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sure side^wheel steamer Caroline, undi command of Capt. John McDonald, salk from Havana for Galveeton laden wit a valuable cargo of powder and arms ft the Confederate Government, On the St of the same tnonth the vessel found he: self off Galveston bar In close proximil to a Federal blockading fleet of fi\ steamers She was immediately heads shoreward and safely entered the harboAs the craft was of very light draf she proceeded on up the bay and tied u in Buffalo Bayou a short distance be!o' Houston, -where the cargo was dlf charged. The steamer then took on returzi lading of cotton, and, rcturnLn down the bayou and through Galvcsto Bay. proceeded on her return trip to Hi vana without being discovered by th blockaders.- This is probably the fjr: instance on record or a low pr^saur sea-going steamer proceeding so far u Buffalo Bayou.Cutting Out Ve.i*eis.Although the United States kept large fleet of steamers off. the port lt;Galveston during 1804, there were not great number of prizes taken by thei immediately near this place. An offict attached to- the war steamer BienvilL writing- undet date of Nov.. 6 of tiu :^ear, thus chronicles the.conditions the existing:‘Very few prizes have been captureby this fleet, but judging from appeal ances and what deserters,whom we ot casionally pick up, tell, quite a bris trade is carried on, and that, toe, with regularity and precision of arrival an of departure of which not every Nortl ern city can boast. * * * Why an ei[ectuol stopper is not put to their prt ceedlngs by the occupation of the port not for me Lo Jud*4e, but that such coulbe easily accomplished is perceptible t affl, as It is only, defended by a fe small batteries,Early In 1864 San Luis Pass, which er ters the Gulf immediately west of Ga! vesum iBland, and which had been use by efciling vessels in order to run tb blockade without taking the rick of pnsr ins ih«s largo fleet at Galveston, was foi tified ny the erection of an earthwor on “Mud1' Island, a short distance inlam There was a depth of seven or eight felt; of water tn-'tlie pass proper, and On Fol 15, 1865, the schooners Pet, Cupt. Pennj father, and the Ann I e-Sophia. Capt. 1 Marke, were at anchor Just, inside, lade with cotton, awaiting the advent of norther, which would he a fair wind, i order to put to sea.During the night a boat expedltio from a nian-O'-war at anchor outside er tered the pass, and boarding the vssse Captured the craft -and towed them oi under the muzzl«B of the guns of tt fortifications, making prizes of ther This, was the last occurrence of th character on the Texas coast, an with] ■a few months th* war was over and M’ blockade only a memory.Capt. Mnflil,« Owl.During the latter part of the Civlj Wi Capt. John Nowlands Maffit, who al tnined great celebrity as the first con mander of the noted Confederate cruise Florida, which he ran into Mobile Ba through the Federal fleet in broad da light, and after drifting out made a sue cessful departure, visited Galvtston i command of a fine steamer called tt Owl. The vessel was unarmed, an brought arms and munitions of w» Capt. Maf fit’s exploits along the Atlai tic Coast while In cortinumtl of the cruii or Florida had caused much uppreher slon in Northern cities, and when he sumed command of the Owl the Nc York papers reported the vessel as Of msr a. nfiworfnl nruiser. which was wit I’
Newspaper Details
Galveston Daily News
Galveston, Texas, US
Sun, Dec 01, 1907
Page 28
Full Page
Clipped by
Kelly T.
USA 01 Aug 2023
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