I think I’d rather spend the night in December in a tent than on a ship. Particularly one that needs repairs.
StG
Good point, StGermain. Maybe an extra night on shore wasn’t so bad.
On Saturday, Dec. 20, 1862, Colonel Burrell again received orders from General Banks-- this time, handed to the Colonel by General William Tecumseh Sherman, commander of the post. The orders read: “Colonel Burrell, with the three companies of the forty-second regiment, will proceed to Galveston, land and take post.”
The Saxon is expected to return to Carrollton tomorrow.
The Saxon is en route to Galveston at last. Yesterday morning the three companies broke camp, and by eight o’clock they were on their way downriver. They made a two-hour stop at New Orleans while Colonel Burrell went ashore to speak to General Banks at his headquarters. However, at HQ, only Colonel S.B. Holabird, chief quartermaster of the department of the Gulf, could be found. Holabird told Burrell that a detailed set of written orders had been prepared for Burrell, but Holabird could not find them among the piles of paper in the office. Holabird suggested that Burrell should not be in a hurry to reach Galveston, and that General Banks’ plan was to reinforce the three companies with the rest of the Forty-Second Regiment when it arrived from New York, and then with additional infantry, cavalry, and artillery as soon as they were available. For now, Holabird suggested, Burrell and his three companies should place themselves under the protection of the naval forces in Galveston harbor, and avoid being drawn into conflict by Confederate General John B. Magruder, who was in charge of rebel forces in Texas. (caution: some spoilers in link)
But all of this was above the heads of the rank and file aboard ship, who were once again waiting to get to their assigned post, and having mixed feelings of anticipation, boredom, and dread. Around 11:00 this morning the Saxon left the mouth of the Mississippi and headed west.
***“The trip to Galveston was devoid of interest.” ***
So wrote the sergeant-major of the Forty-Second Regiment twenty years after the war. Since leaving Readville, a few members of Companies D, G, and I had been left behind due to illness; a few had deserted, possibly to continue “bounty-jumping” by joining another regiment and deserting again. In all, the forces amounted to fifteen officers, 249 enlisted men, one white civilian, and two African-American youths who worked as servants to the quartermaster and the surgeon.
Here is a list of those who remained with the unit long enough to make it to their assigned post in Galveston.
(Source: Charles Bosson, 1886)
(wouldn’t normally post on Christmas, but things are happening! I am also away from home without my notes, so more details on Galveston will be posted later)
Dec. 24-25, 1862
On Christmas Eve, 1862, the *Saxon *passed the U.S. Naval blockade and was granted permission to approach the harbor in Galveston, Texas. After some delays, at about 2:00 on Christmas morning the men were ordered to leave the ship and occupy Kuhn’s Wharf, where they set up camp in some warehouses.
At this time, the city of Galveston is nominally in Union hands, but is mostly deserted. There has been some intelligence to suggest that the Confederates may soon make an attempt to retake the city.
The men get to work immediately reinforcing their position at the end of the wharf, with U.S. Navy ships in the harbor nearby.
Major Bacon? One of the names is Major Bacon. Sadly, he’s a Private.
Thomas F. Igo. What is it if he doens’t go?
Thanks malden. I’m enjoying this, and look forward to more. 
The three companies have been busy the last couple of days, reinforcing their position on Kuhn’s Wharf in Galveston Harbor. It seems strange that the Army would take a position at the end of a wharf with their backs to the sea, when more favorable positions seem to be available. Indeed, upon arrival in Galveston Colonel Burrell had advocated occupying Pelican Island, a more defensible position across the harbor from the city, which had an empty barracks that would accommodate the three companies and also have room for the rest of the regiment when it arrived. However, Commodore Renshaw, the commander of the naval forces in Galveston, advised that the troops land on the wharf. Lacking specific instructions from General Banks in New Orleans, Burrell deferred to the Commodore who, after all, had months of experience in Galveston. Burrell was assured that the ships in the harbor would be prepared to evacuate the troops in minutes if necessary.
Kuhn’s Wharf was located at the foot of 18th Street. From what I can tell, the old shoreline was about at what is now called “Harborside Drive,” and that part of Harborside Drive west of 18th street would have actually been underwater in 1862. East of Eighteenth Street the present-day Harborside Drive was Front Street. This wikimedia image is a nice, high-resolution view of the city as of 1871. The leftmost (easternmost) pier in the picture is where Kuhn’s Wharf stood. The pier shown in the picture may actually be Kuhn’s Wharf; it’s consistent with the descriptions I have read, but I never saw it described as having a curve.
