First Texas Navy
Encyclopedia
The First Texas Navy carried out operations, before and after the Texas Revolution
, from 1835 to 1837. Over the course of two years the Texans launched several operations in the Gulf of Mexico
which helped supply General
Sam Houston
's army. Though General Houston defeated the Mexican Army
at the Battle of San Jacinto
in April of 1836, armed conflict at sea continued into August of 1837 when the Texans lost their last two warships.
, the Texans had three objectives. The first was to defend their coastline from a sea-bourne Mexican invasion, the second being to escort rebel ships back and forth between Texas and the United States where the main source of volunteer soldiers and supplies was coming in from. The third objective was to inflict serious casualties on the Mexicans in the hopes of forcing them to recognize independence of Texas. Mexican naval forces had the mission of trying to blockade
the long Texas coast which was impossible for the few ships stationed in the region. Due to the shortage of ships, Mexico's blockade remained largely ineffective throughout the hostilities. This allowed the Texans to import much of their war materials by sea. The Texas Navy in 1835 was nonexistent, the only rebel naval forces were six privateer
s authorized by the rebel government at the end of the year. However, in the first naval battle
of the war involving Texas, rebels boarded the American
owned ship San Felipe and the steamer Laura on September 1, 1835 and then proceeded in attacking and capturing the Mexican treasury vessel Correo de Mexico off Brazoria
, which was taken as a prize to New Orleans.
Other than the commissioning of privateers, the Texan government agreed to authorize the purchase of four schooner
s on November 24, 1835 for use in defending territorial waters. The first of the ships acquired was the former Revenue Service
ship USRC Ingham
which fought a battle
with Mexican naval forces on June 14, 1835 off Brazos Santiago. Ingham was a small six gun ship of 112 tons and she was renamed Independence
. The Independence became the flagship
of the First Texas Navy and was under the command of Captain Charles E. Hawkins. The second schooner was the Brutus
, she was nearly twice as large as the Independence and was placed under Captain William A. Hurd, the former commander of the privateer William Robisnon, which was also acquired for duty in the regular navy. The William Robinson was renamed Liberty
and put under the command of Captain W. S. Brown, whose brother, Captain Jeremiah Brown, commanded the forth schooner, named Invincible
. The next engagement after the Correo de Mexico affair occurred on December 19, 1835 when the William Robbins liberated the American merchant ship Hannah Elizabeth which had been captured by the Mexicans for carrying two cannons, allegedly intended for the rebels.
Due to the taking of Correo de Mejico and the Hannah Elizabeth, the Mexican Navy responded by escorting their merchantmen. The schooners Bravo and Vera Cruzana were two of the vessels known to have been involved in escort duty. Meanwhile, the Independence was dipatched on a solo cruise of the Mexican Gulf for the first three months of 1836. She was successful in capturing multiple small fishing vessels and disrupted communications between Mexico and General Antonio López de Santa Anna
's army in Texas. On March 3, Captain W. Brown in the Liberty was sailing to the Yucatan
when he encountered the armed Mexican merchantman Pelican. In the ensuing battle the Texas captured the enemy ship while under fire from the fortress at Sisal
. The Pelican was then sent as a prize to Matagorda
but she ran aground on a sandbar off the port and was wrecked. Over 300 kegs of gunpowder and other military supplies was found on board the ship and it eventually was utilized by General Houston's army. Liberty captured the American brig
Durango shortly thereafter and it too was found to be carrying Mexican Army supplies. Around the same time, Captain Jeremiah Brown in the Invincible took the American brig Pocket at the mouth of the Rio Grande
, she was carrying contraband
as well but her owners informed the United States Navy
.
