8. Texas in the Civil War: Part C (April 1, 1862-December 31, 1862)
Selected Texas History Primary Source Documents
(Back to Civil War Table of Contents)
Important Notes
1. These links, almost without exception, are to documents having to do with events and movements (mostly of a military character) which occurred (or at least meant to occur) within the boundaries of the state of Texas. Persons interested in documents having to do with the participation of Texans in various battles and campaigns beyond Texas can consult works found in the first Civil War list at this site, especially The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies (plus the same for the navies) and Battles and Leaders of the Civil War.
2. How to cite most of the documents in this list.
Most of the documents in this list are from the two multi-volume collections listed just below this paragraph. Those collections are at Cornell University's "Making of America" website. At a specific document page, most browsers will display the phrases "Cornell University Library" and "Cornell Making of America" near the top of the page. (If not, use the scroll bar to the right of the "next page" icon to reveal these phrases.) To determine the exact location of a document in either of the War Department or Navy Department series (i.e., series, volume, and part), go to the drop-down "Go To:" menu on the right and choose "Title Page." Please cite both the data having to do with the War Department or the Navy Department series and Cornell University's "Making of America" website. Please do not cite "Lone Star History Links."
United States. War Department. The War of the Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies. 70 vols. in 128. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1880-1901.
United States. Navy Department. Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion. 30 vols. Washington: Government Printing Office, 1894-1922.
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Suggestion: One might also find it useful to consult the list of documents and collections of documents at List 2 , "Texas in the Nineteenth Century: General."
Sam Houston to Wm. [Williamson] S. Oldham, April 5, 1862. Former Governor Houston writes to Oldham, Confederate senator from Texas, asking for help in obtaining a lieutenancy for his son, Sam. Expresses gratification for Oldham's election to the senate. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Minerva Bone to R. D. Bone, April 6, 1862. Nacogdoches County resident writes to her physician husband, serving with a Confederate army regiment in Austin County. Expresses disgust with local Nacogdoches County women who want all men in the area to go into Confederate military service. Link to document
Minerva Bone to R. D. Bone, April 13, 1862. Nacogdoches County resident writes to her husband that it "is so lonesome and desolate here and is growing worse all the time I am a fraid [sic]." Details. [Only p. 1 of the document is displayed.] Link to document
R. D. Bone to Minerva Bone, April 13, 1862. Physician from Nacogdoches County writes to his wife from Camp Young [location not specified but somewhere in eastern Texas] that his regiment is breaking up. Some are enlisting for the duration of the war. Others are going home. [Click on A9B1F23D13 Apr1862p1" to access this document.] Link to access page
W. W. Frizzell to John H. Reagan, May 15, 1862. The author writes from Cherokee County to the Confederate postmaster general that a renegade force of Texans, claiming to be Confederate soldiers under the command of a Colonel Carter, is going through the countryside, plundering private property. Asks that the Confederate government put a stop to this. Details. Link to document
R. D. Bone to Minerva Bone, June 8, 1862. Physician from Nacogdoches County writes from Camp Young [in eastern or southeastern Texas] that he has been ordered to Tyler. Many men in camp are ill. Hospital provisions are scarce. The soldiers are demoralized. "Wickedness abounds . . . ." [Click on "A9B1F25D8Jun1862p1"for this document.] Link to access page
John A. McClerndon to Abraham Lincoln, June 20, 1862. The general asks for an independent command to include Texas. "You will want a man and a force on the Rio Grande to meet eventualities." Link to document
Francis P. Blair Jr. to Edwin M. Stanton, July 14, 1862. [Long, somewhat difficult to read autograph letter.] Author, a Missouri politician, urges on the Union secretary of war the importance of launching a military expedition to restore Texas to the United States. Gives various reasons. [To access this document, click on "Link to access page," then scroll down and click on "Francis P. Blair Jr. to Edwin M. Stanton, Monday, July 14, 1862."] Link to access page
Truman Smith to Abraham Lincoln, July 19, 1862. Says that, as he sees it, next to reinforcing the Army of the Potomac and prosecuting the war in Virginia, "a demonstration on Texas" is the most important military priority for the Union. Comments on possible outcomes. Link to document
F. W. Powell to Abraham Lincoln, August 4, 1862. Unidentified man writes to the U.S. president from Delaware, Ohio, recommending that Texas be excluded from the United States. This will result in large numbers of slaveowners moving out of the restored Union at war's end into an independent Texas. [To access this document, click on "Link to search page," then type "F. W. Powell." Then click on the "Search" button. Then choose the document.] Link to search page
R. H. Williams and John W. Sansom. The Massacre on the Nueces River; the Story of a Civil War Tragedy as Related by R. H. Williams and John W. Sansom, Both of Whom Participated in the Battle, Williams on the Confederate Side and Sansom with the Unionists. Event occurred August 10, 1862. Both accounts were probably written near the beginning of the twentieth century. Accounts of the Battle of the Nueces, in which many German-Texan Unionists from Gillespie County died at the hands of militiamen from San Antonio while attempting to reach Mexico. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
D. H. Farr to Francis Lubbock, August 14, 1862. Private in "Captain Davises [sic] company" asks Texas Governor Lubbock to give an order to the company's quartermaster for "breadstuff" for the soldiers' families, etc. Link to document