Constructed of planks on wood pilings, the wharf extended four hundred feet from shore and was over twenty feet wide. At its far end, the wharf widened out to accommodate a two-story warehouse. Starting on Christmas morning, the three companies worked to fortify their position. First, they moved whatever solid materials they could find—scrap wood and iron, sacks of plaster—to the inside walls of the warehouse on the side facing the city. They also pulled out planks from the wharf, creating a fifty-foot gap starting about fifty feet from shore, using the wood to construct a barricade.
During this time the men also went on regular patrols in the mostly deserted city. Some necessary supplies and equipment—stoves, building materials—were taken from closed stores for army use. One soldier wrote in a diary that most of the men also took this opportunity to steal other items—tobacco, molasses—from stores. Some of the men now have a little Confederate money in their pockets, taken primarily as a souvenir.
The troops attempted to keep an eye on activities in Galveston. Confederate cavalry regularly entered the city at night in squads of two or three, perhaps to gather intelligence. They never challenged U.S. Army pickets posted in the city. The few civilians remaining in Galveston, mostly women and children, were cut off from the mainland, so food was scarce. Women came to the U.S. quartermaster to purchase food, and both sides undoubtedly gained some intelligence from these exchanges.
On the afternoon of Sunday, December 28, the men were given a short respite from the fortification work. Lieutenant Darius Eddy (Company D) and Private Samuel Hersey, clerk to the colonel, took this time to enter the city and were “entertained” by some Galveston ladies on the Strand, who guided the conversation so as to gain information on the strength and position of U.S. forces. Eddy and Hersey acquired information on Confederate plans as well. Also on this day, two men were arrested by U.S. forces. A German man was arrested for “uttering seditious language” and confined at the sentry post at the warehouse. Another man was arrested on suspicion of espionage while loitering in a suspicious manner at the head of the wharf, but was released a few hours later.
Great stuff, especially finding the 1871 print.
The atmosphere in Galveston seems to be changing. Today, patrols in the city have noticed an increasing number of men strolling about in civilian attire. The officers suspect that these are Confederate soldiers assessing the Union positions, but their increase in number has the men of the Forty-Second believing an attack may soon be coming. Colonel Burrell ordered the construction of a second breastwork on the wharf similar to the first, built by pulling up fifty feet of planking from the wharf and reconstructing it into a barricade that will at least be strong enough to resist rifle fire, if not artillery. The breastworks were constructed by laying the two-by-fifteen planks with their faces touching one another, so that only the edges of the boards faced the enemy. Thus the breastwork was fifteen inches thick, or double that in places where the boards could be laid in two layers. One additional measure was taken to strengthen the right flank, which was vulnerable to fire coming from the adjacent wharf: a raft used for maintenance of larger ships and barges was hauled out of the water and laid on its side on the wharf as a shield.
At around 10:00 p.m. on December 30, a false alarm brought the men to battle stations along the breastworks-- and the Navy ships close in at their rear, as planned. But no enemy fire came tonight.
The troops on Kuhn’s Wharf aren’t aware of this, but the rest of their regiment is still in transit. Yesterday, Dec. 29, the Quincy, carrying Companies A, B, and F, arrived in New Orleans. Today, the Charles Osgood, with Companies E and K, arrived in New Orleans. The Shetucket, the final vessel, carrying Companies C and H, is still en route from New York, having languished some days at Hilton Head, South Carolina for repairs to its boiler.
These forces will all be ordered to Galveston as soon as they report to General Banks in New Orleans.
Soon after their arrival in Galveston, the men of the three companies at Kuhn’s Wharf were instructed that when any action begins, they should preserve their ammunition and not fire without orders from an officer. Today, they learned the reason for this order.
Company G was armed with Springfield rifles (perhaps this model or its predecessor, both made in Massachusetts.) Companies D and I had Springfield smooth-bore muskets. After arriving in Galveston, it was discovered that most of the ammunition on board the *Saxon *was for rifles, with only a small amount for the smooth-bore muskets. There were also very few cartridges and caps of any kind. This was probably the result of the haphazard loading of men and supplies onto the four ships in Brooklyn in early December, and failure to foresee that the four ships would be separated for so long.
