The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 21, July 1917 - April, 1918 Page: 353
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Confedera.le Trans-Mississippi Department, 1863-1865 353
vate parties and some by the government. In 1863, the officers
of the Trans-Mississippi Department increased the number of gov-
ernment boats by dismantling a number of warships that were
captured on the Texas coast, placing the guns in the forts, and
fitting out the vessels as blockade runners. Then the Harriet
Lane, the Clifton, the Sachem, and a number of others were loaded
with cotton and sent to Havana, where both vessels and cargoes
were to be sold; but as there was no ready sale: for the vessels,
they were used as blockade runners." A number of other ships,
as the Frederick the Great, the Sea Queen, the Goo-d Year, the
Love Bird, were all active blockade runners through the years
1863 and 1864. Some of these had been engaged in private busi-
ness, but as the government, through General Smith's orders, ap-
propriated more and more of the cotton, private shipping decreased.
It is impossible to make even an approximately correct estimate
of this trade by sea. On one hand, it cannot be separated from
the trade through Mexico and, on the other, accurate lists of all
imports are not available. The following evidence will give some
idea of its character: One vessel was captured with 12,000 stands
of arms on board; another was run in, with 10,000 guns, 5,000,000
caps, and 2,000,000 rounds of small ammunition on board. In
October, 1863, the following goods were reported en route to Mar-
shall, Texas, for the Ordnance Bureau: 30,000 pounds lead;
50,000 pounds English powder; trace chains, wood screws, canvas,
axes, flannels, paper, files, etc., in fair quantities.6 A year later
Captain Lynch of Brownsville, Texas, reported that from October
4, to December 9, he had forwarded from that port alone 600,000
pounds of army stores.97 All these goods and many others were
paid for with cotton. When by the president's regulations under
the act of February 6, 1861, a special port for the exportation of
cotton had to be designated, Houston, by the commander's order,
became that port. Soon afterwards the control of this trade passed
to the treasury agency.
" ~agruder to Seddon, September 29, 1864, Off. Recs., XLI, iii, 963-4.
"Rhett to Johnson, October 22, 1863, Off. Recs., XXII, ii, 1141-1142.
"Texas Republican, Marshall, December 9, 1864.
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 21, July 1917 - April, 1918, periodical, 1918; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101073/m1/359/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.