Subsequently, the American Commodore Alexander J. Dallas
arrested Captain Brown and his crew for piracy
when they sailed into New Orleans that May for provisioning. The charges were eventually dropped on the account that all of the seized American ships carried Mexican military stores but a civil suit remained in litigation for years afterward. Texan authorities took the time to purchase the Pocket and both the ship and her cargo were used against the Mexicans. On April 3, the Invincibe attacked the Mexican ship Montezuma off Matamoros
. Captain Brown ordered his men to open fire while the schooner maneuvered in circles around the Montezuma until she ran aground and sank. On April 11, the privateer Flash picked up the refugees and survivors of the Runaway Scrape
at Morgan's Point, including members of President David G. Burnet
's family. The next significant event of the conflict, which had an effect on the naval campaign, was the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. In it, General Houston led an attack on the Mexican Army and routed them, capturing General Santa Anna in the process who was then forced to sign a treaty recognizing the independence of Texas. The fighting on land was over at that point but because the Mexican government never ratified the Treaty of Velasco, the naval campaign continued on for another year.
After San Jacinto the Invincible was used to deliver the news of victory to President Burnet and the Liberty escorted the ship Flora to New Orleans. The Flora was an unarmed vessel carrying the wounded General Houston who needed better medical attention than what he could receive in Texas. During the stay in New Orleans, the American navy seized the Liberty on May 22 and sold her as compensation for unpaid bills. On June 3, twenty Texas Rangers
under Major
Isaac Burton joined in the naval operations when they boarded and took over three American ships near Corpus Christi
. All three were carrying war materials and they were condemned by the admiralty
court in Velasco
.
The United States Navy's response to this incident was sending the sloop
USS Natchez
. On April 16, 1837, the Natchez was involved in a combat incident with Mexican ships off the Rio Grande. In the battle the Americans captured the Mexican brig General Urrea and liberated the merchantman Climax, all while under cannon fire from the two brigs General Teran and General Bravo, as well as a Mexican fort. The American commander, Captain William Mervine
, was later found to have exceeded his authority in taking a Mexican warship so he was forced to apologize to the Mexicans and release the General Urrea. While the Independence and the Liberty were conducting their missions, the other three Texan warships, Invincible, Brutus and Pocket, were directed to blockade Matamoros until September when they sailed for New Orleans and New York
for repairs. These three ships remained in American waters for the rest of the year and finally returned to the war zone in the spring of 1837, by which time the Mexican Navy had sent three brigs and two schooners to blockade Galveston
. On April 17, the Independence engaged the Mexican brigs Vencedor del Alamo and Libertador while she was entering the Brazos River
. Captain George W. Wheelwright knew he was outgunned so he fled up the river and the Mexicans followed for five hours before finally forcing the Texans to surrender in front of Velasco, Texas and Secretary of the Navy Samuel Rhoads Fisher
.
The final naval battle
of the war was fought on August 26, 1837, just as the Invincible and the Brutus were returning to Galveston after a successful cruise in which five Mexican vessels were captured along with the British brig Eliza Russell. The Vencedor del Alamo and Libertador chased the Invincible for a short time before she ran aground and was abandoned and the Brutus was wrecked and sank. Thus the last two rebel ships were destroyed and it wasn't until 1839 that the Texans would have a navy again.
Texas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
, from 1835 to 1837. Over the course of two years the Texans launched several operations in the Gulf of Mexico
Gulf of Mexico
The Gulf of Mexico is a partially landlocked ocean basin largely surrounded by the North American continent and the island of Cuba. It is bounded on the northeast, north and northwest by the Gulf Coast of the United States, on the southwest and south by Mexico, and on the southeast by Cuba. In...
which helped supply General
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
's army. Though General Houston defeated the Mexican Army
Mexican Army
The Mexican Army is the combined land and air branch and largest of the Mexican Military services; it also is known as the National Defense Army. It is famous for having been the first army to adopt and use an automatic rifle, , in 1899, and the first to issue automatic weapons as standard issue...
at the Battle of San Jacinto
Battle of San Jacinto
The Battle of San Jacinto, fought on April 21, 1836, in present-day Harris County, Texas, was the decisive battle of the Texas Revolution. Led by General Sam Houston, the Texian Army engaged and defeated General Antonio López de Santa Anna's Mexican forces in a fight that lasted just eighteen...
in April of 1836, armed conflict at sea continued into August of 1837 when the Texans lost their last two warships.
