Coastal Texas II

Last Update: 06/JUNE/2009

Camp Independence
(1836 - 1837), near Edna
A Texas Army post located on the east-side of the Lavaca River about four miles southwest of town. Abandoned for Camp Bowie (1).

Camp Crockett (1)
(1837), near Edna ?
Temporary headquarters of the Texas Army, located somewhere on the Navidad River south of town. Abandoned for Camp Chambers (1).

Camp Bowie (1)
(1837), Texana
A temporary Texas Army camp located on the east-side of the Navidad River at Red Bluff, one mile below town, eight miles southeast of Edna. Abandoned for Camp Crockett (1).

Camp Chambers (1)
(1837), near Inez
A Texas Army encampment on Arenosa Creek about three miles southeast of town.

Lavaca Station
(1825 - 1827), Jackson County
A receiving point for settlers bound for De Witt's Colony in Gonzales, located on the Lavaca River about six miles inland from the mouth. Also known as Old Station. They were in violation of Mexican law when they settled here within ten leagues of the coast. A supply warehouse was allowed to be built, but the settlement was ordered to be abandoned by the Mexican authorities. It was not fortified.

Fort St. Louis
(Fort St. Louis Archaeological Project)
(1685 - 1687), near Port Lavaca
A French settlement for 180 colonists under the leadership of René Robert Cavelier, sieur de La Salle, located on the west-side of Garcitas Creek, about five miles inland from Lavaca Bay. A temporary stockade had been erected at the mouth of the creek during the first month, but the settlement was not fortified. Only several crude huts were erected, and one structure built from salvaged timber from one of La Salle's wrecked ships. About two years after La Salle was killed on an inland expedition, Karankawa Indians destroyed the settlement and killed all but two of the 20 or so remaining settlers, who then later found their way to Arkansas Post on the Mississippi River. The Spanish found the "fort" in ruins in 1689, and burned what was left. The Spanish later established the first Presidio La Bahía about three miles downriver in 1721 (see below). Both sites were excavated in the 1950's. See also Handbook of Texas Online.
See also The 1687 La Belle Shipwreck from TexasBeyondHistory.net.

Military Station at Port Lavaca
(1848 - 1849), Port Lavaca
A Federal post and supply depot.

Fort Lavaca
(1862 - 1863), Port Lavaca
A CSA nine-gun battery on a bluff overlooking the bay. The guns were removed in 1863 to Fort Esperanza. The Union occupied the town from December 1863 until June 1864.

Camp Lee
(1861 - 1864), near Indianola
A briefly occupied Union mobilization point originally called Camp Powderhorn, located on Powderhorn Bayou. Troops gathered here in February - March 1861 from the surrendered inland posts to be shipped out back to the northern states. Renamed and periodically occupied by the CSA after hostilities broke out. The Union occupied Indianola briefly in October 1862, and then from December 1863 to June 1864.

Fort Esperanza ? ?
(1862 - 1865), near Saluria, Matagorda Island
A Confederate nine-gun work (aka Fort Debray) built by slave labor in early 1862 at the site of an old Spanish fort (?), directly across the bay from Port O'Connor. Briefly abandoned in October 1862 as the Union fleet advanced into Matagorda Bay and took Indianola. The fort was captured by Union forces in November 1863. Re-occupied by the CSA in June 1864 and held until the end of the war. The eastern walls of the fort eroded away in an 1868 storm. The rest was gone by 1878. Some outer rifle pits may still remain.

A CSA one-gun battery was also located just across McHenry Bayou from the town.

Located two miles south near the lighthouse at the former entrance to Cavallo Pass (now closed) was Fort Washington (1836, 1846), originally a Texan Army earthwork defense and later a temporary American post during the Mexican-American War. Rebuilt as a seven-gun battery by the CSA in 1861 but later abandoned as it was considered a poor defensive position against the Union fleet.

Camp Irwin
(1846), near Placedo
A Federal post and supply depot on Placedo Creek about 12 miles from Port Lavaca. Also known as Camp Placedo.

Victoria Blockhouse
(1824 ? - unknown), Victoria
A Mexican settlers' blockhouse built to protect against Indian raids. The town was founded and settled by Martín de León and 41 predominately Mexican families in 1824.
See also De León's Colony from Handbook of Texas Online.

Camp on the Guadalupe River
(1848 - 1849), near Victoria
A Federal encampment located one mile south of town.

Camp Pitt
(1848), near Victoria

Camp Henry McCulloch
(1861 - 1862), near Victoria
A CSA "camp of instruction" located four miles north of town at "Nuner's Mott". The Victoria Male Academy was used as the camp hospital.

Camp Stanley (1) ?
(unknown dates), near Victoria
Located four miles north of town.

