Did you know that the American Civil war made its mark in Galveston? During the American Civil War, in October of 1862, The Union Navy had finally seized control of the Port of Galveston. Galveston was the premier port along the Texas Coast, key for shipping cotton. On New Year’s Day 1863, A joint effort between the confederate army, and a makeshift confederate naval force attacked the Union Naval ships in Galveston harbor. The confederacy hatched a plan to utilize cotton clad warships. These vessels were essentially steam powered packet steamers, with pressed cotton stacked up around the edges as armor. The confederate army, Led by General John Bankhead Magruder, used the Hendley building, and other smaller buildings on Strand and 20th Street. Confederate Cannon fire hailed from the Hendley Building and the cotton clad vessels steamed into the Port of Galveston from Houston, the confederate forces surprised the Union Navy. The battle was quick as the Union Navy was ill prepared and the confederacy once again claimed Galveston. After this battle, the union was never successfully able  to maintain control of the port of Galveston, making Galveston the only confederate port not successfully captured during the Civil War.For more from Galveston Unscripted or to deep dive into Galveston history: visitgalveston.comGalveston Unscripted What is Galveston Unscripted?Follow Galveston Unscripted on Spotify or Apple Podcasts! More history content on Visit Galveston!