1835
During the naval campaign of the Texas RevolutionTexas Revolution
The Texas Revolution or Texas War of Independence was an armed conflict between Mexico and settlers in the Texas portion of the Mexican state Coahuila y Tejas. The war lasted from October 2, 1835 to April 21, 1836...
, the Texans had three objectives. The first was to defend their coastline from a sea-bourne Mexican invasion, the second being to escort rebel ships back and forth between Texas and the United States where the main source of volunteer soldiers and supplies was coming in from. The third objective was to inflict serious casualties on the Mexicans in the hopes of forcing them to recognize independence of Texas. Mexican naval forces had the mission of trying to blockade
Blockade
A blockade is an effort to cut off food, supplies, war material or communications from a particular area by force, either in part or totally. A blockade should not be confused with an embargo or sanctions, which are legal barriers to trade, and is distinct from a siege in that a blockade is usually...
the long Texas coast which was impossible for the few ships stationed in the region. Due to the shortage of ships, Mexico's blockade remained largely ineffective throughout the hostilities. This allowed the Texans to import much of their war materials by sea. The Texas Navy in 1835 was nonexistent, the only rebel naval forces were six privateer
Privateer
A privateer is a private person or ship authorized by a government by letters of marque to attack foreign shipping during wartime. Privateering was a way of mobilizing armed ships and sailors without having to spend public money or commit naval officers...
s authorized by the rebel government at the end of the year. However, in the first naval battle
San Felipe Incident (1835)
The San Felipe Incident was the first naval battle fought between Mexican and rebel forces during the Texas Revolution. On September 1, 1835, the American owned merchant ships San Felipe and Laura were crewed by Texans when they encountered the Mexican Navy warship Correo de Mejico and captured her...
of the war involving Texas, rebels boarded the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
owned ship San Felipe and the steamer Laura on September 1, 1835 and then proceeded in attacking and capturing the Mexican treasury vessel Correo de Mexico off Brazoria
Brazoria, Texas
Brazoria is a city of Brazoria County in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. As of the 2000 U.S. Census, the city population was 2,787.Brazoria was originally founded as a port for Stephen F...
, which was taken as a prize to New Orleans.
Other than the commissioning of privateers, the Texan government agreed to authorize the purchase of four schooner
Schooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
s on November 24, 1835 for use in defending territorial waters. The first of the ships acquired was the former Revenue Service
United States Revenue Cutter Service
The United States Revenue Cutter Service was established by Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton in 1790 as an armed maritime law enforcement service. Throughout its entire existence the Revenue Cutter Service operated under the authority of the United States Department of the Treasury...
ship USRC Ingham
USRC Ingham (1832)
The United States Revenue Cutter Ingham was one of the 13 Coast Guard cutters of the Morris-Taney class. Named for Secretary of the Treasury Samuel D...
which fought a battle
Ingham Incident
The Ingham Incident, or the Montezuma Affair, was a naval battle fought in 1835, and the first between Mexico and the United States. The warship Montezuma patrolled the coast of Texas to prevent the smuggling of contraband into the territory...
with Mexican naval forces on June 14, 1835 off Brazos Santiago. Ingham was a small six gun ship of 112 tons and she was renamed Independence
Texan schooner Independence
The Texan schooner Independence was one of the four schooners of the First Texas Navy . In 1836, Charles Hawkins, a veteran of the United States and Mexican navies, visited Texas Governor Henry Smith, seeking a commission in the new Texas Navy...
