The To Fly Confederate Colors

The Confederate privateer the Rattlesnake ran aground February 28^th 1863 on the Ogeechee River in Georgia and was destroyed by the USS Montauk.

Starting life as the USMS Nashville a United States Mail Service ship, she was a1221 ton side wheeler, passenger steam ship.  She was built in 1853 at Greenpoint in Brooklyn, New York.  As the Nashville from 1853 to 1861 she ran a route between New York City and Charleston, South Carolina.  When the bombing of Fort Sumter began in April 1861, the Nashville sailed in to Charleston Harbor not flying the US colors and was fire on by the USRC Harriet Lane.  The Nashville docked at Charleston and after Fort Sumter fell she was captured by the Confederates.

The Confederates fitted her out as a cruiser and placed her as the CSS Nashville under the command of Lieutenant Robert B Pegram.  On October 21^st 1861 the Nashville ran the blockade and sailed for England, she became the first ship to fly the Confederate colors in English waters.  The Nashville returned to Beaufort, North Carolina in February 1862 after having captured prizes worth about $66,000.

She was sold as a blockade runner November 5^th 1862 and commissioned as the privateer the Rattlesnake.  On February 28^th 1863 she ran aground on Georgia’s Ogeechee River.  The USS Montauk fired on the Rattlesnake from a 15 inch turret gun destroying the ship.

Taking Galveston Back

The Second Battle of Galveston on January 1st 1863 was a land and naval fight between Confederates and the occupying Union troops in Galveston Texas.

Confederate Major General John B Magruder attacked the Union forces occupying the city of Galveston Texas. The Union forces were made up of three companies of the 42nd Massachusetts Volunteer Infantry and seven ships in the bay. Facing these Union troops and the supporting naval gunfire the Confederates soldiers on land were to retreat after their dawn attack. Shortly after Confederate gunboats covered with bails of cotton, the Bayou City and the Neptune arrived.

Tarrable out numbered “The Bayou City” captured the USS Harriet Lane. Also at this time the USS Westfield was ran aground on a sandbar. Instead of allowing her to fall into Confederate hands Union Fleet Commander William B Renshaw tried to have the “Harriet Lane” destroyed with explosives. Renshaw and thirteen Union soldiers were killed when the explosives went off early. Union troops on shore in Galveston thought their ships had surrender and gave up.

The remaining Union ships managed to escape and retreat to New Orleans. The Union blockade of Galveston was lifted for four days. The city of Galveston was under Confederate controlled for the rest of the war. There were 26 Confederate killed and 117 wounded. The Union side lost about twice as many.

A must check out web site about this topic
Galveston Historical Society, Battle of Galveston