It was at this time the colonel noticed that the Clifton had left her position. She was signaled by Renshaw from the Westfield that he was aground, and gone to her assistance between twelve and one o’clock. The Westfield discovered these Confederate steamers about the same time as the Harriet Lane and got under way, but very soon was hard and fast ashore at high water. The absence of both the Owasco and Clifton left the military upon the wharf unprotected on the flanks for some hours.
The Bayou City had left Choppers Bar, at Morgan’s Point, between nine and ten o’clock Wednesday night, December 31st, with the Royal Yacht and J. F. Carr in tow. The Royal Yacht got aground at Redfish Bar and had to be left behind. The Confederate boats being light draft steamers could navigate the shoal waters of the bay, and were not obliged, on arriving opposite the city, to keep to the ship channel. Upon being discovered these steamers withdrew out of sight to Half Moon Shoals, six miles distant. The military force went into their barracks again to sleep on their arms.
Captain Sherive, with the chaplain, made a second visit to the city, by a mistake getting outside of the lines; they had been drawn in once more without any notification to the rest of the command. They found the city full of people; and had the enemy been ready then for operations, both officers would have been killed, or wounded and taken prisoners. Not ready to act, the Confederates kept in hiding as much as possible.
About half-past three o’clock in the morning, masses of moving men in the streets were discovered by the picket sentries, who fired at them and slowly fell back toward the wharf, without eliciting a fire in return. The troops asleep in the barracks, equipments and overcoats on, for the night was cold, and guns by their side, were immediately ordered up, and to line the work built on the thirtieth. The order was promptly obeyed: Company I upon the right; Company G upon the left; while Company D was to be stationed in line, with its left resting at the breastwork, the right prolonged towards the harbor, ready to wheel either to the right or left up to the work. As the picket detail came in over the single plank left upon the openings in the wharf for that purpose, they took position with Company G. Lieutenant Newcomb was the last man in. Up to between one and two o’clock a bright moonlight enabled objects to be distinguished for some distance, but after two o’clock darkness had shut in to such a degree that objects ten feet off could not be seen. A few cheering words were rapidly addressed to his men by the colonel, who cautioned them not to forget the State they represented, and to reserve their fire until orders were given to commence. The enemy lost no time in getting into position. Magruder must have expected to be able to cut off the whole or part of the picket from reaching the wharf by placing his first gun at the large open door of the Star Foundry, a building at the head of the next wharf to the right of Kuhn’s Wharf, for the position gave him a chance to rake the wharf. It was this gun that was first fired, having been rapidly placed in the foundry after the pickets gave warning he was at hand.
A city clock had a few minutes previous struck four o’clock when this gun was fired by General Magruder in person, the ball glancing over the edge of the breastwork, crashing through the storehouse, and the action opened. All of the enemy’s artillery opened fire shortly after with solid shot, shell and canister. Before he fired the first gun, Magruder remarked: “Boys, now we will give them hell,” and after firing left for his headquarters, established on Broadway, saying, “Now boys, I have done my part as private, I will go and attend to that of general.”
A number of men not exactly sick, but worn out and tired from continued hard work, together with a few lazy fellows, remained in the building when the rest filed out. They did not stay long. Private Mosely, Company D, who was lying down when told by Sergeant Waterman to get up and come along, said it was “d——d nonsense,” and proposed to have some sleep. The cannon ball crashing and smashing things over his head sent Mose rolling down the run that lead to the second story. Private Dave Howe, Company D, who claimed to be sick, climbed out of a window to a pitch roof, that covered the water tank, straddling along until the end was reached, when he found himself looking down into the water; a shell over his head just then sent him wriggling back and through the window again, and down he tumbled over the run to the wharf. One of the incidents the men can never forget was the chaplain finding Privates Thompson and Vining[6] had got into a large iron tank, used to catch rain-water from the storehouse roofs, that was set upon its side close to the building, drove them out and got in himself. Not a very safe place to take shelter if a solid shot happened to strike it.
[6] Daniel Harvey Vining, of Weymouth, an odd character, was sixty-five years old. He tried to get mustered with Company A, but the mustering officer rejected him as too old. When Company D was mustered into service Vining dyed his hair, fixed up to look young, and tried it again with that company. The officer knew him however, and asked: “How old are you to-day?” Vining answered promptly, “Forty-four years old.” No further questions were put and he was mustered in, to his delight.
The Confederate land force under General Magruder, consisted of infantry commands of Colonels Green, Bagby and Reily, Lieutenant-Colonel L. A. Abercrombie and Major Griffin; Colonel Pyron’s regiment dismounted dragoons; Colonel X. B. Debray’s cavalry regiment; and cavalry companies of Captain Bowles, Atkins, Andrews, and Durant; Colonel J. J. Cook’s regiment artillery; and Wilson’s six-gun light battery. The country for miles around was thoroughly scoured for volunteers, who flocked to Magruder’s force, in this way swelled to about five or six thousand men of all arms. The brigade commanders were Brigadier-General W. R. Scurry and Colonel Reily. General Scurry had command in the immediate vicinity of the wharf. Besides Wilson’s light battery the enemy had six siege guns, fourteen field pieces—some of them rifled—and a railroad ram, armed with an eight-inch Dahlgren mounted on a railroad flat car. Most of this artillery arrived from the Mississippi River a week before. In regard to the numbers of his men General Magruder, in conversation with the officers some time after they were prisoners of war, admitted he had no means of officially knowing the strength of his force, and then placed it as about five or six thousand men because such large numbers of volunteers joined him.
Details of the attack were made at Pyron’s camp. Three heavy guns were ordered to Fort Point in charge of Captain S. T. Fontaine, of Cook’s artillery regiment, supported by six companies dismounted dragoons, under Colonel Pyron. Major Wilson was to open fire on the wharf with his battery. The railroad ram was to take position on railroad wharf to fire at the Harriet Lane. The remainder of the artillery, manned by Cook’s regiment, was to be posted in eligible positions on the Strand and water front, and warehouses along the edge. Artillery was hauled by mules and by hand half way to the city from the railroad bridge, at one o’clock that night. A large quantity of cotton was also carried by rail to railroad wharf for use in building a breastwork, besides a large quantity of intrenching tools, for the purpose of Magruder was to throw up intrenchments at the ends of streets leading to the water if his plan of action did not succeed before daylight. Signals agreed upon were: white light—enemy in sight; blue light—order to prepare; red light—make ready for action; at twenty minutes intervals.
General Magruder is credited with sending this dispatch to Major Leon Smith from Summit Station, thirty-five miles from Galveston, on the Galveston and Houston Railroad, as his soldiers commenced the march to take positions assigned them: “I am off, and will make the attack as agreed, whether you come up or not. The rangers of the prairie send greeting to the rangers of the sea.”