Thus, on December 31, 1862, when ammunition was distributed, each man received a total of eighteen cartridges and caps, and an admonishment to use them wisely.
The forces remain on high alert, with only one company at a time permitted to sleep. Those not on duty are sleeping on their weapons, ready to fight at a moment’s notice.
There are three ships posted close to Kuhn’s Wharf, providing a defensive backing for the three companies. From left to right as viewed from shore, these were the gunboat USS Owasco, the schooner USS Corypheus, and the steamer USS Sachem. Other U.S. ships were in the vicinity as well. A hundred yards off the wharf lay the sidewheel gunboat USS Clifton, and about a mile up the channel the revenue cutter USRC Harriet Lane was stationed. Near the harbor entrance were the coal bark USS *Arthur *and the sidewheel ferryboat USS Westfield, carrying Commodore Renshaw. The Saxon, its captain nervous about lying at anchor in the main channel of the harbor, had removed itself to a location near Pelican Island, across the bay from the city.
Around mid-day on December 31, 1862, the *Owasco *left the wharf to make a run to the *Arthur *to pick up some coal. Rather than returning to the wharf, however, the *Owasco *remained at the harbor entrance with the *Westfield *and the Arthur.
On the night of December 31, 1862, the officers on Kuhn’s Wharf held a conference to assign troop positions for what appeared to be an imminent confrontation. Companies D and I were to remain in the warehouse on the wharf, sleeping in shifts. Company G was on picket for the night.
Back in his quarters after the meeting, Burrell reflected on his troops’ precarious position and his own lack of confidence in Commodore Renshaw, upon whom the safety of the three companies rested. He resolved to summon the Saxon to the wharf the next morning, move the three companies on board, and remain in the harbor until the rest of the regiment arrived.
Company G is on picket duty in Galveston. In the darkness, the men can hear signs that something is afoot. The distinctive sounds of rumbling artillery wheels and moving railroad cars can be heard in the city. The pickets have drawn inward a little, leaving the most vulnerable forward positions and taking position within easy reach of the wharf. Around midnight, Colonel Burrell and a couple of other officers visited the picket posts and ordered the men to their original forward positions.
Meanwhile, in the harbor, the Clifton has left its position a hundred yards off the wharf in order to assist the Westfield, which had signaled for aid after running aground near the harbor entrance. Also, a spotter on the Harriet Lane noticed smoke rising from Confederate ships two miles away across the bay. The Harriet Lane launched a signal rocket to alert the other ships and forces on shore. A Lieutenant on shore returned a signal to notify the naval forces that the land forces were awake and ready.
***There is a lot going on tonight in Galveston, and rather than post updates all night, I will add several updates right now so I can get some sleep. Pretend they’re in real time if you’re playing along at home. ***
Thursday, January 1, 1863, 3:30 a.m.
There are now large masses of men moving about in the streets of Galveston. The men of Company G, still on picket duty in the city, opened fire on some of them and began to fall back towards the wharf. There was no return fire. On the wharf, the men were ordered to battle positions. Company I lined up on the right; Company G on the left; and Company D along the breastwork constructed just the day before, with a line of men extended towards the harbor ready to pivot left or right as needed. The two gaps in the wharf were each bridged by single planks, and the last of the picket forces from the city carefully walked these planks to rejoin Company G. The moonlight that had allowed some visibility through most of the night is now waning as the moon sets, and it is very dark.* Colonel Burrell is walking among the men, offering encouragement and reminding them not to forget the state they represent, and also to hold their fire until receiving orders.
*Data from the US Naval Observatory’s Sun and Moon calculator indicate that the moon set at 4:20 that morning. A witness to the battle reported darkness at more like 3:30. The times may differ because the battle predates the use of standardized time zones, so 4:00 in Galveston may not correspond to 4:00 across the Central Time Zone.
Thursday, January 1, 1863, 4:10 a.m.
The Confederate forces under General John Bankhead Magruder have been moving men and artillery into position in Galveston. A few minutes after the city clock struck four, it was Magruder himself who fired the first artillery round, from a foundry located at the head of the next wharf to the right of Kuhn’s Wharf. Before firing, Magruder reportedly said, “boys, now we will give them hell!” Then, turning to go back to headquarters, he said, ‘”Now boys, I have done my part as private, I will go and attend that of General.”
