Corpus Christi Bay from Bagdad, Inden with medical supplies for the government, and the same party came very near being captured themselves by Captain B. F. Neal's company.
On April 4, 1862, the United States steamer Montgomery appeared off Fort San Luis, at San Luis Pass, near the west end of Galveston Island, hoisted the English flag and signalled for a pilot. Lieutenant O. W. Edwards, with seven men of Captain Ballowe's company and a citizen named A. G. Follet, went out to the steamer, and they were all taken prisoners and carried away. Two launches from the steamer entered the bay and burned the schooner Columbia, loaded with cotton, and waiting a favorable opportunity for running the blockade.
On April 22, 1862, Captain Kittredge, of the blockading ship off Aransas Pass, entered the bay with a small body of men in two launches, and captured the schooners Democrat, Swan, and Mustang ; and as they were attempting to return to the blockading ship, Major William O. Yager, with thirty-two men in two sloops, cut them off. They could not get their prizes out by the schooners, so they aban-
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A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF TEXAS.
doned them and took to their launches, returning to Blind Bayou and entered it. Major Yager, with his force, abandoned his boats and hurried across the land to intercept them, and did so, when the enemy abandoned their launches and took to the sand-hills, and escaped in the darkness. Major Yager recaptured the crews of the Democrat, Swan, and Mustang, who were found to be handcuffed ; and among the various articles captured in the enemy's launches were several pairs of handcuffs.
During the months of August and September, 1862, the blockading fleet at Corpus Christi was very active. On the 16th of August four of the ememy's ves- sels bombarded the town, but were driven off by the Confederates under Major A. M. Hobby with two pieces of heavy artillery. And again on the 18th of the same month the enemy bombarded the town, and landed a cannon on the beach with about forty men, who advanced upon the fort, firing the cannon as they advanced, under cover of the fire from their ships. Major Hobby, with twenty-five men, charged the land force and drove thein back to their ships.
On September 12, 1862, Captain Kittredge, who commanded the blockading fleet at Aransas and Corpus Christi Bays, went to Corpus Christi town under a flag of truce, requesting permission to convey the family of E. J. Davis, a citizen of Texas who had joined the Union army, to New Orleans. Major E. F. Gray, com- manding the Confederates at that place, referred the matter to General Hebert, and notified Captain Kittredge that he could not return an answer for about ten days, as it would take that length of time to hear from head-quarters ; whereupon Captain Kittredge witlidrew and proceeded down the bay some fifteen miles towards the salt- works, on Laguna del Madre. Major Gray sent Captain John Ireland with fifty men to watch his movements, who secreted part of his men in a vacant house near the shore at Flower Bluffs. On the 14th, after shelling the sand-hills for a time, Captain Kittredge, with seven men, landed and fell gracefully into the trap set for him, and, with all his companions, was captured by Captain Ireland, with their arms and equipments and one flag.
On the morning of September 23, 1862, two sail-vessels of the blockading ficet entered Sabine Pass and opened fire on the Confederate fort at that place, which was promptly replied to. The cannonading continued all day, but the Confederate guns being of inferior calibre their shots fell short, while the enemy's long-range guns threw their shot into and around the fort. The yellow fever had been raging among the Confederate troops for some time, and in consequence Major J. S. Irvine, of Lieutenant-Colonel A. W. Spaight's battalion, who was in command at Sabine Pass, had furloughed most of his men, and at the time of the attack there were only thirty men at the post. When night came, Major Irvine determined that it would be a needless exposure of the men to attempt to hold the works any longer, and retired to Beaumont, spiking the four cannon in the fort and removing all other property. Two of his men who had been recently attacked with yellow fever were not in a condition to be moved, and they were left in the hospital in the care of competent nurses.
On the 26th of September the two vessels anchored opposite Sabine town and sent some men ashore, but offered no indignity to the citizens and committed no depredations.
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MILITARY EVENTS AND OPERATIONS IN TEXAS.
On the night of the 27th of September the enemy sent three launches with forty men up to the mouth of Taylor's Bayou, a short distance above Sabine, and attempted to burn the railroad bridge across that stream, but the fire was extin- guished by the guard stationed there. They carried away with them three citizens whom they found in the vicinity, and returned to Sabine, occupying the town. They committed no depredations on the citizens at the town of Sabine and pro- hibited their soldiers from mingling with them.
On the 20th of October, 1862, a small party of the enemy burned the railroad dépôt, about a mile from Beaumont, but did no other damage in the vicinity.
All efforts by Lieutenant-Colonel A. W. Spaight, who was in command at that place, were completely paralyzed by sickness among the troops. The yellow fever and the measles were both prevailing in his eamp at this time, and more than half of his men were unfit for duty.
On the morning of October 4, 1862, the Harriet Lane, one of the ships of the blockading fleet off Galveston harbor, crossed the bar, flying a white flag ; and when opposite Fort Point, at the east end of the island, a shot from the Confederate battery was fired across her bow, and she immediately came to anchor. An officer from the ship soon after landed in front of the battery, and asked for an interview with the commander of the post. Upon being advised of this, Colonel Joseph J. Cook, the Confederate commander at Galveston, repaired to Fort Point, and was informed by the officer that the commander of the fleet desired him to send out a messenger to receive a communication from him. Having no boat at the Point, Colonel Cook returned to the city and immediately despatched a messenger from the wharf in a boat flying a white flag. The messenger left the wharf about one o'clock P.M., and before he reached the Point the Harriet Lane weighed anchor and steamed out to the fleet, when she and four others, with a mortar boat in tow, came in over the bar. A shot was fired from the Fort Point battery in front of the foremost of the advancing vessels, and they came to anchor about where the Har- riet Lane had previously anchored. The messenger boat under the flag of trice was but a short distance off, when the enemy, disregarding their own flag of truce, immediately opened fire from all their vessels with about twenty guns on the Fort Point battery, and soon disabled the only gun in it. The Confederates then spiked the gun, set fire to the barracks, and retreated to the city. The five vessels steamed up the channel and anchored opposite the city, and took up the messenger under the flag of truce. About half-past three P. M. Colonel Cook's flag of truce messenger returned from the fleet, bearing a demand from Captain Renshaw, its commander, for the immediate surrender of the city. Colonel Cook sent a reply refusing to comply with the demand, and informing the commander of the fleet that there were many women and children in the city, and asked for time to remove them. After some negotiations it was agreed that no attack should be made for four days ; that during this time the Confederates should not construct any new, nor strengthen any old, defences ; and the fleet should not approach any nearer the city in the mean time. During this time the city was evacuated by the Confederates, all the public property having been removed, and all but a few of the citizens departed. Colonel X. B. Debray, who was in command of the Confederates, began at once to strengthen the fortifications at Virginia Point, and determined to resist the enemy at that place.
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A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF TEXAS.
Although the ships of the blockading fleet lay in the bay in front of the city, no troops were landed upon the island, and there was no actual occupancy of the city by United States troops until December 25, 1862.
On the night of October 29, 1862, a small body of Lieutenant-Colonel A. W. Spaight's battalion, under Captain Marsh, secreted themselves below the town of Sabine, and as the United States steamer Dan, with a schooner in tow, approached, going up the channel, the Confederates poured a heavy fire into the crowded decks, not more than a hundred yards distant, killing and wounding about thirty of the enemy. As soon as the vessels got out of range of the Confederates' rifles they opened upon them with grape and canister, but did no damage. The next morning the enemy took revenge by vigorously shelling the defenceless town and burning Wingate's saw-mill and dwelling and Stamps's dwelling.