. The Independence became the flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
of the First Texas Navy and was under the command of Captain Charles E. Hawkins. The second schooner was the Brutus
Texan schooner Brutus
The Texan schooner Brutus was one of the four ships of the First Texas Navy that wreaked havoc on towns along the coast of Mexico, blockaded Mexican ports, and captured ships bound for Mexico with goods and munitions of war during the Texas Revolution.Her final, and most controversial, voyage was...
, she was nearly twice as large as the Independence and was placed under Captain William A. Hurd, the former commander of the privateer William Robisnon, which was also acquired for duty in the regular navy. The William Robinson was renamed Liberty
Texan schooner Liberty
The Texas schooner Liberty was one of the four schooners of the First Texas Navy . She served in the Texas Navy for only about 6 months, capturing the Mexican brig Pelicano loaded with weapons for their army in Texas. Later that year, she sailed to New Orleans accompanying the wounded Sam Houston,...
and put under the command of Captain W. S. Brown, whose brother, Captain Jeremiah Brown, commanded the forth schooner, named Invincible
Texan schooner Invincible
The Texas schooner Invincible was one of the four schooners of the First Texas Navy . She began her service in January, 1836 and immediately began attacking ships supplying the Mexican army in Texas, including capturing the United States merchant vessel Pocket and later the British ship Eliza...
. The next engagement after the Correo de Mexico affair occurred on December 19, 1835 when the William Robbins liberated the American merchant ship Hannah Elizabeth which had been captured by the Mexicans for carrying two cannons, allegedly intended for the rebels.
1836
Antonio López de Santa Anna
Antonio de Padua María Severino López de Santa Anna y Pérez de Lebrón , often known as Santa Anna or López de Santa Anna, known as "the Napoleon of the West," was a Mexican political leader, general, and president who greatly influenced early Mexican and Spanish politics and government...
's army in Texas. On March 3, Captain W. Brown in the Liberty was sailing to the Yucatan
Yucatán
Yucatán officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Yucatán is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 106 municipalities and its capital city is Mérida....
when he encountered the armed Mexican merchantman Pelican. In the ensuing battle the Texas captured the enemy ship while under fire from the fortress at Sisal
Sisal, Yucatán
Sisal is a seaport town in the municipality of Hunucmá in the state of Yucatán, Mexico. It was the principal port of Yucatán during the henequen boom, later overshadowed when the more modern port of Progreso was built to the east. It lent its name to the agave-derived sisal fiber which was shipped...
. The Pelican was then sent as a prize to Matagorda
Matagorda, Texas
Matagorda is an unincorporated community in Matagorda County, Texas, United States. It had a population of approximately 710 in 2000. Matagorda is at the end of State Highway 60 and beginning of Farm to Market Road 2031, which runs over the Intracoastal Waterway and south to the Gulf of Mexico...
but she ran aground on a sandbar off the port and was wrecked. Over 300 kegs of gunpowder and other military supplies was found on board the ship and it eventually was utilized by General Houston's army. Liberty captured the American brig
Brig
A brig is a sailing vessel with two square-rigged masts. During the Age of Sail, brigs were seen as fast and manoeuvrable and were used as both naval warships and merchant vessels. They were especially popular in the 18th and early 19th centuries...
Durango shortly thereafter and it too was found to be carrying Mexican Army supplies. Around the same time, Captain Jeremiah Brown in the Invincible took the American brig Pocket at the mouth of the Rio Grande
Rio Grande
The Rio Grande is a river that flows from southwestern Colorado in the United States to the Gulf of Mexico. Along the way it forms part of the Mexico – United States border. Its length varies as its course changes...
, she was carrying contraband
Contraband
The word contraband, reported in English since 1529, from Medieval French contrebande "a smuggling," denotes any item which, relating to its nature, is illegal to be possessed or sold....
as well but her owners informed the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
.
