the early months of the year 1861 in texas were like one long holiday. the country was dotted with white tents where the recruits were encamped, and where, amid bursts of martial music and in all the glory of brand new uniforms, the untried volunteers received their mothers and sisters, and showed them with pride “how soldiers live in time of war.”
every few days one of these camps would be broken up, the tents and camp baggage would be loaded on wagons, and the “boys” would march to the nearest town. there the whole population would be gathered to greet them; a flag would be presented to them by the hand of some bright-eyed girl, loud cheers would echo on the air, and the company would tramp steadily away to take its place in the fighting ranks of the confederate states army.
many of these soldiers carried their negro body-servants with them; all had abundant stores of clothing and bedding, and of those little comforts and luxuries that only mothers know how to provide. their young faces were eager, their eyes were sparkling, and if there were sobs in their throats as they said those last good-byes, the sobs were smothered in the ringing cheers which mingled with the notes of “dixie” or “the bonnie blue flag.”
they were soon to learn in many a tentless camp, on many a foot-sore march, on many a bloody and hard-fought field, how soldiers really live in time of war.
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but the days as yet were like one long holiday, although mother-hearts ached in secret dread, and the scarred veterans of the texan revolution and of the mexican war were filled with inward forebodings for the future.
people along the frontier had been talking for some time about a great buffalo hunt which was to take place that winter in the pan handle. john r. baylor, a noted hunter and scout, had, it was said, raised more than a thousand men to go on this hunt, and a great many scouts and indian fighters had joined him. among them was ben mcculloch, who had done such gallant service in mexico under general taylor.
the buffalo hunt did not take place; but colonel ben mcculloch, with the buffalo hunters, a thousand or more strong, appeared in san antonio on the 15th of february (1861).
general david e. twiggs, united states army, was at that time in command of the troops in texas. san antonio was the most important of the united states army posts in the southwest; a large amount of military stores was in the arsenal, and soldiers were kept there ready to march at need to the relief of the frontier forts.
colonel mcculloch, acting under orders of commissioners from austin, demanded the surrender of all military posts and supplies in the state of texas. general twiggs on the 18th of february made a formal surrender of the department. the united states troops were paroled and marched to indianola on the coast, where the star of the west, an unarmed united states steamer, was waiting to take them home.
but when they reached indianola (18th of april) the star of the west and the gunboat mohawk, which had been guarding her, had both disappeared. the officer in command was in a quandary. he did not know what to do. at length he placed his troops on two schooners and sailed across the matagorda bay to the gulf.
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in the meantime, on the 12th of april, at fort sumter, south carolina, the first gun of the civil war had been fired. the struggle between the states had begun.
general earl van dorn, of the confederate army, was at this time in command of the military department of texas. his headquarters were at galveston. the island which the pirate lafitte had left lone and deserted when he sailed away in the pride now teemed with a busy and prosperous people. the huts of campeachy were replaced by stately mansions, and beautiful gardens bloomed where sandy wastes had been.
several companies of soldiers were encamped without the city, awaiting marching orders. general van dorn entered the camp one day, and after a brief speech called for volunteers for an expedition which he was about to undertake. the galveston artillery, the island city rifles, and an irish company called the wigfall guards, at once stepped forward, eager for duty.
the next night (17th of april), about midnight, the steamboat general rusk, with these volunteers on board, drew up alongside the star of the west, lying in the gulf of mexico, off indianola. captain howe, of the united states steamer, hearing himself hailed, came on deck, and supposing these to be the united states troops he was expecting, he politely ordered the general rusk to be made fast to his own boat. in a twinkling the confederate soldiers were aboard of the star of the west demanding its surrender.
“to what flag am i asked to surrender?” asked the astonished captain. ensign duggan of the wigfall guards displayed the lone star flag of texas, and in his richest brogue exclaimed: “that’s it! look at it, me byes. did ye iver see the texas flag on an irish jackstaff before?”[38]
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captain howe, having neither arms nor soldiers, surrendered, and the star of the west followed the general rusk to galveston.
this was why the united states troops the next morning (april 18) found no steamer to carry them away. the two schooners upon which they embarked were also captured several days later, having on board eight hundred officers and men, with three hundred fine rifles and a large quantity of camp supplies.
but the confederacy had no means of protecting the long stretch of texas coast. in july a blockading squadron—that is, a fleet of armed vessels to prevent ships from entering or leaving the harbor—was stationed in the gulf off galveston, and in a short time the whole coast was closely guarded.
in the fall of 1861 frank r. lubbock, who has been called the “war governor” of texas, was elected governor. by the close of his term ninety thousand texan soldiers were in the confederate army.
early in 1862 a texas brigade, under general sibley, was defeated by the union forces in new mexico, and forced to retreat to san antonio with a loss of five hundred men.
in october of the same year the confederates, unable to hold galveston, surrendered that place to commodore eagle of the blockading squadron, and withdrew to virginia point on the mainland about six miles distant. many of the citizens of the town also left their homes; and amid a silence almost as profound as that in which lafitte landed on the island nearly fifty years before, several hundred soldiers stepped ashore from their boats and took possession of the place. the united states flag was hoisted on the custom-house; the soldiers settled into their quarters on one of the wharves; the imposing vessels of the federal squadron filled the bay and the harbor. a mournful cry echoed throughout texas: “galveston has fallen!”