Franklin Barlow Sexton. Diary, 1862-1863. [Relevant entry: August 23, 1862.] Author was a member of the Confederate Congress, representing a district in eastern Texas. The entry recounts statements made in a session of Congress about the recently passed conscription law. Sexton states that Texan congressman Claiborne Herbert had stated that Texans, including himself, disapproved of the law and that he was advising the state to reassume independence over the issue. Sexton states that he and another Texas congressman, M. D. Graham, disagreed completely with Herbert's statements and behavior. [Scroll down to the entry.] Link to document
R. D. Bone to Minerva Bone, August 24, 1862. Physician from Nacogdoches County writes to his wife from Confederate army camp near Washington, Arkansas. Is tired from the arduous march from Tyler. There was much sickness in camp there. Asks that his wife obtain and send specific items of clothing and some shoes for him and the men. Link to document
R. D. Bone to Minerva Bone, September 2, 1862. Physician from Nacogdoches County writes to his wife that he has learned that the new Confederate conscription law will allow his wife's father to remain in Texas and fight there, should the state be invaded. Link to document
Minerva Bone to R. D. Bone, September 7, 1862. Nacogdoches County resident writes to her husband, who is with Confederate troops in Arkansas that she is sending the clothes he requested. Expresses how much she misses him [a theme in most of her correspondence that year. [Click on "A9B1F30D7Sep1862p1" for this document.] Link to access page
H. French to L. Pierce, September 12, 1862. Union naval captain writes to U.S. consul at Matamoros that he has interviewed the Mexican customs officer there. The official claims that all cotton coming across the Rio Grande is being bought by Mexicans for Mexican use and that all arms being shipped into Matamoros are for Mexican military use. [French seems to doubt this and to wants the consul to provide proof.] [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Jefferson Davis to F. R. Lubbock, C. F. Jackson, T. O. Moore, and H. M. Rector, September 12, 1862. Confederate President Davis writes to the governors of the Trans-Mississippi states in answer to a communication from them [not found]. Says that urgent military needs in the East have delayed properly organizing the Trans-Mississippi Department of the army. A commanding general and other general officers are now being sent there. Large funds have been sent, etc. Details. Appreciates their loyalty to the cause and solicits their ideas and information from their states. Link to document
L. Pierce, Jr. to H. French, September 16, 1862. U.S. consul at Matamoros writes to a Union naval captain that he is sure that the Mexican customs officer there "is giving much aid to the rebels through the influence of his office." Not one cotton bale in ten a week remains in Mexico. The only way to stop this (almost entirely illegal) trade is to occupy Fort Brown with a small force. Link to document
H. French to D. G. Farragut, September 18, 1862. Naval officer writes the commander of the western blockading squadron from a ship from just off the mouth of the Rio Grande about the Confederates sending hundreds of bales of cotton over the river at Brownsville to Matamoros and then into the Gulf in foreign ships, thus avoiding the Union naval blockade. Makes suggestions for dealing with the situation. Says that there are many Texas Unionist refugees in Matamoros. [Scroll down to the document, which continues onto the third page.] Link to document
[D. G. Farragut] to W. B. Renshaw, September 19, 1862. Commander of the western blockading squadron orders Captain Renshaw to sail to Texas, then proceed along the coast and, where possible, "enter the sounds and destroy the temporary defenses." Galveston will probably be the port he will be able to enter. Link to document
W. W. Walker. "Report . . . , giving notes and observation upon Galveston and coast adjacent," [probably September 1862.] Union naval ship commander gives estimates of Confederate military strength all along the coast from Galveston/Houston to Brownsville. States why it is very important for the Union to take control of the Rio Grande Valley. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Abraham Lincoln. Emancipation Proclamation [preliminary], September 22, 1862. As of January 1, 1863, all slaves in areas held to be in rebellion against the United States, "shall be then, thenceforward, and forever, free." Details and qualifications. [All of Texas is included.] [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
X. B. Debray to C. M. Mason, September 25, 1862. Confederate commander of a brigade writes to another Confederate army officer from Houston that he has learned that one Federal gunboat and three or four transports had entered Sabine Pass. Has ordered troops to move toward the pass. [An addition to the communication later that morning indicates his understanding that the purpose was to try to destroy the fort there and that the enemy had withdrawn.] Link to document
A. W. Spaight to R. M. Franklin, September 26, 1862. Confederate commander at Sabine Pass writes to another Confederate army officer, reporting that two sailing vessels of the enemy passed the bar on the 24th and began shelling the fort. Spaight evacuated the fort on the 25th [for Beaumont]. Understands that some of the enemy has come ashore [on the 26th]. Details. Link to document
X. B. Debray to C. M. Mason, September 28, 1862. Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas writes to a fellow officer that there has been no permanent Union naval landing at Sabine Pass and none likely because of yellow fever there. Details about Confederate troop deployment in the area. Link to document
John A. McClernand to Abraham Lincoln, September 28, 1862. Union major general writes to the U.S. president, asserting that the capture of Galveston would lead to controlling 300 miles of railroads that were concentrated upon nearby Houston. Urges that the main thrust should be an invasion through Indianola and on to Austin. This, plus a possible uprising of loyalists in northeastern Texas might well result in Union control of the entire state. Link to document
Lewis W. Pennington to William B. Renshaw, September 29, 1862. Union naval ship master writes to his commander in the Sabine Pass area, reporting on the expedition to the pass, beginning September 19. Link to document
A. W. Spaight to R. M. Franklin, September 29, 1862. Confederate commander at Sabine Pass writes to another Confederate army officer, reporting an unsuccessful enemy effort to burn a railroad bridge over Taylor's Bayou above Sabine Pass. The federals are still in the Sabine Pass and Sabine Lake area. Details. Mentions "the unreliable character of a portion of the population in the vicinity of the Pass." Link to document