Presidio de La Bahía
(1749 - 1836), Goliad
Name variations include Presidio de Nuestra Señora del Loreto de la Bahía de Espíritu Santos, Presidio de Santa Maria del Loreto de la Bahía, and Presidio de Nuestra Señora de la Bahía del Espíritu Santo. Originally located on Garcitas Creek near Port Lavaca in 1721 (wooden stockade), it was moved in 1726 to Mission Valley on the Guadalupe River (wooden stockade with a few stone structures). It was moved again in 1749 to its present site on the south bank of the San Antonio River to protect Mission de Nuestra Señora del Espíritu Santo de Zuñiga (1749, almost all stone structures), now restored and located in Goliad State Park (admission fee). Also part of Goliad State Park are the preserved ruins of Mission de Nuestra Señora del Rosario (1749 - 1807). Spanish troops from here participated in actions against the British in 1779 - 1781 along the Gulf Coast. In 1812 the presidio was held by rebel forces under Bernardo Gutiérrez de Lara (Gutiérrez-Magee Expedition). The original name of the town, La Bahía, was changed in 1829. The presidio was completely restored in the 1960's, and is said to be the finest example of a complete Spanish presidio in Texas. A museum with thousands of artifacts is in the restored Officers' quarters. Admission fee. See also Handbook of Texas Online.

Texan forces later took over the presidio in October 1835 and named it Fort Goliad. In February 1836 it was strengthened and renamed Fort Defiance. This was the scene in March 1836 of the "Goliad Massacre", in which 342 Texans were executed by the Mexican Army.

Refugio Presidio ?
(1807 - 1836, 1867 ?), Refugio
A Spanish presidio was located here, later occupied by Mexican troops. It protected the Mission de Nuestra Señora del Refugio (1795 - 1830). Federal U.S. Army troops may have occupied the old compound in 1867 during Reconstruction.

St. Joseph's Island Depot
(1845 - 1846), San José Island
An American supply depot established by Colonel Zachary Taylor in anticipation of the Mexican-American War. It was abandoned shortly after Fort Marcy was established. Located on the southern end of the island at the north-side of Aransas Pass.

Camp Semmes
(1846 - 1847, 1862 - 1865), Mustang Island
Originally located on the north-end of the island in 1846 was the American Mustang Island Fort. Rebuilt and renamed as a CSA gun battery in 1862, also known as Fort Aransas (a). It was located near the Aransas Pass Lighthouse (1855), which was shelled by Union ships in November 1863. The actual site of the fort probably no longer exists, contrary to a local marker on "Bunker Hill", because the channel shifted south in 1875.

Fort Shell Bank
(1862 - 1864), Shellbank Island
A CSA earthwork battery. Also known as Fort Aransas (b).

¤ TEMPORARY HARBOR DEFENSES of CORPUS CHRISTI

¤ Port Aransas Military Reservation
(1942 - 1944), Port Aransas, Mustang Island
A two-gun 155mm battery on Panama mounts was located south of the south jetty, which had replaced a temporary field-positioned 105mm howitzer battery.
(some additional info provided by Bill Gaines of the CDSG)

Fort Kinney
(1839 - 1845 ?, 1862), Corpus Christi
A strongly fortified stockaded trading post, also called Henry Kinney's Fort (or Stockade), built by Kinney and William Aubrey. Site located at 401 North Broadway. Garrisoned by 30 men and mounted several cannon in 1844. The town was already settled when U.S. troops first arrived in 1845. The Confederate forces in this area briefly used the old fort in 1862, armed with three old guns.

Camp Nueces (1)
(1842), Corpus Christi
A Texan Army of the Southwest post located on Nueces Bay, somewhere near Fort Kinney.

Somewhere nearby were Camp Everitt and Camp Williams, both 1842.

Post of Corpus Christi
(1845 - 1846, 1849 - 1865, 1869 - 1918, intermittant), Corpus Christi
Camp Marcy was originally established in July 1845 as the first Federal troops arrived from St. Joseph's Island Depot. Marker located in Artesian Park at 800 Chaparral Street. Fort Marcy was built by General Zachary Taylor's forces in early 1846. Earthwork (sand and shell) shore batteries were first built in 1846 along the bay near the present-day Visitors Center (1201 North Shoreline). The town was minimally garrisoned after Taylor's main army left for the Rio Grande frontier in March 1846. Federal Dragoons later occupied the city in 1849. The Corpus Christi Quartermaster Supply Depot (1849 - 1857), built nearby, also served as the garrison post headquarters after 1852, then possibly re-using the Fort Marcy name. The earthwork batteries were later repaired and reused by the Confederates in 1862, which were then armed with the three old guns transferred from Kinney's Fort, plus three additional guns found elsewhere.

Camp Corpus Christi (1850 - 1852) was originally established in rented quarters in the town. The city was garrisoned during Reconstruction (1869 - 1870), and Regular Army troops were encamped here again in 1880 - 1881, and again in 1913 - 1918 during the border crisis with Mexico.

The site of the original Corpus Christi Lighthouse was at Buffalo and Upper North Broadway. It was used as a powder magazine during the Civil War and was dismantled in 1878.

Camp Barranca
(1860), near Calallen
Located near the mouth of the Nueces River.

NEED MORE INFO:
Towns:

NOTE: The use of the Texas flag for settler forts before 1836 indicates those settlers of American origin, even though Texas did not exist as a seperate nation until 1836.

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