April 12, 1861; The New York Herald
The steamship Coatzacoalcos, Captain Griffin, left Pass Cavallo bar on the 31st of March, touched at Key West on the 4th inst., and landed two companies of infantry, and, being unable to obtain water, proceeded to Havana; sailed thence on the afternoon of the 6th inst., and arrived at this port yesterday. The Coatzacoalcos has experienced very heavy gales.
Left at Pass Cavallo the steamship Empire City, for New York in eight days, waiting the arrival of troops from the interior; also the Star of the West, awaiting troops, to sail for New York in twenty five days.
The Coatzacoalcos is one of the several steamers recently chartered by the United States government to aid in conveying the troops from the late military Department of Texas to points still within the Union. With this view we left New York bar at eight o’ on the evening of the 16th ult., our vessel deeply laden with coal and army rations. The first three days out were characterized by strong northerly gales, with thick, misty weather. With steam and sail united to urge us on our course, we ran swiftly along. Objects could with difficulty be discerned through the haze at short distances; but the watchful eye of the lookout man preserved us from the danger of collision. Many vessels were passed: with those to we exchanged the formal salutations of the sea; others more remote excited only a passing curiosity.
The Coatzacoalcos is one of the several steamers recently chartered by the United States government to aid in conveying the troops from the late military Department of Texas to points still within the Union. With this view we left New York bar at eight o’ on the evening of the 16th ult., our vessel deeply laden with coal and army rations. The first three days out were characterized by strong northerly gales, with thick, misty weather. With steam and sail united to urge us on our course, we ran swiftly along. Objects could with difficulty be discerned through the haze at short distances; but the watchful eye of the lookout man preserved us from the danger of collision. Many vessels were passed: with those to we exchanged the formal salutations of the sea; others more remote excited only a passing curiosity.
On the evening of the third day Amelia Island Light. (It marks the entrance to Fernandina harbor.) For several days after this the weather was clear and pleasant. On the fifth day communicated with a pilot boat off Key West. A few hours thereafter took our departure from Tortugas Light and steered away from Pass Cavallo, the entrance to the port of Indianola, Texas.
On the 25th came to off the bar. The coast of Texas is unfortunate in the entrances to its harbors. They are all very shallow; with the single exception of that of Galveston, which boasts of eleven, the depth of water over the bars does not exceed eight feet. The cause of this very serious detriment to commercial greatness may be assigned to the absence of large rivers with volume enough to keep open a deep channel outlet, the wave action produced by southeast gales accumulating the sea sand in ridges, which the feeble discharge from the bays is inadequate to wash away, and the very small tidal elevation peculiar to the Gulf of Mexico.
A continuous line of heavy surf was visible along the low, monotonous shore, with no one part less rough than another to indicate the passage into the tranquil water of Matagorda bay–seen in the distance beyond. A large black iron buoy, just outside the edge of the breakers, seemed placed there in mockery of man’s desire to enter. However, the light draft coasters do cross, even in rough weather, thumping and bumping their way over. The pilot boat came out in gallant style, and delivered letters to us from the acting Quartermaster, by which we learned that a body of troops were encamped at Green Lake, twenty four miles from Indianola, awaiting transportation.
On the 25th the transport steamer Empire City arrived from New York, by way of Brazos Santiago. She reported the transport steamer Star of the West at anchor off the latter port, and, as the department commander had ordered that the troops will embark at Indianola, we were sent to direct her to Pass Cavallo bar. We returned next day.
On the 28th the steam gunboat Mohawk arrived direct from New York. She left that port in company with the Empire City on the 14th, but parted the same night in a gale. She was sent out, it appears, at the urgent request of Gen. Scott, to protect the transports–a service she will probably not be called upon to perform.
On the 29th, the sea having smoothed down sufficiently, the troops came alongside in two small vessels, and we commenced the operation of transferring them. The vessels rode lay across the swell so uneasily as to make the work tedious in the extreme, and, sad to relate, caused a serious injury to the hand of Sergeant John W. Spangler, of the Second cavalry–a man who has won renown in many Indian fights. In one of the last he killed seven warriors with the hand that may never wield sabre again.
On the 31st we weighed anchor and steamed to sea, bound to Key West, there to land two companies of infantry and obtain coals and water for the vessel.
We bring the second detachment of troops, composed of six companies of the Second regiment of cavalry, and three companies of the First regiment of infantry, all under the command of Captain John H. King, First infantry; Assistant Surgeon R. H. Alexander, and First Lieutenant W. P. Chambliss, Second cavalry, Adjutant and Quartermaster. Total, twelve officers and five hundred and seventy enlisted men.
We reached Key West on the 3d inst. landed companies A and H., First infantry, commanded respectively by Captains James N. Caldwell and Stephen D. Carpenter, with Assistant Surgeon C. Wagner, First Lieutenant J. A. Mower and Second Lieutenant J. P. Sherburne. These two companies will garrison the barracks at that place–the artillery soldiers having been concentrated at Fort Taylor.
