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THE BATTLE OF
GALVESTON:
ROSENBERG LIBRARY’S MAY TREASURE OF THE MONTH
During the fall of
1862, President Abraham Lincoln ordered that all of the major
ports along the
Texas
Gulf
coast be blockaded to prevent the movement of supplies and arms
to the Confederate Army.
A
squadron of eight Union ships entered
Galveston’s harbor on October 4, 1862 and demanded
the surrender of the city—the most crucial port in Texas at the time.
Confederate
troops retreated to the mainland, and by December, Union
soldiers occupied Kuhn’s Wharf and patrolled the city streets.
 General
John B. Magruder became the new leader of the Confederate forces
in Texas
in November 1862.
One of his top
priorities was to regain control of
Galveston
and its bay.
Magruder planned a two-sided
attack.
First, his infantry of 1,000 men
would cross the railroad bridge and open fire on Union troops at
the wharves.
At the same time, two Confederate
gunboats would attack the blockaded Union warships in
Galveston
Bay.
Just before dawn on New Year’s Day, 1863, Magruder
ordered his men to attack.
The Union soldiers on land were
well-protected at their positions on the wharf, and their huge
ship cannons succeeded in pushing Confederate troops back.
The Union
navy, however, was not prepared for the Confederate gunboats,
the Neptune and the
Bayou
City.
Men on both
boats began shooting at the Union ship, the USS
Harriet Lane.
The
Harriet Lane
sank the Neptune, but
was broadsided by the
Bayou
City.
The crew of the
Bayou
City
managed to overtake the Union gunners, and after boarding the
enemy ship, Confederate soldiers forced its surrender.
After the Harriet Lane
was captured, Union Commander William Renshaw made
the decision to retreat.
The Union ships left Galveston
Harbor, but
the foot soldiers at the wharves were left behind.
The stranded men were also forced
to surrender to the Confederate army.
During the Battle of Galveston, the
Confederates managed to capture six Union ships, sink one, and
run another aground.
A total of 300-400 Union prisoners
were taken.
In turn, the number of killed or
wounded Confederate soldiers was less than 150, and only one
Confederate ship was lost.
Galveston remained under Confederate control
until the Civil War ended in 1865.
Photo Captions:
1.
This shell fragment was lodged into
a baseboard at the
Hendley
Building
during the Battle of Galveston, New Year’s Day, 1863.
2.
Photo
of the Hendley
Building
at
20th
Street
and The Strand, 1872.
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