- Naval Battle of Campeche
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Naval Battle of Campeche Part of Texas-Mexican Wars and Yucatan Rebellion 
The sloop-of-war Austin.Date April 30–May 16, 1843 Location near Campeche, Mexico Result Texas and Yucatan tactical victory, Mexican strategic victory Belligerents 
Republic of Texas
Republic of Yucatán
MexicoCommanders and leaders 
Edwin Ward Moore
James D. Boylan Tomas MarinStrength 1 sloop-of-war
1 brig
2 schooners
5 gunboats[1]3 steamers
2 brigs
2 schooners[2]Casualties and losses 7 killed
24 wounded30 killed
55 woundedCordova Rebellion – Santa Fe Expedition –Vásquez Expedition – Canales Rebellion – Battle of San Antonio de Bexar – Battle of Salado Creek – Dawson Massacre – Battle of Arroyo Hondo – Mier Expedition – Battle of Mier – Black Bean Incident – Snively Expedition – Battle of CampecheThe Naval Battle of Campeche took place on April 30, 1843 and May 16, 1843. The battle featured the most advanced warships of its day, including the Mexican steamer Guadalupe and the equally formidable Moctezuma which engaged a squadron of vessels from the Republic of Yucatan and the Republic of Texas. The latter force consisted of the sloop Austin, commanded by Commodore Edwin Ward Moore, the brig Wharton, and a couple of schooners and five gunboats from the Republic of Yucatán, commanded by former Texas Navy Captain James D. Boylan. Texas had declared its independence in 1836 but Mexico did not recognize its independence, in Yucatán, a similar rebellion had begun and was fought off-and-on from 1836 to 1846. The battle ended in a combined Yucatecan and Texan victory.[3]
Contents
Background
Commodore Edwin Ward Moore had been waging a campaign against Mexican fishing vessels in the Gulf and disrupting commerce, because it was mistakenly thought in Texas that the Mexicans were planning some type of amphibious assault on Texas in order to retake the rebellious province. During these operations, Moore's fleet lost several ships to open rebellion and mutiny. He could not fully retrofit and rearm his ships when he put in at New Orleans, and the government of Texas refused him any more funds and subsequently ordered him back to Texas so that the fleet could be scrapped or sold. Moore himself mutinied against the Texas government, and disregarding their direct orders, allied himself with the Yucatan government, who at the time was in open rebellion against the tyrannical central Mexican government. The Yucatan government reportedly paid Moore $8,000 a month for his services. Moore, now fully funded, set sail to lift the Mexican naval blockcade of the port of Campeche.
Battle
The brig Wharton depicted on Texan currency.
The battle began on April 30, and involved the Texas-Yucatan force that had been attacking and clearing the Gulf of Mexico of small Mexican fishing boats, against a small Mexican squadron which consisted of small sailing ships and one small steamer, the "Regenerator". The initial battle lasted only a few hours and was a draw as both sides retired. After rearming, the Texan ships sailed out and encountered the much stronger Mexican squadron on May 16, which included the modern steamships Guadalupe and the Moctezuma, commanded by British officers and manned by both British and Mexican seamen. After approaching the Mexican fleet with extreme caution and trepidation, Moore engaged the Mexicans and British. After three hours of broadsides, the battle was more or less a draw, with both sides withdrawing after sustaining considerable damage and casualties. The Texans suffered the most physical damage to their ships, while the Mexicans and British suffered more casualties. In the aftermath, both sides claimed victory. The battle scene was memorialized in an engraving on the cylinder of the famed Colt Navy Revolver.[4]
The Mexican steamship, "Regenerator" and its battered attendant squadron rejoined the Guadalupe and the Moctezuma flotilla on or about May 19, and in the face of this overwhelming force, the Texas squadron retreated to Galveston. After their return, they were acclaimed as heroes, even though Texas President Sam Houston had declared the ships' captains and crew pirates for sailing to the Bay of Campeche against his wishes. Having fought the superior Mexican squadron to a draw was an admirable achievement for Commodore Moore, whose own principal ships were wholly sail-powered while the Mexican fleet had deployed three modern British built and commanded steam-powered warships. Most previous sea battles between the two sides had ended in victories for the Mexicans, including the disastrous taking of the Texan schooner Independence, in 1837.
Order of Battle
Texas Navy:
- Austin, 20 guns, sloop-of-war, flagship
- Wharton, 16 guns, brig
Yucatecan Navy:
Mexican Navy:
- Guadaloupe, 7 guns, steamer, flagship
- Moctezuma, 4 guns, steamer
- Regenerator, steamer
- Yucateco, 12 guns, brig
- Iman, 7 guns, brig
- Eagle, 7 guns, schooner
- Campechano, 3 guns, schooner
See also
- Naval operations of the Texas Revolution
- Battle of the Brazos River
- Battle of Matamoros
- Battle of Galveston Harbor (1837)
References
- ^ http://www.texasnavy.com/combat.htm
- ^ http://www.texasnavy.com/combat.htm
- ^ Jordan, Jonathan W., Lone Star Navy: Texas, the Fight for the Gulf of Mexico, and the Shaping of the American West (Potomac Books 2007)
- ^ Handbook of Texas
Categories:- Conflicts in 1843
- Naval battles involving Mexico
- Naval battles involving Texas
- 1843 in Mexico
- 1843 in the United States
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