J. Y. Dashiell to P. O. Hebert, October 1, 1862. Adjutant and inspector-general for the state of Texas reports to the Confederate army commander in Texas on behalf of Governor Lubbock, about the organization, strength, and deployment of the Frontier Regiment, Texas State Troops. Asks again that the regiment be taken into Confederate service with stipulations that it not be sent beyond the state and that it will always be subject to state authorities for frontier service. Asks that the Confederate government repay the state for fitting out and supporting the regiment. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
H. H. Sibley to George W. Randolph, October 1, 1862. Confederate commander at Marshall, Texas, replies to a communication from the Confederate secretary of war. Has asked General Hebert, commanding the Department of Texas, to inform him if Texas is in imminent danger of invasion. If not, he will march his brigade to New Iberia, Louisiana, to reinforce General Richard Taylor. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
X. B. Debray to Samuel Boyer Davis, October 1, 1862. The writer, Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas, has learned that fifty Federals in two launches had penetrated Taylor's Bayou in Jefferson County and unsuccessfully tried to destroy the railroad bridge across it. Is increasing defenses in both Jefferson and Orange counties. Must protect against invasion via Niblett's Bluff, Louisiana, [opposite Orange County], but doesn't have the men and is, besides, outside his jurisdiction. "The yellow fever is reported at Matagorda." Link to document
Aaron L. Reid and others to A. J. Hamilton, October 1, 1862. The signatories, probably all of which are residents of the New York City area, invite former Texas Congressman Hamilton to speak to an audience the following night at the Academy of Music in Brooklyn. [The Internet collection of which this document is a part is the University of Michigan's "Making of America" website.] Link to document
A J. Hamilton. Speech at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, October 2, 1862. The author, a Unionist, had been a member of Congress from Texas. His subject: "The Cause, the Consequences, and the Cure of the Rebellion." Refers to Texas three times in the latter part of the address. [The Internet collection of which this document is a part is the University of Michigan's "Making of America" website.] [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
A. W. Spaight to R. M. Franklin, October 2, 1862. Confederate commander at Sabine Pass writes to another Confederate army officer, reporting the enemy's burning of a railroad depot near Taylor's Bayou in southern Jefferson County. Asks for artillery to stave off enemy penetration in force from the Sabine Pass area. Link to document
Frederick Crocker to D. G. Farragut, October 2, 1862. Commander of the U.S.S. Kensington reports to the commander of the western blockading squadron the complete success in the Sabine Pass expedition a few days past. The town is in Federal possession. Details. Some of his men had gone up Taylor's Bayou and completely destroyed a railroad bridge. [See Debray to Davis, October 1, 1862.] If he can obtain additional steamers, he plans to go to Beaumont and destroy a railroad bridge therem which will "stop all communication between eastern and western Texas." [Scroll down to the document, which continues onto the third page.] Link to document
A. J. Hamilton. Speech at Cooper Union, New York City, October 4, 1862. Unionist and former congressman from Texas's subject: "the causes and objects of the Rebellion." [The Internet collection of which this document is a part is the University of Michigan's "Making of America" website.] Link to document
Quincy A. Hooper to D. G. Farragut, October 5, 1862. Report to the commander of the western blockading squadron on the Federal expedition to Sabine Pass a few days past by the commander of one of the ships. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
X. B. Debray to Joseph Cook, October 5, 1862. Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas orders the commander at Galveston not to resist the enemy, as the artillery on board his ships in the harbor will destroy the property of its residents. He is to move what usable material he can and then evacuate his force to Virginia Point on the mainland. Details about civilian situation on the island. Link to document
X. B. Debray to T. S. Moise, October 5, 1862. Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas writes to another Confederate army officer from his location at Virginia Point [on the mainland opposite Galveston] that Galveston cannot be defended. Confederate forces are evacuating, as are many residents. Enemy has given those who wish to leave four days to do so. Details. Link to document
W. B. Renshaw to [D. G.] Farragut, October 5, 1862. Fairly brief report by the commander of the Union naval expedition to the commander of the western blockading squadron (Union) of the capture of Galveston. [Scroll down to the document, which continues onto the next page.] Link to document
W. B. Renshaw to [D. G.] Farragut, October 5, 1862. Detailed report by the commander of the Union naval expedition to the commander of the western blockading squadron (Union) of the capture of Galveston by the commander of the Union naval expedition plus information about what has happened there since the capture. Appeals for troops with which to hold the island. Link to document
P. O. Hebert to George W. Randolph, October 8, 1862. Confederate army commander in Texas reports to the Confederate secretary of war that he has received a copy of W. W. Frizzell's communication of May 15, about outrages committed by Col. Carter's brigade in eastern Texas. Has ordered Carter to investigate. Unfortunately, Hebert cannot control independent corps operating in Texas but reporting to a superior officer outside the Department of Texas. Details. [It may be necessary to scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Samuel Boyer Davis to X. B. Debray, October 8, 1862. General P. O. Hebert' has received Debray's report on the Union attack on Galveston. [Debray was the Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas.] If the defenders are forced to evacuate the island, Hebert orders that he dispose his troops in such a way as to repel any enemy effort to move to the mainland. Link to document
