Battle of Galveston
Galveston, Texas, USA
What happened
Confederate forces under John B. Magruder, with ships under Leon Smith, fought Union troops and a Union fleet commanded by William B. Renshaw. Union troops had been holding the port of Galveston. Two Confederate steamboats protected with cotton, the Bayou City and the Neptune, sailed from Houston and attacked the Union ships, and the Bayou City captured the USS Harriet Lane. The Union troops on shore believed their fleet was giving up and laid down their arms, while the other Union ships escaped to New Orleans.
Why it matters
Galveston was back in Confederate hands, and the Union blockade there was lifted for four days. Galveston remained the only major Confederate-held port at the end of the war.
What came next
The Confederate Congress publicly thanked the officers and men who took part.
Did you know?
Galveston's U.S. Custom House, finished in 1861, was used by the Confederate Army during the war.
Timeline
- 1861The U.S. Custom House in Galveston is completed.
- 1 Jan 1863Battle of Galveston.
- Jan 1863The surviving Union ships retreat to New Orleans.