The other Confederate artillery also opened fire from positions along the shore, taking aim at both the Army forces on the wharf and the U.S. Navy ships in the harbor. The Sachem was the first U.S. vessel to return fire, followed by the Corypheus and the Harriet Lane.
**Thursday, January 1, 1863, 4:30 to 5:00 a.m.
**
When the firing began, Colonel Burrell ordered the men of the three companies to lie down. Burrell continued to walk the wharf, making observations even as the enemy continued to fire. One artillery round exploded inside the warehouse, starting a fire. The Colonel went to see if anyone was still inside. One private was inside the building, where a supply of canvas tents was burning. The Colonel and the private pushed most of the burning supplies into the harbor, and extinguished the remaining fire with some buckets of water. The Colonel called for men to come and remove the remaining ammunition supplies from the building; the ammunition was placed near the edge of the wharf where it could be easily pitched overboard if necessary.
Meanwhile, another Confederate attack was in progress out in the harbor. Confederate forces in Texas had taken the packet steamer Bayou City and the river steamer Neptune and outfitted them with large bulwarks made from cotton bales. It was these “cottonclads,” armed with Howitzer rifles, that the spotter on board the Harriet Lane had briefly observed at midnight. With them were the Lucy Govirn and Royal Yacht serving as tenders to the gunboats, and the steamer John F. Carr serving as a hospital ship. In command of the flotilla was Confederate Captain Leon Smith. The Harriet Lane stayed in position, steam on, its crew listening for signs of action on shore or across the bay. When the artillery fire began after 4:00 a.m., the Lane attempted to head for the wharf to occupy the position left vacant by the Clifton (which had gone to assist the run-aground Westfield.) While attempting the difficult maneuvers to turn the ship around, the Lane’s Captain Wainwright saw the Bayou City and the Neptune approaching. He soon abandoned the effort to return to the wharf and moved to engage the two cottonclads. The Lane fired on the Bayou City, striking her engine room and pantry. From a distance of half a mile, the Bayou City opened fire, striking aft of the wheel. A later shot destroyed the forward gun on the Lane, killing several men. Wainwright could see that the Bayou City was attempting to close with the Lane, perhaps for a boarding attempt, so he reversed course, backing the ship up to allow more space between the ships, and then moved forward at full speed to ram the Bayou City, in hopes of escaping the crash in fair enough shape to overtake and board the Neptune. This attempt soon failed, as the Harriet Lane ran aground. Wainwright set anchor and ordered the men forward to prepare to repel boarders. As the Bayou City struck a glancing blow to the Lane, about twenty men attempted to leap onto the Lane, but were repelled.
Thursday, January 1, 1863, 5:00 to 6:00 a.m.
At 5:00 a.m., the enemy artillery fire came to a stop. The men on the wharf worried that an armed assault on the wharf was imminent. At this point, not a single shot had been fired from the wharf; this may have deceived the Confederate forces into thinking the artillery had greatly weakened the U.S. forces, when in reality it was the short supply of ammunition that had prevented return fire.
And then the attack came. It was still dark, but the three companies, lying in position along the breastworks they had built, could hear the splashing of the enemy force in the water between the shore and the wharf before they could make them out in the shadows. About five hundred Confederate troops were wading towards them through the shallow water. The U.S. forces struggled to view the enemy’s approach. Captain Proctor said he saw movement in the water, and Adjutant Davis (no relation to the two Privates) gave the order to fire. After the initial volley, the men were permitted to fire at will. Owing to the darkness and the low angle, only a few of the enemy were hit. Some of the Confederate forces made a daring attempt to take the wharf from the rear (bay-facing) side. They carried ladders, intending to climb up onto the wharf and allow Confederate forces to surround the Union troops. The plan may well have succeeded if not for the late discovery that the ladders were too short to reach the wharf.
Part of the advancing Confederate force attempted to cross the gaps in the wharf by placing boards over the gaps. A few were able to reach the first breastwork, but none were able to advance further. Soon, the Sachem and Corypheus directed their fire at area between the wharf and the shore wharf, causing the Confederate forces to retreat from the area.
