The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 51, July 1947 - April, 1948 Page: 115
406 p. : ill., ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
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Confederate Loss and Recapture of Galveston
At the expiration of the truce there were no longer any de-
fenders of Galveston, and, though there had been no formal sur-
render, the city and harbor went to the Union forces by default.
Commander Renshaw landed in a gig, raised the Union flag
over the customhouse as an indication of possession, left the
ensign flying for a period of thirty minutes, and then repaired
to his ship. Renshaw had at that time no force to put ashore to
consolidate his gains, and the control of the city by his forces
was tacit rather than actual. The Confederate forces, because of
the lack of long-range and hard-hitting artillery, could not ac-
tively contest the Federal fleet, but by the same token the lack
of a strong landing force prevented Renshaw from occupying
the city at the time. The Confederate force had been withdrawn
in order to protect the property and lives in Galveston and
because there was no particular advantage in retaining a force
there as long as the bay was occupied by superior Union ships.
Inasmuch as Renshaw had said that " [he] would hoist the United
States flag over the city of Galveston or over its ashes,"'12 there
was little the defenders could do but withdraw.
The capture of Galveston was quickly followed by the capture-
if the occupation of the surrounding waters could be deemed a
capture, of Corpus Christi and Sabine City-thus giving the Fed-
eral forces almost complete control of the entire Texas coast.
Farragut was jubilant over the success of the Galveston venture,
congratulating Renshaw highly on the ease'3 with which the city
had been taken, and took immediate steps to have a land force
sent to occupy the captured areas. He pointed out to the secre-
tary of the navy that the entire coast could not only be captured,
but occupied, and that the occupation of the principal ports of
the coast would add immeasurably to the effectiveness and the
ease of administration of the blockade.1"
In the weeks following the Galveston episode, the Federal
forces proceeded down the coast to Matagorda Bay and took
12Brigadier General P. O. Hebert to Colonel James Deshler, October 15, 1862,
in ibid., 790.
IsOne of the reasons given by Renshaw for the surprising ease with which the
harbor was taken was that the guns on Pelican Island, prominently displayed,
were "quakers," or fakes.
14Farragut to Gideon Welles, October 15, 1862, in Oficial Records, Vol. XIX,
P. 254.115
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Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 51, July 1947 - April, 1948, periodical, 1948; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101119/m1/157/: accessed April 24, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.