For two days the Union ships bombarded the town
of Lavaca into shambles as approximately 252 shells
rained destruction on the town. The only confirmed
death was that of a pet Saint Bernard left behind by its
owner. Lt. George E. Conklin (C.S. Army. Post Adjutant at Lavaca) reports to his superiors, “The steamers
were struck several times and one of them partially
disabled, as they immediately steamed off out of range
of our batteries, where they again cast anchor and
kept up a steady fire on the town and batteries until
night shut-in.” In his report Lt. Conklin also praises
the women of Lavaca as they, “acted the part of true
Southern heroines, supplying our tired soldiers with
coffee, bread, and meat even during the thickest of the
fight.”
Dawn erupted over the bay as the second day of the
battle had the Lavaca defenders run out of ammunition. They refused to capitulate to the Union aggressors by striking their colors and raise a white flag of
42
surrender. Without accomplishing their goal of capturing Lavaca the Union fleet retired down the channel leading to Lavaca bay with the captured schooner
Lecompte in tow. The Lecompte had been seized in
Matagorda Bay, prior to arriving at Lavaca, loaded
with 18 bales of cotton. Private Singer swore, “This
would be the last time a Northern fleet would slip into
a Southern harbor without a fight.”
To Be Continued In Next Month’s Issue
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Writer’s Note: I Would Like To Thank
George Anne Cormier, Director Of The
Calhoun County Museum,
Port Lavaca, For Her
Invaluable Assistance.
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