Out in the harbor, the damaged Harriet Lane is under attack from the Neptune, which approached and struck the Lane but failed to board her, and the Bayou City, which returned to the scene and rammed the Lane behind the wheelhouse so forcefully that the two ships could not be separated. The crew of the Harriet Lane was unable to repel the boarders this time, and the crew surrendered.
Thursday, January 1, 1863, 7:00 a.m. – 8:00 a.m.
It is getting light out, and there are bodies floating in the water around the wharf. There is still some scattered musket and rifle fire between the U.S. forces on the wharf and the Confederate forces, which have fallen back to occupy buildings with windows facing the wharf. The rebel artillery at the adjacent wharf, which had fired the initial shot, continues to pound the wharf. Many of its shells are exploding below the deck, making some wonder if the entire wharf might collapse. Colonel Burrell posted some of the best shots from the three companies to a position by the raft they had set up a couple of days earlier, ordering them to take out the artillery position. The U.S. fire soon forced the Confederates to abandon the position.
Around 7:00 a.m. the Colonel attempted to launch a small boat tied up at the wharf to send Captain Sherive to one of the ships in the harbor, requesting an evacuation of the troops from the wharf. The small vessel did not make it very far before it sank due to some bullet holes that none of the men had noticed. The men made it back to the wharf, but a couple were wounded by enemy rifle fire.
A little past 7 a.m. the Owasco returned from its overnight stay at the harbor entrance and fired shells into the enemy-occupied buildings on the waterfront, driving the riflemen out. Likewise, the Clifton came in close by the wharf and fired on shore. By 8:00 most of the firing had ended; most of the Confederate artillery pieces along the shoreline had been abandoned, and most were within firing range of Company G’s rifles, making it impossible for the rebel forces to retrieve them.
Around 8:00 a volunteer scout from Company I, described as a “rather tough customer” who had been locked up in irons for misbehavior, was sent into the city to check the enemy’s positions. He reported that the enemy was hiding behind buildings just out of view of the wharf. All of the U.S. ships in the harbor (except for the lost Harriet Lane and the Westfield, which remained stuck on a sandbar) came near shore, prepared to resume fire. The men of the Forty-Second count themselves fortunate; the night’s fighting has left one soldier seriously wounded and a few others with minor wounds, and it seems as if victory is at hand.
Private Davis is unhurt, but his brother James has a minor wound in his face from a splinter.
While the men of the Forty-Second attend to their wounded and keep lookout, events in the harbor are taking a turn for the worse. Upon seeing the loss of the Harriet Lane, the Owasco attempted to fire upon the Lane to render her useless to the enemy. The Confederates responded by placing the captured Union officers on the deck of the Lane, threatening to shoot them down if the Owasco continued to fire. The Owasco backed off, and soon passed within thirty feet of Kuhn’s Wharf. Colonel Burrell hailed the Owasco, still hoping for an evacuation, but received no response.
At this point, Confederate Captain Lubbock, on board the Harriet Lane, raised a truce flag and attempted to secure the surrender of the Union fleet. In negotiations on board the Clifton with Captain Law, he implied that he was ready to use the powerful guns of the Harriet Lane against the rest of the U.S. fleet, when in reality, the ship was too badly damaged to be much of a threat. Captain Law requested a three-hour truce to discuss the offer with Commodore Renshaw, who was still stuck on a sandbar aboard the Westfield. During the truce, all of the U.S. vessels raised white flags. Renshaw refused these terms, and ordered the Saxon and the Mary Boardman to come to the Westfield and take on her stranded crew. He had decided that the Westfield was hopeless and would have to be destroyed to keep it out of enemy hands.