On December 8, 1862, while Captain H. Wilke, commanding post at Corpus Christi, and Captain John Ireland, with seven men of the latter's company, were on the sailing-sloop Queen of the Bay, sounding the depth of the water in Corpus Christi Pass, they were attacked by twenty-two men in two launches from the blockading bark Arthur. As the wind was blowing strong from the north and the Pass too narrow for tacking, the Confederates turned the Queen of the Bay towards the Gulf and ran before the wind for Padre Island. The launches pursued them, using both sails and oars, and gained on them slightly. The Confederates ran their boat ashore close to the bluffs on Padre Island, jumped out and secreted themselves in the hills within about two hundred yards of the boat. As the enemy approached the Queen of the Bay, thinking they had an easy victory, the Confed- erates opened fire upon them with good effect, for they at once changed their course and made for Mustang Island, on the opposite side of the channel. Here they beached both of their boats, and, taking only their guns with them, proceeded farther up the beach. When about a thousand yards from the Confederates they stopped and commenced firing at them, when the latter returned the fire, killing one of their number. During this time the wind blew the launches from the shore, and one came directly towards the Confederates, and Captain Ireland with two men waded into the water waist-deep and secured it. He found one man dead and another wounded in the boat, with many articles of clothing, arms, and ammunition. The other launch, whose sail was still hoisted, drifted towards the Gulf, and a sailor named Jack Sands took a yawl and went after it and brought it in safely. After securing the body of the man who was killed on Mustang Island the party returned to Corpus Christi without the loss of a man.
On October 31, 1862, two of the blockading steamers appeared before the town of Lavaca and cast anchor about cleven o'clock A. M. At one o'clock P.M. the com- mander of the vessels sent a boat with a flag of truce to the shore, which was met by Major D. D. Shea, commanding the post, with four citizens. A short interview succeeded, during which the surrender of the town was demanded by the Union officer. Major Shea replied that he was there to defend the town, and should do so to the best of his ability with all the means at his command, and requested time for the removal of the women, children, and sick persons from the town. The Union officer replied that one hour was the time he was authorized to grant, but, in consideration of the fact that an epidemic of yellow fever was still raging in the
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MILITARY EVENTS AND OPERATIONS IN TEXAS.
town, he would extend the time to one hour and a half. At the expiration of this short time the vessels moved up in front of the town and opened fire from both steamers on the town and batteries. There were still many women and children in town who had been unable to leave for want of time. The batteries promptly returned the fire, and, although many of the men had but partially recovered from the fever, they stood to their guns with great coolness and courage. Their fire was so well directed that both the vessels were struck several times, and one of them partially disabled. They soon steamed out of range of the batteries, when they anchored and kept up a steady bombardment until night. The next morning they again opened fire upon the town and batteries, but did not again venture in range of the batteries. No lives were lost on the shore, but the houses in the town were very much damaged by the enemy's shot and shell. The citizens acted heroically in rendering assistance to the soldiers in defence of the town, and Mrs. Dunn and Mrs. Chesley, and the beautiful and accomplished young daughters of the latter, are particularly mentioned as genuine heroines. Amid the heaviest of the bom- bardment they carried to the soldiers at the batteries lunches of coffee, bread, and meat, in utter disregard of the peril which they incurred from the flying shot and shell.
On October 10, 1862, Major-General J. B. Magruder was ordered to take command in Texas, superseding Brigadier-General Hebert, and on November 29 assumed command of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, with head- quarters at Houston. He immediately began to devise measures for the recapture of the city of Galveston, making several visits to the city at night and ascertaining the situation and condition of affairs there as well as he could. The plan of attack was boldly conceived and brilliantly executed, and reflects great credit upon all who were engaged in it. The enemy's fleet lying in the bay consisted of the Harrict Lane, carrying four heavy guns and two twenty-four-pounder howitzers, com- manded by Captain Wainwright ; the Westfield, flag-ship of Commodore Renshaw, a large propeller carrying eight heavy guns ; the Clifton, a steam propeller of four heavy guns ; the Sachem, a steam propeller of four heavy guns ; two armed trans- ports, two large barks, and an armed schooner. Three companies of the Forty- second Massachusetts Regiment occupied Kuhn's wharf, which was strongly bar- ricaded, and the planks torn up between the barricade and the land. The two Buffalo Bayou steamboats, Bayou City and Neptune, were fitted up by General Magruder as gunboats, protected with bales of cotton, with one tender for each, loaded with wood for fuel. The boats were prepared and commanded by Commo- dore Leon Smith. The Bayou City was under the immediate command of Captain Henry S. Lubbock, with Captain A. R. Wier, of the First Regiment Heavy Artil- lery, commanding the artillery, and Captain Martin commanding the riflemen, con- sisting of a company of dismounted cavalry armed with Enfield rifles and double- barrelled shot-guns. The Neptune was under the immediate command of Captain Sangster, with Captain Harby commanding the artillery, and Captain Snyder com- manding the riflemen, also armed with Enfield rifles and double-barrelled shot-guns. Colonel Tom Green accompanied the expedition, on board the Bayou City, in com- mand of the land forces on the boats, and Colonel A. P. Bagby, his second officer, on board the Neptune. To Colonel Joseph J. Cook, of the First Regiment Heavy
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A COMPREHENSIVE HISTORY OF TEXAS.