Subsequently, the American Commodore Alexander J. Dallas
Alexander J. Dallas (U.S. Navy officer)
Alexander James Dallas was an officer in the United States Navy....
arrested Captain Brown and his crew for piracy
Piracy
Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence at sea. The term can include acts committed on land, in the air, or in other major bodies of water or on a shore. It does not normally include crimes committed against persons traveling on the same vessel as the perpetrator...
when they sailed into New Orleans that May for provisioning. The charges were eventually dropped on the account that all of the seized American ships carried Mexican military stores but a civil suit remained in litigation for years afterward. Texan authorities took the time to purchase the Pocket and both the ship and her cargo were used against the Mexicans. On April 3, the Invincibe attacked the Mexican ship Montezuma off Matamoros
Matamoros
The name Matamoros, meaning Moor-killer or Moor-slayer in Spanish , may refer to:-People:*Mariano Matamoros, a liberal priest and insurgent active during the Mexican War of Independence*Santiago Matamoros The name Matamoros, meaning Moor-killer or Moor-slayer in Spanish (see Saint James the...
. Captain Brown ordered his men to open fire while the schooner maneuvered in circles around the Montezuma until she ran aground and sank. On April 11, the privateer Flash picked up the refugees and survivors of the Runaway Scrape
Runaway Scrape
The Runaway Scrape was the name given to the flight and subsequent hostilities that occurred, as Texan, Tejano, and American settlers and militia encountered the pursuing Mexican army in early 1836....
at Morgan's Point, including members of President David G. Burnet
David G. Burnet
David Gouverneur Burnet was an early politician within the Republic of Texas, serving as interim President of Texas , second Vice President of the Republic of Texas , and Secretary of State for the new state of Texas after it was annexed to the United States of America.Burnet was born in Newark,...
's family. The next significant event of the conflict, which had an effect on the naval campaign, was the Battle of San Jacinto on April 21, 1836. In it, General Houston led an attack on the Mexican Army and routed them, capturing General Santa Anna in the process who was then forced to sign a treaty recognizing the independence of Texas. The fighting on land was over at that point but because the Mexican government never ratified the Treaty of Velasco, the naval campaign continued on for another year.
After San Jacinto the Invincible was used to deliver the news of victory to President Burnet and the Liberty escorted the ship Flora to New Orleans. The Flora was an unarmed vessel carrying the wounded General Houston who needed better medical attention than what he could receive in Texas. During the stay in New Orleans, the American navy seized the Liberty on May 22 and sold her as compensation for unpaid bills. On June 3, twenty Texas Rangers
Texas Ranger Division
The Texas Ranger Division, commonly called the Texas Rangers, is a law enforcement agency with statewide jurisdiction in Texas, and is based in Austin, Texas...
under Major
Major
Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
Isaac Burton joined in the naval operations when they boarded and took over three American ships near Corpus Christi
Corpus Christi, Texas
Corpus Christi is a coastal city in the South Texas region of the U.S. state of Texas. The county seat of Nueces County, it also extends into Aransas, Kleberg, and San Patricio counties. The MSA population in 2008 was 416,376. The population was 305,215 at the 2010 census making it the...
. All three were carrying war materials and they were condemned by the admiralty
Admiralty
The Admiralty was formerly the authority in the Kingdom of England, and later in the United Kingdom, responsible for the command of the Royal Navy...
court in Velasco
Velasco, Texas
Velasco was a town in Texas, United States, that was later annexed by the city of Freeport. Founded in 1831, Velasco is situated on the east side of the Brazos River in southeast Texas. It is sixteen miles south of Angleton, Texas, and four miles from the Gulf of Mexico.The town's early history is...
.
1837
Sloop-of-war
In the 18th and most of the 19th centuries, a sloop-of-war was a warship with a single gun deck that carried up to eighteen guns. As the rating system covered all vessels with 20 guns and above, this meant that the term sloop-of-war actually encompassed all the unrated combat vessels including the...
USS Natchez
USS Natchez (1827)
The first USS Natchez was a sloop-of-war in the United States Navy.Natchez was built by Norfolk Navy Yard in 1827, commanded by Commander George Budd, departed Hampton Roads on 26 July 1827 for the Caribbean...