On the wharf, however, Colonel Burrell and his men have no idea what is happening. Seeing the white flags, and facing apparent abandonment by the naval forces while still under rifle fire from shore, Burrell ordered a Corporal to stand on the bulwark with a piece of sailcloth attached to an oar. The Corporal was fired upon several times before the truce was observed by the Confederate forces. Burrell requested a half-hour truce to allow communication with the naval forces in the harbor. The truce was granted, and Burrell sent Adjutant Davis (no relation to the two Privates) to the Owasco, the nearest vessel to the wharf. On board the Owasco, Davis found that the senior officer had left the ship to assist Commodore Renshaw, still on the grounded Westfield. Commander Wilson, in charge of the Owasco for the time being, refused to do anything for Davis and Burrell since the fleet was under a flag of truce. Meanwhile, it was apparent to the men on the wharf that the Confederates were repositioning their artillery on the shore. When the half-hour truce expired, and no word received from the naval command, Burrell found himself in an untenable position, under the Confederate guns and with no naval support at his back. When the Confederates approached the wharf under a white flag, Burrell walked out to meet it as the men watched from their barricades. In a few minutes, Burrell returned to the end of the wharf with the news. Upon unconditional surrender the officers and men would be permitted to keep their personal effects. All Army property except knapsacks and canteens would be turned over to the enemy. At the surrender, Burrell had offered his sword to General Scurry, who refused it, saying “Keep your sword; A man’s done what you have deserves to wear it.”
Soon, General Magruder and a swarm of Confederate troops came onto the wharf. They were surprised to find so few casualties among the Massachusetts forces. The breastwork was pocked with hundreds of bullet holes, and the warehouse looked “like a sieve.” A Confederate major who had earlier been captured and held by Union forces on the wharf asked to be placed in charge of the Union officers’ baggage, in order to keep it from being ransacked by the Confederates; and this he did, dutifully cataloguing the items under his care as the three companies and their commanders became prisoners of war.
By 9:00 a.m. the three companies had stacked their arms, gathered their remaining possessions, and began their march out to the suburbs of Galveston.
The men of the three companies continue their march. At 10:00 a.m. they could hear a noise like thunder back towards the harbor. They do not yet know this, but the Westfield, which had remained stuck on a sandbar with Commander Renshaw on board, has exploded. Renshaw and some of the crew had rigged up an improvised explosive charge that would blow up the ship to keep it out of enemy hands, but the charge went off prematurely, killing Renshaw and the crewmen assisting him. The only man from the Forty-Second Regiment known to have witnessed the explosion was Quartermaster Charles Burrell, the Colonel’s brother, who was on board the Saxon at the time. Given what they perceived as incompetent or even traitorous behavior by Renshaw during their time in Galveston, the men of the Forty-Second Regiment did not consider his death to be much of a loss.
Around eleven o’clock the men were ordered to occupy some empty houses outside of town. Soon afterward, they were joined by about a hundred and fifty captured sailors from the Harriet Lane.
Back at the wharf, the Confederate officers are enjoying a meal of New England baked beans, part of the spoils of war.
Wow. Five months into the war, a few hours into its first action, and the 42d surrenders.
Not much of a resumé builder.
Oslo– Thank you for posting and preventing me from having to post NINE consecutive times. 
Yeah, the battle was sort of an epic communication failure/exercise in futility. But hey, we don’t all get to go to Antietam or set Atlanta on fire.
I wonder how the men of the three companies feel about their new situation. Maybe they felt that they did the best they could in the situation in which they were placed. Perhaps they also felt some surprise that it all came to an end so rapidly, and some relief that they and their comrades made it through with minimal casualties. After their surrender, the officers were even told by the Confederates to take heart, for they would soon be paroled and sent home. But the men surely also know that while parole is likely, they have a long road ahead, and they are facing a future of hunger, disease, and deprivation.
Today, Friday, January 2, 1863, the three companies and the sailors from the Harriet Lane were loaded onto railroad cars and taken to Houston. Arriving at mid-day, the station was crowded with people, and the train stopped half a mile short. The men were unloaded and marched through crowded streets to quarters on Buffalo Bayou. The officers were housed in a building at the corner ofTravis and Congress Streets.
Yesterday was, of course, a historically significant date for reasons other than the events in Galveston: The Emancipation Proclamation took effect throughout most of the Confederacy. And the subject of slavery is tied to the fate of two of the civilians serving with the Forty-Second regiment. Charles Revaleon, of Boylston, Massachusetts, and Charles Amos, of Dedham, Massachusetts, the two African-American youths working as servants to the Quartermaster and the Surgeon, were separated from the troops after the surrender. Their fate is yet unknown.
Interesting stuff. I also have an ancestor who served (Company K, New York 23rd Volunteer Regiment), and have some detailed information about him and his unit, including a letter he wrote to his company about his capture at 2nd Bull Run, and a book written by a friend of his. After languishing seemingly forever in WDC, he goes out and gets captured in his first major battle. :smack: