The Battle of Mustang Island (November 17, 1863) was fought in

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...

during the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

. It was part of a campaign by

Major General Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

Nathaniel P. Banks Nathaniel Prentice (or Prentiss) Banks (January 30, 1816 – September 1, 1894) was an American politician from Massachusetts and a Union general during the Civil War. A millworker by background, Banks was prominent in local debating societies, ...

to occupy positions along the Texas coast. One of Banks's forces attacked a Confederate fort, capturing its small garrison.

Background

Following the

Battle of Brownsville The Battle of Brownsville took place on November 2–6, 1863 during the American Civil War. It was a successful effort on behalf of the Union Army to disrupt Confederate blockade runners along the Gulf Coast in Texas. The Union assault precipit ...

, the Union army consolidated a garrison there under Major General Napoleon J. T. Dana. General Banks planned to move against Corpus Christi. Banks directed

Brigadier General Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed ...

Thomas E. G. Ransom Thomas Edwin Greenfield Ransom (November 29, 1834 – October 29, 1864) was a surveyor, civil engineer, real estate speculator, and a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. Biography Ransom was born in Norwich, Vermont, son o ...

on an expedition against a Confederate earthen fortification on Mustang Island known as Fort Semmes.Townsend p.27 The Confederate garrison, of less than 100 men, was composed of detachments from the 3rd Texas State Militia under Major George O. Dunaway and the 8th Texas Infantry under Captain William N. Maltby.Howell p.155

Battle

Ransom’s men made a forced march against Fort Semmes which was occupied by men from the 8th Texas Infantry and 3rd Texas State Militia. The Union advance encountered Confederate skirmishers on November 17. Ransom’s men fired one volley causing the Texas skirmishers to retreat back into Fort Semmes. Ransom deployed the 20th Iowa, 13th Maine and 15th Maine Infantry Regiments in line of battle while the '' USS Monongahela'' fired into the fort from offshore. The small garrison of Fort Semmes was not prepared for open battle and the fighting was over shortly after the attack commenced. Major Dunaway decided upon an

unconditional surrender An unconditional surrender is a surrender in which no guarantees are given to the surrendering party. It is often demanded with the threat of complete destruction, extermination or annihilation. In modern times, unconditional surrenders most ofte ...

of the entire garrison rather than making an attempt to fight their way back to the mainland. Major General

Cadwallader C. Washburn Cadwallader Colden Washburn (April 22, 1818May 14, 1882) was an American businessman, politician, and soldier who founded a mill that later became General Mills. A member of the Washburn family of Maine, he was a U.S. Congressman and governor o ...

arrived at the head of the Union expedition on the Texas Coast. Washburn next led Union forces to capture Fort Esperanza on November 30, 1863.Townsend p.28

Notes

References

*Howell, Kenneth Wayne, ed. ''The Seventh Star of the Confederacy: Texas During the Civil War'', University of North Texas Press, 2011 *Townsend, Stephen A., ''The Yankee Invasion of Texas'', Texas A&M University Press, 2006 *Barnes, J.D. ''Campaigns of the 20th Iowa Infantry with Personal Reminiscences of the War.''Iowa City, Iowa: Camp Pope Publishing, 2016, 87-89. *Shorey, Henry Augustus. ''The Story of the Fifteenth Maine.'' Bridgton, Maine: Press of the Bridgton News, 1890. 59-61. *Lufkin, Edwin B. ''History of the 13th Maine Regiment, From its Organization in 1861 to its Mustering Out in 1865.'' Bridgton, Maine: H. A. Shorey & Son, Publishers, 1898. {{Authority control

Mustang Island Mustang Island is a barrier island on the Gulf Coast of Texas in the United States. The island is 18 miles (29 km) long, stretching from Corpus Christi to Port Aransas. The island is oriented generally northeast–southwest, with the Gulf ...

1863 in Texas November 1863 events