Joseph J. Cook to R. M. Franklin, October 9, 1862. Detailed report about the Union naval capture of Galveston a few days previously by the Confederate officer in command there at the time. [Scroll down to the document, which continues onto the third page.] Link to document
D. G. Farragut to Gideon Welles, October 9, 1862. Commander of the western blockading squadron writes to the U.S. secretary of the navy, enclosing correspondence indicating the necessity of taking Fort Brown [Brownsville] as soon as possible. Will took to it when the sickly season is passed and when there are sufficient troops to hold it. Link to document
Jno. Withers. Special Orders, No. 237, October 10, 1862. By order of the secretary of war, CSA, Major-General J. B. Magruder is appointed commander of the Texas district to replace Brigadier-General P. O. Hebert. He will report to Major-General [Theophilus] Holmes, commanding the Trans-Mississippi Department. Link to document
New York City National War Committee to Abraham Lincoln, October 10, 1862. Petitioners urge on the president the necessity to send a military force to Texas to restore it to Federal control. Various reasons presented. [To access this document, click on "Link to Search page," then type "New York National War Committee" in the search field. Then click on the "Search" button. Then click on the document.] Link to search page
X. B. Debray to S. B. Davis, October 12, 1862. Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas writes to another Confederate officer that most residents have left Galveston. He has increased the defenses at Virginia Point. Details. Yellow fever has broken out at Houston. Governor Lubbock has arrived there. He ratifies Debray's order cutting off intercourse with Galveston. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Joseph J. Cook to X. B. Debray, October 13, 1862. Confederate officer at Virginia Point opposite Galveston reports to the Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas that scouts have brought word from Galveston that Union naval Captain Renshaw plans to destroy the bridge to Virginia Point that week and has sent for troops to hold Galveston. Link to document
David G. Farragut to Gideon Welles, October 13, 1863. Commander of the western blockading squadron reports to the Union secretary of the navy that a Texas Unionist, just arrived in London from Matamoros, claims that over 7,000 bales of Texas cotton have been shipped from Matamoros and that "small sailing vessels often arrive there with contraband of war for the insurgents." [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
[D. G. Farragut] to Benjamin F. Butler, October 14, 1862. Commander of the western blockading squadron writes to the Union army commander at New Orleans, announcing the capture of Galveston. Asks for a sufficient force to hold it. Explains why the bridge to the mainland was not destroyed. Sabine Pass and Corpus Christi are also in Federal possession. Link to document
D. G. Farragut to W. B. Renshaw, October 14, 1862. Commander of the western blockading squadron congratulates naval officer on the capture of Galveston. Responds to various statements that Renshaw made in his correspondence of October 8. Doubts he can get him the troops he requested. Has told the secretary of the navy that the Union navy could "take the whole coast if I only had a few troops to hold it." Link to document
P. O. Hebert to James Deshler, October 15, 1862. Confederate commander in Texas reports to the headquarters of the Trans-Mississippi Department in Little Rock concerning the Union naval capture of Galveston beginning on October 4. No land troops yet. Explains how it happened. Union deserters say the Union squadron commander intends "to scour and ravage the whole coast of Texas." Will try to prevent enemy penetration into the interior but does not have a sufficient force to prevent a formidable invasion. Link to document
D. G. Farragut to Gideon Welles, October 15, 1862. Commander of the western blockading squadron reports to the Union secretary of the navy that Galveston, Corpus Christi, and Sabine City are now in Union hands. Details, including that Galveston was taken without any losses. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
X. B. Debray to Samuel Boyer Davis, October 16, 1862. Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas writes to the assistant adjutant general to the Confederate army commander in Texas [General P. O. Hebert] in San Antonio that Governor Francis Lubbock has informed him of the order rescinding martial law in Texas, which Debray "and our good citizens regret very much." Debray plans to carry out martial law between Houston and Fort Hebert at Virginia Point. Must guard "against spies and the desertion of citizens and negroes to the enemy." Lubbock wants martial law all along the Texas coast. More details. [Document continues onto the next page.] Link to document
X. B. Debray to Samuel Boyer Davis, October 19, 1863. Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas writes to the assistant adjutant general to the Confederate army commander in Texas [General P. O. Hebert] in San Antonio that the delay of the enemy in attacking [the mainland from Galveston Island] perplexes him. Is he waiting for land reinforcements? Mentions various scenarios for enemy action. States that the Galveston News, on October 18, has an account of a conflict between some Confederate troops there and some local citizens, resulting in one death. Is investigating. Link to document
X. B. Debray to Samuel Boyer Davis, October 20, 1862. Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas writes to the assistant adjutant general to the Confederate army commander in Texas [General P. O. Hebert] in San Antonio that he is asking the chief justices of coastal counties to urge upon their citizens "the necessity of exerting themselves for their own protection" and is asking Governor Lubbock to issue a proclamation to the same effect. Now that the enemy controls the Calcasieu River in Louisiana, "he may, without difficulty" send an expedition against Orange via Niblett's Bluff on the Louisiana side of the Sabine. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Frederick Crocker to D. G. Farragut, October 24, 1862. Union naval officer reports to the commander of the Western blockading squadron concerning a Union naval expedition to destroy a large railroad bridge over Taylor's Bayou, the previous effort having failed. Was successful this time. Details. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
[See James G. Taylor to D. G. Farragut, January 15, 1863, for criticism of Captain Crocker's leadership in the expedition to Sabine Pass, etc.]
