The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 58, July 1954 - April, 1955 Page: 486
650 p. : ill., maps (some col.), ports. ; 23 cm.View a full description of this periodical.
Extracted Text
The following text was automatically extracted from the image on this page using optical character recognition software:
Southwestern Historical Quarterly
On February 7, 1863, the New York Times stated that it would
be as good to take Fort Brown and the state of Texas as to defeat
the main rebel armies.82 In May, 1864, Secretary of State Seward
received the advice that it would be better to stop the trade of
Matamoros than to have an army of ten thousand men, since the
only lead the rebels west of the Mississippi received came from
Mexico.8 On March 13, 1863, Acting Rear Admiral Theodorus
Bailey advised the Secretary of the Navy that, unless the trade
of Matamoros could be restricted, the object of blockading the
southern coast would be largely frustrated.4 Despite expectations
to the contrary," however, even the occupation of the lower
course of the Rio Grande during part of 1863 and 1864 failed
to cut completely the trade into Texas since its effect was only to
change the point of entry to upper Rio Grande crossings."8
Early in March, 1865, Matamoros was described as a bustling
town of 30,000 inhabitants87 and Lew Wallace informed General
U. S. Grant that neither New Orleans nor Baltimore could
present such a promise of commercial activity." But, a short while
later, after the collapse of Confederate arms, "gloom, despond-
ency, and despair" became the order of the day. Freights were
lowered, business almost ceased, and the markets of Matamoros
were glutted with all kinds of produce. Many ships of a fleet of
one hundred and twenty different sized merchant vessels left the
port without a cargo of any kind." By August, merchandise was
selling at one-fifth of the cost price, with most of the goods going
to different ports of the United States and with no buyers at all
for some goods at any price.9" "For Sale" signs sprouted up every-
82New York Times, February 7, 1863.
880ficial Records, War of the Rebellion, Series I, Vol. XXXIV, Pt. 4, p. 467.
"80ficial Naval Records, War of the Rebellion, Series I, Vol. XVII, 401-402.
8sHarper's Weekly, VII, No. 28, p. 754; Washington National Intelligencer, De-
cember 19, 1863.
80 ficial Records, War of the Rebellion, Series I, Vol. XXXIV, Pt. 4, p. 467;
ibid., XXVI, Pt. 2, pp. 399-400; Treasury Department, Letters Received, Series I,
Record Group 56, pp. 423-426. The New Orleans Era, March 17, 1864, claims that
while Major General Herron was in command at Brownsville the trade passing
through that town was cut by one-half.
87New Orleans Times, March 3, 1865.
ssOficial Records, War of the Rebellion, Series I, Vol. XLVIII, Pt. 1, p. 1279.
89New York Herald, March 17, 1865.
soDepartment of State, Consular Dispatches, Record Group 59, Matamoros, Vol.
VIII, August 19, 1865.486
Upcoming Pages
Here’s what’s next.
Search Inside
This issue can be searched. Note: Results may vary based on the legibility of text within the document.
Tools / Downloads
Get a copy of this page or view the extracted text.
Citing and Sharing
Basic information for referencing this web page. We also provide extended guidance on usage rights, references, copying or embedding.
Reference the current page of this Periodical.
Texas State Historical Association. The Southwestern Historical Quarterly, Volume 58, July 1954 - April, 1955, periodical, 1955; Austin, Texas. (https://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth101158/m1/579/: accessed April 26, 2024), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, https://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Texas State Historical Association.