Supplemental report (starting at the bottom of this page) of (Confederate) Major Watkins to Captain E. P. Turner, Assistant Adjutant-General, regarding the capture of the USS Morning Light (Page 1 of 4). This is in Volume 19 of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Navies in the War of the Rebellion.
Houston, Tex., March 14, 1863.
Captain: The battle of the 21st of January could have been heard in the Galveston offing. The Gulf was calm; the distance, as I was informed, did not exceed 40 miles. There was, therefore, just cause to expect the arrival of a portion of Commodore Bell's fleet within a few hours after the surrender. It was imporssible to communicate with the major-general commanding and ascertain his wishes. There was no time for council. I had to determine the course of the expedition at once.
The captured vessels would be worse than useless in battle, for I could not spare seamen enough to maneuver them, nor were there among my excellent artillerists any who were skillful in the use of guns mounted on ship carriages. With so much property that had been valuable to the enemy, it would have been imprudent ot remain in the Gulf. Indeed, it was impossible to remain there; existing orders forbade my leaving the Sabine and Neches unprotected by the boats as well as the batteries, and the supply of wood for the steamers was (This report is continued on page 568)
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