The First regiment of infantry has served in Texas since the Mexican war, and detachments have been stationed at every military post in the Department, with four exceptions. Several of the posts were mainly built by the soldiers of this regiment. It has been engaged in several skirmishes with Indians which were highly creditable to the officers and men, and has afforded much protection to the border settlers. The old First regiment has numbered among its officers some of the foremost military men our country has produced, among which stand pre-eminent the names of Taylor, Twiggs, Sam Houston, Jessup, Croghan, Call, Harney, Kearney and Jeff. Davis.
The Second regiment of cavalry was organized by Secretary Davis in the summer of 1855, at Jefferson Barracks, Missouri, and in the autumn of that year started for Texas. After a painful winter march through the Indian nations, it arrived in Texas in January, 1856, and since that time has been constantly engaged upon the frontiers in a warfare against the Camanche, Lipan and Apache Indians, with whom it has had over forty fights. A portion of the regiment was mainly instrumental in putting to flight the hordes of the Mexican bandit Cortinas, on the Rio Grande frontier, and in restoring peace to that portion of our country.
Many Indians were killed and captured in the fights before alluded to, and the regiment was called upon to deplore the loss of one officer and several men killed on the fields, and six officers and many men wounded. From the Red river to the Rio Grande many a gallant soldier of this regiment has found his resting place beneath the green sods of the prairies. For these actions the regiment has received frequent compliments from the headquarters of the Department of the army.
At the time General Twiggs surrendered the federal property to the State of Texas the regiment was stationed on the extreme frontier, from the Brazos river to the Rio Grande, in detachments of one and two companies, and stationed over a line of more than a thousand miles.
At the organization of the regiment there were twenty six officers appointed from the Southern States, and nine from the North. Since the secession movement nine of the Southern officers have resigned and been advanced to higher grades in the army of the Confederate States. All of the officers were invited to resign by President Davis and certain promotion guaranteed to them. Notwithstanding this, the regiment left Texas, or rather the six companies on board the steamship, in excellent order and fine discipline, and cast aside all offers which had been held out to them to desert the flag which they have learned to love so well. The inducements held out to incite the enlisted men to desert were disregarded by them, though the authorities at Montgomery and of the State of Texas had expressly declared that their allegiance to the United States government was at an end.
First Lieutenant James B. Witherell, of the Second cavalry, was drowned, on the 20th of March, while the troops from the Rio Grande were embarking at the mouth of the river for Indianola. He as a native of Detroit, Michigan, and entered the army March 3, 1855. He had served with credit in several Indian skirmishes, in one of which he was wounded, and had been specially noticed in orders by the General-in-Chief. His loss is sincerely deplored by his brother officers and his many friends Every effort was made to recover his body, without success.
Accompanying the command is Sergeant John Mills, principal musician of the First infantry, who is no doubt the oldest enlisted man now in the army, he being seventy one years of age, and having entered the service in 1808. He was at the battle of Tippecanoe, where he served as General Harrison orderly, in 1811; participated in the battle of Magnago, under Colonel Cass, and was taken prisoner at Hull’s surrender. He was through the Florida campaigns, and served with General Taylor at the battle of Okeechobee. He is much respected by the officers of his regiment.
Private John Tanney, of Company D, Second cavalry, fell overboard and was drowned on the night of April 3. Private Henry Connelly, of Company B, Second cavalry, fell overboard on the 8th of April, but was rescued.
Private John Tanney, of Company D, Second cavalry, fell overboard and was drowned on the night of April 3. Private Henry Connelly, of Company B, Second cavalry, fell overboard on the 8th of April, but was rescued.
The officers and men of the command are as follows, viz:–
Company I, First infantry, Captain John H. King, 79 men.
Company D, Second cavalry, Captain Innis N. Palmer, 61 men.
Company E, Second cavalry, Captain George Stoneman, 45 men.
Company I, Second cavalry, Captain Albert G. Brackett, 59 men.
Company B, Second cavalry, First Lieutenant Walter H. Jenifer, 64 men.
Company H, Second cavalry, Second Lieutenant James E. Harrison, 41 men.
Company G, Second cavalry, Second Lieutenant Manning M. Kimmel, 63 men.
All of the officers mentioned above, with the exception of the last two, served in the Mexican war.
The ladies of the command are Mrs. Caldwell and three children, Miss Lacy, Mrs. Palmer and three children, Mrs. Harrison and Mrs. McFarland.
Mr. Edward Williams came as a passenger.
Mr. Edward Williams came as a passenger.
Twenty four laundresses accompany the troops.
We could not obtain water at Key West. The inhabitants depend entirely on rain for their supplies, and dry weather had prevailed for some time.
Wherefore we steamed over to Havana, furnished ourselves for the passage home, and started north on the afternoon of the 6th. The weather since leaving Havana has been one incessant gale.
The troops in Texas are in excellent health and condition, and are abundantly supplied with provisions and means of transportation. The Empire City would leave Indianola in about eight days, with the third detachment of troops. The Star of the West would probably be detained twenty five days. The number of troops left in Texas is about 1,000 men, some of whom have to perform a march of 700 miles to reach the coast.