H. B. Cleveland to D. D. Shea, October 26, 1862. Author writes to a Confederate army officer that he and two others went on board an enemy ship docked at a wharf at Indianola that day. The captain said that he had come to take possession of all of the towns on the bay. He already controlled Indianola. Details about treating with civilians. Link to document
D. G. Farragut to Benjamin F. Butler, October 28, 1862. Commander of the western blockading squadron writes to the Union army commander of the Department of the Gulf at New Orleans, stating that Captain [William. B.] Renshaw reports "that there is more Union feeling in Galveston than in any place he has been out there." But the people want assurance of government support. Mentions troop need again. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
D. G. Farragut to William B. Renshaw, October 28, 1862. Commander of the western blockading squadron writes to Renshaw, addressing him as "Commanding U.S. Forces, Coast of Texas." Says that "General Butler has promised to send a regiment in a short time." Link to document
Benjamin F. Butler to the U.S. consul at Matamoros, Mexico, October 30, 1862. Union army commander of the Department of the Gulf at New Orleans states that he intends sending a ship soon to Matamoros to take off Texas Unionist refugees willing to enlist in a Texas regiment that he is organizing. Hopes to send the regiment to Galveston. Asks the help of the consul in gathering the refugees. Link to document
George E. Conklin to E. F. Gray, November 1, 1862. Major Daniel D. Shea has instructed him to transmit to the headquarters of the district this report on the Union naval bombardment of Lavaca on October 31 and its successful repulse. [Document continues onto the next page.] Link to document
A. W. Spaight to R. M. Franklin, November 3, 1862. Confederate commander at Beaumont reports the successful repulse of a Union attack on Sabine Pass. [Scroll down to the document, which is continued onto the next page.] Link to document
Samuel Boyer Davis to X. B. Debray, November 3, 1862. The assistant adjutant general to the Confederate army commander in Texas [General P. O. Hebert] in San Antonio writes to the Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas that General Hebert has determined that Virginia Point [opposite Galveston Island] is now untenable, as there is insufficient troop strength there. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Samuel Boyer Davis to X. B. Debray, November 3, 1862. The assistant adjutant general to the Confederate army commander in Texas [General P. O. Hebert] in San Antonio writes to the Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas that General Hebert has determined that, should there be an attack on Debray's communications with Houston, Debray is to evacuate Virginia Point and retreat to Simmes' Bayou below Houston. Must try to keep the enemy from penetrating the interior of Texas. Link to document
X. B. Debray to Samuel Boyer Davis, November 6, 1862. Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas writes to the assistant adjutant general to the Confederate army commander in Texas [General P. O. Hebert] in San Antonio that he has learned that Sibley's brigade and Baylor's command will not be sent out of the state after all. If he could have some of those troops, he could not only hold Virginia Point but recapture Galveston. Details about his plan and situation. Link to document
Abraham Lincoln to William H. Seward, November 8, 1862. U.S. president writes to his secretary of state, agreeing to meet former congressman A. J. Hamilton of Texas. [Hamilton had requested the meeting. They had evidently not met before. This meeting led to Hamilton's appointment as Union military governor of Texas.] [The Internet collection of which this document is a part is the University of Michigan's "Making of America" website.] Link to document
P. O. Hebert to F. R. Lubbock, November 8, 1862. The Confederate commander in Texas writes to the Texas governor. As Texas is threatened with invasion and the regular troops have been ordered "to other fields of action," he asks the governor to recruit at least 5,000 militia to defend the state. Details. Link to document
Samuel Boyer Davis to J. Y. Dashiell, November 8, 1862. Writing on behalf of General Hebert, Davis states that the general will accept the Texas Frontier Regiment into Confederate service, subject to several stipulations, including that it "must be tendered without restrictions as to service or command." Link to document
Samuel Boyer Davis. Special Orders, No. 26, November 8, 1862. General P. O. Hebert, Confederate army commander in Texas, assigns John R. Baylor to command the northern and Indian frontiers of Texas. He is authorized to employ two or three companies of Chickasaws or Choctaws as spies. More details. [Scroll down to the document, which continues onto the next page.] Link to document
H. W. Halleck to N. P. Banks, November 9, 1862. U.S. army chief of staff writes that President Lincoln has assigned General Banks to replace General Benjamin Butler as commander of the Department of the Gulf [which included Texas]. Banks is to proceed to New Orleans, the department's headquarters, immediately. Once the Mississippi has been opened, Banks should consider a campaign up the Red River into northwestern Louisiana. Once the river is in Union hands, "it would form the best base for operations in Texas." Link to document
Benjamin F. Butler to ______ Pierce, November 12, 1862. Union commander of the Department of the Gulf proposes to send the First Regiment of Texas Volunteers and other troops to Galveston. Will arrange with the regiment's commander, Colonel [E. J.] Davis and Admiral Farragut to help bring Texas Unionist refugees who want to participate from Texas and Mexico. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
D. G. Farragut to William B. Renshaw, November 13, 1862. Commander of the western blockading squadron writes to the naval officer commanding in the Galveston area, reporting that General Benjamin Butler, commander of the Department of the Gulf, says that he will soon send down a regiment to Galveston. Also, Colonel E. J. Davis is raising a regiment of Texan refugees go to Galveston. There are Texas Unionists at Matamoros that Farragut hopes to transport to Galveston as well. Link to document
Francis Lubbock to Jefferson Davis, November 13, 1862. Original draft of letter. The Texas governor understands that the Confederate president will not at present require more Texans to serve beyond the state. Many fear that Texas will be invaded from the west. Asks for arms from the Confederate government. Also asks that the enforcement of the Confederate Congress' new conscription law be suspended within Texas. Explains why. Link to document
G. W. Randolph to Simeon Hart, November 14, 1862. The Confederate secretary of war writes to an El Paso merchant that his department wants to have an agent in Texas to purchase army supplies from Mexico. He has chosen Hart for that duty. Will probably pay for the supplies with cotton. Details. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Edwin M. Stanton to [A. J.] Hamilton, November 14, 1862. Union secretary of war sends former congressman Hamilton a written commission that spells out his duties and powers as military governor of Texas. General N. P. Banks will lend support as will the war department. The purpose of this appointment "is to re-establish the authority of the Federal Government in the State of Texas," etc. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Edwin M. Stanton. Orders, November 14, 1862. Union secretary of war authorizes Brigadier-General [A. J.] Hamilton, military governor of Texas, to recruit two regiments of Texas volunteers to be under his command. Details. Link to document
Edwin M. Stanton to N. P. Banks, November 14, 1862. Union secretary of war provides a letter of introduction for A. J. Hamilton as the military governor of Texas. President Lincoln "expects cordial co-operation" between the two "for the restoration of the authority of the Federal Government" in the state. Hamilton is ""to re-establish and maintain, under military form, the functions of civil government until the loyal inhabitants of Texas shall be able to assert their constitutional rights and privileges." More details. Link to document
D. G. Farragut to Frederick Crocker, November 15, 1862. Commander of the western blockading squadron orders Crocker, a naval officer, to sail to Galveston with supplies for the Union ships there, then sail to Matamoros to pick up about a hundred refugees to bring to Galveston. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
H. P. Bee to Samuel Boyer Davis, November 15, 1862. Confederate commander at Brownsville forwards to General P. O. Hebert's assistant adjutant general a report from Major [Daniel D.] Shea about the Union naval bombardment of Lavaca on October 31 and its successful repulse. Bee calls the attack barbaric and atrocious. Explains why. Link to document
P. W. Gray to Jefferson Davis, November 20, 1862. Congressman Gray has just returned to his home in Houston. Writes to the Confederate president about conditions in Texas. Is glad that General Magruder has replaced General Hebert as military commander. Explains why in detail. He believes that the enemy will send a large expedition against Texas during the coming winter. Link to document
D. G. Farragut to H. H. Bell, November 24, 1862. The commander of the western blockading squadron Orders naval officer to take supplies to Galveston and Matagorda and then sail on to the mouth of the Rio Grande. Is surprised to hear from naval Captain William Renshaw that he is afraid of being driven out of Galveston. Renshaw has asked for artillery. "Thus you see there is little use in our taking places without troops to hold them. As yet I have not been able to get any from General Butler." Link to document
X. B. Debray to Salmuel Boyer Davis, November 25, 1862. Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas writes to the assistant adjutant general to the Confederate army commander in Texas [General P. O. Hebert] in San Antonio of the capture of a party of Union naval sailors on Matagorda Island, along with some arms and ammunition. Link to document
X. B. Debray to H. P. Bee, November 25, 1862. Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas writes to the Confederate commander at Brownsville, Expressing frustration with General Hebert with respect to conflicting and unclear communications about evacuating Virginia Point. Will carry out any clear order but is concerned that if there are many more retreats "our people" will "give up hope and yield to apathy." Link to document
Samuel Boyer Davis. General Orders, No. 9, November 27, 1862. By order of Brigadier-General Hebert, Brigadier-General H. P. Bee is placed in temporary command of the District of Texas, pending the arrival of Major General J. B. Magruder. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
John D. Dillingham to D. G. Farragut, November 28, 1862. Naval officer writes from off Velasco to the commander of the Westeren Blockading Squadron that the previous day a landing party destroyed a "salt manufactory" and several tons of salt" at Cedar lake. On this day, another party went ashore to destroy some fortification. Was attacked. Casualties. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
A. J. Bell to J. P. Flewellen, November 28, 1862. The enrolling officer in Austin County writes to the Confederate conscripts superintendent in the state, reporting stubborn resistance among the German settlers to conscription. Says that a force of Confederate troops is needed to bring them into military service. Cannot rely on the militias as "nearly all sympathize with them." Details about the resistance. Link to document
A. G. Dickinson. General Orders, No. 1, November 29, 1862. Major-General J. B. Magruder hereby assumes command of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, with headquarters at Houston. Details. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
H. P. Bee to S. S. Anderson, November 30, 1862. Confederate commander in the lower Rio Grande Valley writes from San Antonio to the headquarters of the Trans-Mississippi Department that he has heard rumors that the U.S. consul at Matamoros is recruiting Mexicans and "renegade traitors from Texas," with a view to joining forces with the enemy when they land at the mouth of the Rio Grande to raid the settlements of western Texas. The consul is rumored to have offered Mexico all the land to the Nueces River as a reward. Bee notes how important the trade with Mexico is to the Confederacy. [Scroll down to the document, which continues for two more pages.] Link to document
D. G. Farragut to H. H. Bell, November 30, 1862. Union commander of the western blockading squadron writes to one of his naval officers that he is still waiting for General Benjamin Butler, Union commander of the Department of the Gulf, to send troops to Galveston. Will call on the general that evening. "I shall not take another place without troops to hold it." Link to document
J. Bankhead Magruder to S. Cooper, December 1, 1862. The new Confederate commander of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, writes to the adjutant general and inspector in Richmond that he understands that a Union expedition has left New York for Texas. His district is much in need of light artillery. Details. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
J. Bankhead Magruder to Lieutenant-General Pemberton, December 1, 1862. The new Confederate commander of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona writes to the commander of the Department of the Mississippi that he expects an immediate invasion of Texas. Requests two batteries of light artillery. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
J. Bankhead Magruder to the assistant adjutant-general, Trans-Mississippi Department, December 3, 1862. The Confederate commander of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona asks for the transfer of a regiment to his district. Has reliable information that Banks' expedition. Details. Link to document
L. W. Pennington to William B. Renshaw, December 1, 1862. Union naval officer writes to commander of the blockading ships on the Texas coast, reporting from Matagorda Bay that a party sent ashore for beef has been ambushed and captured. Details. Must have supplies soon or will have to abandon the area. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
J. P. Flewellen to Edmund P. Turner, December 4, 1862. Superintendent of conscripts writes from Austin to inform General J. Bankhead Magruder, Confederate commander of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. "that in certain German settlements resistance to conscription is seriously contemplated." Requests "a mounted force sufficient for the enforcement of the laws." [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Quincy A. Hooper to the commanding officer, U.S. naval forces, Galveston, December 5, 1862. Naval commander at Sabine Pass states he has learned that rebels will attack his ships by land and water immediately. Confederate General J. Bankhead Magruder has stated, "Sabine Pass and the Rio Grande are to be kept open at all hazards." Asks for reinforcements. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
E. P. Turner to Major [J. P.] Flewellen, December 6, 1862. General J. Bankhead Magruder, Confederate commander in Texas, requests that Flewellen send all foreign-born citizens who resist conscription to other military departments in other states. Details. Link to document
F. R. Lubbock to J. B. Magruder, December 6, 1862. The Texas governor writes to the Confederate commander in Texas, that defensive forces in the state desperately need arms and ammunition, especially in light of the expected Union invasion that winter. Texas is very important to the Confederacy, as almost all of her trade and communication with the outside world is across the Texas-Mexico border. Link to document
R. L. Law to W. B. Renshaw, December 7, 1862. Law, a Union naval officer, responds to an order from the commander of the blockading ships on the Texas coast. Law has gone to Sabine Pass. Gives detailed report on the Confederate ships inside the pass that are available for an expected attack on the Union ships there. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Amos Johnson to D. G. Farragut, December 8, 1862. Union naval officer writes to the commander of the western blockading squadron, reporting fighting with Confederates on Padre Island. Union personnel killed and wounded. Link to document
H. Wilke to E. F. Gray, December 8, 1862. Confederate army officer writes to another officer, reporting skirmishes with Union sailors on Mustang and Padre islands, December 5. Link to document
J. Bankhead Magruder to S. Cooper, December 9, 1862. Confederate army commander in Texas writes to the Confederate army inspector-general in Richmond that the various commands in his district are almost without arms. In light of expected Uniono invasion, Magruder asks for arms to be supplied. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
O. G. Jones to George W. Grover, December 9, 1862. Confederate officer at Fort Hebert at Virginia Point asks the mayor of Galveston to make public instructions from Col. X. B. Debray, Confederate commander in the Houston area, that citizens in Galveston may remove from the city up until 9:00 a.m. that day. Link to document
J. Bankhead Magruder to S. S. Anderson, December 9, 1862. Confederate commander of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona writes to the Trans-Mississippi Department headquarters, enclosing Governor Francis Lubbock's letter of December 6. Expects Union General Nathaniel P. Banks' expedition to arrive at Galveston in a few days. "I find the coast and the Rio Grande given up." Needs well-armed troops to repel the enemy. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
E. H. Cushing to Major-General Magruder, December 10, 1862. Texas newspaperman writes to the Confederate commander of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona that he learned that six enemy vessels appeared off Sabine Pass on the 7th but could not enter for lack of sufficient water. Link to document
J. Bankhead Magruder to S. S. Anderson, December 12, 1862. Confederate commander of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona in Texas writes to the Trans-Mississippi Department headquarters:"It is reported that the enemy is off Sabine Pass in force, attempting to land. The occupation of Galveston by the enemy may be expected at any moment." [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
D. G. Farragut to William B. Renshaw, December 12, 1862. The Union commander of the western blockading squadron has received a communication from Renshaw, commanding blockading ships on the Texas coast. Farragut is very pained to learn of the loss of naval vessels. After capturing "nearly the whole coast of Texas . . . , I am told that these ports must be abandoned" with two already so and Galveston soon. Farragut is very critical and questioning. Notes that General Benjamin Butler, commander of the Department of the Gulf, had all the troops ready to embark [for Galveston], and "but for accidental cause would have been there by this time." Link to document
J. Bankhead Magruder to James A. Seddon, December 13, 1862. The Confederate commander of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona encloses to the secretary of war in Richmond a copy of Governor Francis Lubbock's letter of December 6. Urges the government to send arms and ammunition. Lauds the people of Texas for their service outside the state. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Daniel Ruggles to J. R. Waddy, December 14, 1862. Confederate General Ruggles writes from Jackson, Mississippi to another army officer that General N. P. Banks has landed part of his force on Ship Island on the Mississippi coast; the rest will follow. "The report carefully circulated at the North that General Banks' expedition was designed for Texas . . . was merely intended to mislead our Government." [Scroll down to the document, which continues onto the next page.] Link to document
D. G. Farragut to H. H. Bell, December 15, 1862. General [N. P.] The Union commander of the Western blockading squadron Banks informs one of his naval officers that General N. P. Banks has arrived in New Orleans "with a force of 20,000-30,000 to operate on the [Mississippi] river, Galveston, and Mobile in the order named." Link to document
D. G. Farragut to William B. Renshaw, December 15, 1862. The commander of the western blockading squadron writes to the naval officer commanding along the Texas coast that General N. P. Banks will send 1,000-2,000 troops to Galveston. When it is secure, Renshaw is to send ships into Sabine Pass and over the bar at Matagorda. "We must hold the ports of Texas until driven out by actual force." [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
