Battle of Galveston

Battle

Two Confederate cottonclads, and the commanded by Leon Smith, sailed from Houston to Galveston in an effort to engage the Union Fleet in Galveston Harbor, which consisted of , , , , and . Outnumbered six to two by the Northern ships, Neptune was severely damaged by the Union Fleet and eventually sank. While Neptune was quickly disabled, Bayou City succeeded in capturing .

During this time, was grounded on a sandbar. A temporary truce between the two opposing sides was established, and despite still being outnumbered, the Confederate forces sent over an officer to negotiate terms of surrender of the Union fleet. Their proposal included the surrender of all Union ships present, save one which would be permitted to leave the Harbor with the crew of all other vessels. However, Union Fleet Commander William B. Renshaw rejected the Confederate offer, and attempted to destroy the grounded Westfield with explosives rather than let it fall into enemy hands.

Renshaw and several Union troops were subsequently killed when the explosives were set off too early. Union troops on shore were convinced that their own ships were surrendering and, therefore, laid down their arms. The remaining U.S. ships did not surrender and succeeded in retreating to Union-controlled New Orleans.

|File:Capture HarrietLane.jpg|Artist's depiction of the capture of USS Harriet Lane. |File:Twin Sisters, San Jacinto.jpg|Replicas of the "Twin Sisters", which were used in the 1836 Battle of San Jacinto and the 1863 Battle of Galveston.

Aftermath

The Union blockade around the city of Galveston was lifted temporarily for four days, and Galveston remained the only major port that remained in Confederate hands at the end of the war. The Confederate Congress stated this on the successful recapture of Galveston:

The bold, intrepid, and gallant conduct of Maj. Gen. J. Bankhead Magruder, Col. Thomas Green, Maj. Leon Smith and other officers, and of the Texan Rangers and soldiers engaged in the attack on, and victory achieved over, the land and naval forces of the enemy at Galveston, on January 1, 1863, eminently entitle them to the thanks of Congress and the country... This brilliant achievement, resulting, under the providence of God, in the capture of the war steamer Harriet Lane and the defeat and ignominious flight of the hostile fleet from the harbor, the recapture of the city and the raising of the blockade of the port of Galveston, signally evinces that superior force may be overcome by skillful conception and daring courage.

References

References

1. (1863). "Appletons' annual cyclopaedia and register of important events of the year: 1862". D. Appleton & Company.
2. Alwyn Barr. "Galveston, Battle of". The Handbook of Texas Online, Texas State Historical Assoc. (June 6, 2001), www.tshaonline.org.
3. "The Battle of Galveston (1 January 1863)". Lone Star Junction (1996), www.lsjunction.com.