The Matagorda Incident

In late 1863, during the Civil War, Union forces stormed much of the Texas coast in an effort to block the flow of goods and supplies going through coastal ports. One of the most important port openings was the Matagorda Bay, where the Gulf of Mexico meets the Colorado River. The bay is shielded by a strip of land, the Matagorda Peninsula. In December that year, Union soldiers were reported to have on Matagorda Peninsula supported by Union gunboats. The present Confederate Naval Officer, Capt. James R. Marmion, led gunboats to face the Union ships across the peninsula. On the morning of December 30, 1863, Confederate cavalry and the Union landing party opened fire. Capt. Marmion’s gunboats helped prevent the Union forces from successfully constructing fortifications. One Union ship left to gather reinforcements, while Capt. Marmion realized that he too needed more men to support the cavalry Capt. Edward S. Rugeley and his Company D of Brown's Regiment, Texas Cavalry, were originally stationed to defend the town of Matagorda, but that afternoon Capt. Marmion called upon them to report to his gunboat to stage an amphibious assault, That night a combined total of 57 men took two boats to the shore of the peninsula as well as a third boat to carry officers. An extremely cold norther forced Capt. Rugeley to call the transports to return to the gunboat, Despite the short distance to retreat, the boats were swamped in the storm and 22 men died. Most Matagorda families were impacted by the deaths. Eventually the Union troops retreated, leaving the Confederate forces in control of the peninsula. (2015)

The Matagorda Incident is a historical marker in Matagorda, Matagorda County, dedicated in 2015. It is one of 88 historical markers documented in Matagorda County in the Texas Historical Commission Atlas, among 114 historic sites cataloged across the county.

The site sits at 28.7014, -95.9564 near Matagorda. The nearest cataloged historic site is First Burials in Matagorda Cemetery, Benjamin Wightman, Esther Randall Wightman (historical marker), about under a tenth of a mile away. Others within a short drive include The Yellow Fever Epidemic of 1862, Matagorda Cemetery, and Matagorda Cemetery.

This record corresponds to Texas Historical Commission Atlas #5507018122. Use the map below for its exact position and turn-by-turn directions.