330 



GALVESTON. 



of public opinion. They recommend all loyal citizens, 

 all public officers, all municipal corporations, rigorous- 

 ly to withhold all patronage from such newspapers as 

 do not hereafter give their unqualified support to the 

 National Government. 



The jurors were then discharged for the term. 



Later in the year the "Franklin Gazette," 

 published in Franklin County, New York, was 

 suppressed, and its editor sent to Fort Lafayette, 

 as a State prisoner. 



The "Herald," a daily paper, published at 

 Cleveland, Ohio, defended Gen. Fremont from 

 the reports circulating for a time against him, 

 and espoused his cause with earnestness. The 

 packages of this paper were ordered to be taken 

 away from the cars of one of the railroads in the 

 State of Ohio. As they were express packages, 



the threat was made, that unless they were re- 

 moved, no express packages should be allowed 

 to go over the road. This threat caused the 

 newspaper packages to be removed. The editor 

 then made a complaint to the president of the 

 road, who had recently been elected Governor 

 of the State of Ohio. The answer was in these 

 words: "That the course of the ' Herald' for 

 the past few weeks has been highly destructive 

 to the best interests of our Government, there 

 can be no question, and so long as its proprie- 

 tors see proper to continue the same line of 

 policy, I hope the superintendent (who, since my 

 election, has been entrusted with the entire 

 management of the road) will use all legitimate 

 means in his power to suppress its circulation." 



Gr 



GALVESTON has been the most populous 

 and commercial city of Texas. It is situated 

 on an island at the mouth, of a bay of its own 

 name, about 460 miles west by south of New 

 Orleans, and 230 miles southeast of Austin 

 City. The island -which separates the bay from 

 the Gulf of Mexico is about thirty miles long, 

 from east to west, and about a mile and a half 

 wide. The distance from the island across the 

 bay by the railroad bridge to the mainland is 

 about two miles. For the defence of the city 

 during the year guns were placed at the east 

 end of the island, at Bolivar Point, and at Peli- 

 can Spit Island, commanding the bay. The 

 city is situated on the bay, and is a mile to a 

 mile and a half from the Gulf. The population 

 of the city, in 1853, was about 7,000. The 

 commerce of the city continued as usual, until 

 the commencement of hostilities, when it de- 

 clined, and under the blockade ceased entirely, 

 The cause of the South was ardently espoused 

 by the inhabitants, and numbers entered the 

 army. No important occurrence of a hostile 

 nature, however, took place here, until the 

 month of August. 



On the 3d, a few shots were fired from the 

 blockading schooner Dart at the batteries on 

 Galveston Island. This was intended as a sort 

 of reconnoissance. Again, on the 5th, the 

 steamer North Carolina opened her fire upon 

 the batteries, and threw some shells into the 

 city. A large number of persons having col- 

 lected on the sand hills, a little eastward of the 

 batteries, a shell fell among them, killing one 

 man and wounding three others. This led to a 

 protest by the foreign consuls resident in the 

 city, as follows : 



GALVESTON, August 5, 1861. 

 To Capt. Jam&i Alden, commanding U. S. Steamer 



South Carolina : 



SIR : The undersigned Consuls and Vice-Consuls at 

 Galveston consider it their duty to enter their solemn 

 protest against your bombardment of this city on the 

 evening of the 3d inst., without having given notice, 

 so that the women and children might have been re- 

 moved ; and also against your firing a shell in the 

 midst of a large crowd of unarmed citizens, amongst 



whom were many women and children, causing there- 

 by the death of an unoffending Portuguese, and 

 wounding boys and peacefully-disposed citizens, as 

 acts of inhumanity unrecognized in modern warfare, 

 and meriting the condemnation of Christian and civil- 

 ized nations. ARTHUR S. LYNN, 



British Consul. 

 JAS. FREDRICK, 



Hanoverian and Oldenburg Consul ; and, in 

 absence of James Jachurch, acting Con- 

 sul for Prussia and Hamburg. 



To this note Capt. Alden, on the next day, 

 sent a reply, stating the facts to have been as 

 follows : 



Early on the morning of the 3d, our gunboat found 

 herself near the shore, and shortly after, as the result 

 proved, within range of some of the batteries. The 

 first warning she got was a shot not a blank car- 

 tridge, but a shot not fired ahead or astern of her to 

 warn her off, but straight at her. She of course tired 

 back, and some shots were exchanged ; then she came 

 back and reported the facts to me. This was in the 

 morning. I waited till nearly five in the afternoon 

 hoping explanation, some disavowal, of the act would 

 be sent off. None came. I then got under way and 

 stood in for the batteries, which, you are aware, are in 

 the rear and close to the town, merely to see if they 

 could, when they knew the town must be injured by 

 our return fire, 'repeat such an act of aggression by 

 commencing upon us. We were no sooner within 

 range of their guns, however, than they opened their 

 fire, when we, after exchanging a few shots, retired, 

 preferring that it should appear that we were beaten 

 off rather than continue a contest where, as the result 

 shows, so many unoffending citizens must necessarily 

 suffer. If that act merits the condemnation of Chris- 

 tian and civilized nations, tell me, gentlemen, what 

 would you have done were you in my place? 



Again, you protest against my firing a shell into a 

 crowd of unarmed citizens amongst whom were 

 many women and children. Good God ! gentlemen, 

 do you think such an act was premeditated ? Besides, 

 was it not the duty of the military commandant, who 

 by his act in the morning had invited me to the con- 

 test, to see that all such were out of the way ? Did he 

 not have all day to prepare ? It was evident to my 

 mind they knew we were coming, or why was that 

 demonstration of the steamer Gen. Rusk ? 



In conclusion, let mo add that no one can regret the 

 injury done to unoffending citizens more than I do. 

 Still, I find no complaints of my acts of the 3d instant 

 coming from military or civil authorities of Galveston, 

 and with due deference to your consideration and 

 humanity, I must respectfully remark that it is the 



