Texan schooner Liberty

The Texas schooner "Liberty" was one of the four schooners of the First Texas Navy (1836-1838). She served in the Texas Navy for only about 6 months, capturing the Mexican brig "Pelicano" loaded with weapons for their army in Texas. Later that year, she sailed to New Orleans accompanying the wounded Sam Houston, where she was repaired. Texas was unable to pay for the repairs and the ship was sold in June, 1836, to pay for the cost of the repairs. This left the Texas Navy with only three ships.

History of the schooner before the Texas Navy

She was previously the privately-owned ship "William Robbins" which was purchased in November 1835, by the rebellious citizens of Matagorda when the Texas-bound schooner "Hannah Elizabeth" was captured by the Mexican Navy brig "Bravo". "Hannah Elizabeth" was laden with weapons and ammunition for the Texas Revolution and she was seized and run aground at Cavallo Pass, throwing her cannons overboard during the chase. Days later the "Williams Robbins" was placed under the command of Captain William A. Hurd who captured the Mexican Man-of-war "Correo de Mejico" and recaptured the "Hannah Elizabeth" from the Mexican prize crew and took both ships to Galveston. [ [http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/navy/wm_hurd_commission_mar12_1836.html Texas State Library Archives] ] These actions were controversial in some quarters because they were done before the "William Robbins" was granted a letter of marque from the fledgling Texas government. [ [http://www.sonofthesouth.net/texas/naval-battle-hannah-elizabeth.htm Son of the South website] ]

The "William Robbins" was purchased by the Texas government in Galveston on January 5, 1836, for the sum of $3,500 and was christened the "Liberty". She was thus the first ship of the Texas Navy. [ [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/LL/qtl1.html "Liberty" "Handbook of Texas Online". Texas State Historical Association] ]

ervice in the Texas Navy

Captain William S. Brown, whose brother Jeremiah Brown commanded one of the other Texas ships, "Invincible", was appointed commander of the schooner in January 1836. Later that month, he set to sea to harry Mexican naval efforts to blockade the Texas coast from further shipments of arms and volunteers and at the same time to disrupt Mexican supplies from reaching their troops in Texas by sea. On March 6, while on a cruise towards the Yucatán Peninsula, "Liberty" captured the three-gun Mexican schooner "Pelicano" under the guns of the fortress at Sisal. "Pelicano" was sailed into Matagorda Bay and she "proved to contain 300 kegs of powder and other military supplies concealed inside cargo owned by the New Orleans firm of J.W. Zacharie. "Pelican" ran aground and was lost on the bar at Matagorda, Texas, but her cargo was salvaged and used to good advantage in the San Jacinto campaign." [Wells, Tom H. "The Texas Navy". "Sea Classics", February, 2005.]

Captain Brown resigned just nine days after this triumph due to a quarrel with Commodore Charles Hawkins. Brown proferred charges (see original here [http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/navy/wm_brown_1836_1.html] ) and his brother was clapped in chains that same day by Commodore Hawkins. [ [http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/exhibits/navy/wm_brown_1836_1.html Texas State Library Archives] ] George Wheelwright was then appointed captain of "Liberty" in May 1836, and his first mission was to accompany and defend the ship "Flora" as she bore Sam Houston, who had been wounded at San Jacinto on April 21, to New Orleans for hospitalization. [ [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/LL/qtl1.html "Liberty" "Handbook of Texas Online". Texas State Historical Association] ]

In New Orleans, "Liberty" undertook repairs. " [U] nable to meet her refitting bills, [she] was detained in May 1836 and later sold to satisfy her creditors - an event which illustrated the shoestring budget under which the Texas Navy was forced to work despite the demands on it." [Wells, Tom H. "The Texas Navy". "Sea Classics", February, 2005.] With "Liberty" sold, the Texas Navy now was down to three ships, and peaceful independence was still elusive for Texas.

The crew seeks prize money

Years later, the crew of the "Liberty" petitioned the Texas Congress for a share of the prize money of the "Pelicano". The Judiciary Committee ruled that since the District Court of Brazoria had admiralty jurisdiction and had properly condemned the "Pelicano", the crew of "Liberty" was entitled to a just share of the prize. [ [http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/LL/qtl1.html "Liberty" "Handbook of Texas Online". Texas State Historical Association] ]

References