. On April 16, 1837, the Natchez was involved in a combat incident with Mexican ships off the Rio Grande. In the battle the Americans captured the Mexican brig General Urrea and liberated the merchantman Climax, all while under cannon fire from the two brigs General Teran and General Bravo, as well as a Mexican fort. The American commander, Captain William Mervine
William Mervine
William Mervine was a Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, whose career included service in the War of 1812, the Mexican-American War and the American Civil War.-Biography:...
, was later found to have exceeded his authority in taking a Mexican warship so he was forced to apologize to the Mexicans and release the General Urrea. While the Independence and the Liberty were conducting their missions, the other three Texan warships, Invincible, Brutus and Pocket, were directed to blockade Matamoros until September when they sailed for New Orleans and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
for repairs. These three ships remained in American waters for the rest of the year and finally returned to the war zone in the spring of 1837, by which time the Mexican Navy had sent three brigs and two schooners to blockade Galveston
Galveston, Texas
Galveston is a coastal city located on Galveston Island in the U.S. state of Texas. , the city had a total population of 47,743 within an area of...
. On April 17, the Independence engaged the Mexican brigs Vencedor del Alamo and Libertador while she was entering the Brazos River
Brazos River
The Brazos River, called the Rio de los Brazos de Dios by early Spanish explorers , is the longest river in Texas and the 11th longest river in the United States at from its source at the head of Blackwater Draw, Curry County, New Mexico to its mouth at the Gulf of Mexico with a drainage...
. Captain George W. Wheelwright knew he was outgunned so he fled up the river and the Mexicans followed for five hours before finally forcing the Texans to surrender in front of Velasco, Texas and Secretary of the Navy Samuel Rhoads Fisher
Samuel Rhoads Fisher
Samuel Rhoads Fisher was the secretary of the Navy of the Republic of Texas.He was born in Pennsylvania on December 31, 1794 and settled in Texas in 1830 with his wife and four children as a member of Austin's Third Colony. He represented Matagorda Municipality in the Convention of 1836 at...
.
The final naval battle
Battle of Galveston Harbor (1837)
The Battle of Galveston Harbor, or the Battle of Galveston Bay was a naval engagement between the Republic of Texas and Mexico in Galveston Harbor on August 26, 1837. After the end of the Texas Revolution in 1836, Mexico and the newly-declared Republic of Texas sporadically fought at sea...
of the war was fought on August 26, 1837, just as the Invincible and the Brutus were returning to Galveston after a successful cruise in which five Mexican vessels were captured along with the British brig Eliza Russell. The Vencedor del Alamo and Libertador chased the Invincible for a short time before she ran aground and was abandoned and the Brutus was wrecked and sank. Thus the last two rebel ships were destroyed and it wasn't until 1839 that the Texans would have a navy again.
See Also
- Naval Battle of CampecheNaval Battle of CampecheThe Naval Battle of Campeche took place on April 30, 1843 and May 16, 1843. The battle featured the most advanced warships of its day, including the Mexican steamer Guadalupe and the equally formidable Moctezuma which engaged a squadron of vessels from the Republic of Yucatan and the Republic of...
- Naval battles of the American Civil WarNaval battles of the American Civil WarThe naval engagements of the American Civil War changed the foundations of naval warfare due to the first-time use of ironclads and submarines, and the introduction of newer and more powerful naval artillery....
- Naval operations in the American Revolutionary WarNaval operations in the American Revolutionary WarThe naval operations of the American Revolutionary War , divide themselves naturally into two periods...
- Naval operations of the Mexican Drug War
- Crawford AffairCrawford AffairThe Crawford Affair was a battle fought between Mexico and the United States in January of 1886 during the Geronimo Campaign. Captain Emmet Crawford was commanding a company of Apache scouts, sixty miles southeast of Nacori Chico in Sonora, when his camp was attacked by Mexican Army militiamen...