J. Bankhead Magruder to S. S. Anderson, December 15, 1862. The Confederate commander of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona writes to the Trans-Mississippi Department headquarters about dealing with problems related to the purchase of cotton and using the cotton to trade across the Rio Grande for arms, etc. Many details. Link to document
William B. Renshaw to D. G. Farragut, December 15, 1862. The Union naval officer commanding on the Texas coast writes to the commander of the western blockading squadron that he has charted a ship to take refugees and volunteers for the Texas regiment to New Orleans. Explains why he is evacuating the refugees. Mentions alarm in Houston among the Confederate military about the movements of Union General Weitzel. Explains why. Link to document
N. P. Banks. Proclamation, December 16, 1862. Announces that, on orders from President Lincoln, he is assuming command of the Department of the Gulf "to which is added by his special order the State of Texas." Calls on people to renew their loyalty to the Union, etc. [Scroll down to the document, which continues onto the next page.] Link to document
N. P. Banks to Major-General Halleck, December 18, 1862. Union general writes to the army's chief of staff in Washington that he has just arrived in New Orleans and has taken command of the Department of the Gulf. Link to document
Nathaniel P. Banks to Abraham Lincoln, December 19, 1862. The new Union commander of the Department of the Gulf writes to the president that he has just arrived in New Orleans. Plans to send one or two regiments to Texas within a week or ten days to occupy Galveston Island. Details. Link to document
N. P. Banks to Isaac S. Burrell, December ___, 1862. [Context suggest that it was on or just after December 19.] The Union commander of the Department of the Gulf orders Colonel Burrell to take his regiment to Galveston to protect the people there. Cannot send more troops at this time. There can be no movement to the mainland until there are additional Federal forces. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
J. Bankhead Magruder to S. S. Anderson, December 19, 1862. Confederate commander of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona writes to the Trans-Mississippi Department headquarters that he has just learned that Sibley's brigade is ordered out of state. Begs General Holmes to redirect those troops to him, as he expects Banks to be on the coast soon. Magruder's total strength in Texas is about 9,500 men. The Rio Grande is virtually abandoned. Details. Link to document
Richard B. Irwin to Thomas W. Sherman. December 20, 1862. The assistant adjutant general at the Department of the Gulf states that the order to send the 23rd Connecticut to Galveston, issued the night before, is countermanded. Link to document
J. Bankhead Magruder to F. R. Lubbock, December 21, 1862. The Confederate commander of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona tells the Texas governor that General Holmes has ordered one brigade and two regiments of Confederate troops to Louisiana. Because of the expected Federal invasion soon, Magruder asks Lubbock to call out all of the militia that the state can arm and have them rendezvous at once at Harrisburg. [Scroll own to the document.] Link to document
Arthur T. Lynn to J. B. Magruder, December 22, 1862. The British consul at Galveston writes to the Confederate commander in Texas that he has learned that, by order of Colonel [X. B.] DeBray, communication between the city and the interior of the state is now cut off. Wants to know if the order prohibits the obtaining of provisions for the aliens who now make up the majority of the Galveston population. Link to document
E. P. Turner to Colonel [X. B.] Debray, December 25, 1862. General J. B. Magruder, Confederate commander of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, orders that Major Shea burn the railroad ties at Indianola and Lavaca and burn or destroy the lighthouses at Saluria and Pass Cavallo. Other details of a similar nature. [Debray was Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas.] Link to document
X. B. Debray to Major Shea, December 25, 1862. Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas informs Shea that General Magruder has instructed him to say that "the enemy have landed at Galveston" and that he is to burn the railroad ties at Indianola and Lavaca and burn or destroy the lighthouses at Saluria and Pass Cavallo. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
X. B. Debray to Major Hobby, December 25, 1862. The Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas writes to the commander at Corpus Christi that, in light of the fact that the enemy ha landed in Galveston that day in some force, General J. B. Magruder, army commander in Texas, orders Hobby to destroy the Aransas lighthouse. Link to document
J. Bankhead Magruder to Arthur T. Lynn, December 26, 1862. The Confederate commander of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona has received Lynn's letter of December 22. As Lynn knows, Galveston harbor has been in "the exclusive possession of the enemy since early in October." Anyone passing onto the island is subject to enemy fire from the harbor. Magruder has been negotiating with the Federal fleet commander about supplying the city, but the effort has not been successful so far. Is still hopeful. Details. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
X. B. Debray to Lieutenant-Colonel Buchel, December 26, 1862. Confederate commander of the eastern sub-district of Texas writes to the commander of troops at Brownsville that, in light of the fact that Federal troops had arrived at Galveston, General J. B. Magruder, Confederate commander of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona, orders Buchel to destroy the lighthouse on Padre Island. [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
D. G. Farragut to Gideon Welles, December 29, 1862. The commander of the western blockading squadron informs the Union secretary of the navy that one thousand troops have been sent to Galveston. Link to document
John R. Baylor to J. B. Magruder, December 29, 1862. Confederate officer informs the Confederate commander of the District of Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona about Indians living in Kansas raiding into Texas. Mentions violence against women, etc. [Latter part is about dealing with Apaches in Arizona.] [Scroll down to the document.] Link to document
Isaac S. Burrell to [N. P. Banks], December 29, 1862. The author, commanding a regiment of Massachusetts volunteers, writes to the Union commander of the Department of the Gulf that he has arrived at Galveston. His small contingent of troops control the city by day but not by night. Most of the remaining residents are destitute women and children. Link to document
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Note: This list will have more links added later.