Artillery, was intrusted the command of the storming party of about five hundred men, composed of volunteers from Pyron's regiment, under Brigadier-General W. R. Scurry ; from Elmore's regiment, under Lieutenant L. A. Abercrombie, and Griffin's battalion, who were furnished with ladders with which to scale the wharf occupied by the enemy's infantry.
The land forces under the immediate command of General Magruder, in addi- tion to the storming party under Colonel Cook, comprised a number of volunteers from Sibley's brigade, which was passing through the State on its way from New Mexico to Louisiana. Six heavy siege-guns and fourteen pieces of field artillery were carried across the bay on the railroad bridge, and hauled into the city by hand, the infantry and dismounted cavalry doing the work of horses. An eight-inch Dahlgren gun was mounted on a flat-car, to be run out on the railroad track on the wharf west of Kuhn's wharf occupied by the enemy's infantry, and within three hundred yards of where the Harriet Lane was anchored. Captain S. T. Fontaine, of Cook's regiment heavy artillery, was sent forward in advance with three of the siege-guns to Fort Point, at the east end of Galveston Island, supported by six companies of Pyron's regiment of cavalry (dismounted), under the personal com- mand of Colonel C. L. Pyron ; while the other forces, with the artillery, were placed in position along the bay front of the city, covering a distance of about two and a half miles, with the centre resting opposite the Central wharf. Twelve o'clock was the hour agreed upon for the attack to be made, but it was considerably later than that when the signal was fired'from the centre gun by General Magruder in person. This was promptly responded to by an almost simultaneous discharge along the whole line. The attack was promptly replied to by the Harriet Lane and the Owasco, the vessels lying nearest the wharves, and by the Massachusetts troops behind the barricades on Kul's wharf. Colonel Cook gallantly led the storming party under a galling fire of the enemy's infantry, through the water where the planking of the wharf had been torn up ; but when they reached the barricades it was discovered that their scaling-ladders were too short, and, therefore, they could not reach the wharf. They then sought cover in and behind the buildings nearest the wharf, from which they did effective work with their rifles. The Dahlgren gun on the flat-car was run down the railroad track on to the Brick wharf, and it poured a flanking fire into the enemy's infantry behind the barricades on Kuhn's wharf. As daylight was approaching, and the Confederate gunboats had not arrived, it was evident that the position assumed by General Magruder at the time of the attack could not be maintained in daylight against the heavy guns of the Union fleet ; and, therefore, orders were issued for the withdrawal of the artillery for the purpose of erecting fortifications, with a view to the permanent occupation of the city. But before these orders were carried out, and just about daylight, the Bayou City and Neptune came steaming down the bay, and immediately engaged the Harriet Lane in gal- lant style, one of them running on each side of her and pouring on her deck a deadly fire from rifles and shot-guns. The Harriet Lane got under way, ran down the Neptune and sunk her ; but at the same time the Bayou City drove her prow into the iron wheel of the Lane in the face of the broadsides from her heavy guns. The moment the vessels struck, Commodore Leon Smith, sword in hand, leaped upon the deck of the Lane, followed by the volunteers on the Bayou City ; and
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