Battle of Cockle Creek The Battle of Cockle Creek , October 5 , 1861 , was a minor naval engagement off Chincoteague , Virginia early in the American Civil War . Background . In 1861 the citizens of Chincoteague voted 138 - 2 to remain loyal to the Union , despite Virginia ' s vote for secession on May 23 — the island was the only part of Virginia to do so . With little need for slaves because of its poor cropland , Chincoteague ' s economic survival depended on selling seafood to northern cities . Though loyal to the Union , Chincoteague was surrounded by Confederate sympathizers in Virginia and Maryland . Chincoteague Bay , Sinepuxent Bay , and Pocomoke River all served as routes to Maryland and Delaware which the Confederates were using to smuggle arms north into the two border states . They also had plans to prey on Union shipping entering and leaving Delaware Bay : at the center of these plans was the schooner " Venus " . On July 4 , 1861 , 418 men from the barrier island s in Maryland and Virginia met at Chincoteague to celebrate the 85th anniversary of American independence . All who were present signed a draft declaration prepared by Dr . George Schereer which pledged support for the United States against its enemies . Captain Edward Whaley , Sr . , a War of 1812 veteran , shouted , " I will defend the old flag to my last drop of blood , against the lazy , slave - holding aristocrats and their lackeys in Richmond . " On July 5 , the declaration , and letters addressed to the commanding officers of the U . S . Navy at Hampton Roads , were dispatched aboard the sloop " Jenny Sharpley " . The letters detailed the importation of arms through Chincoteague Inlet and up the Pocomoke River to Confederate sympathizers ; the islanders also requested the right to ship oysters to northern ports and for protection by the Federal Navy . When " Jenny Sharpley " arrived at Hampton Roads , the packet was delivered to Flag Officer S . H . Stringham . Stringham ignored the letters , but was enraged that " Jenny Sharpley " had broken through the Union Blocking Squadron and the islanders had been able to board his ship without being challenged . The Navy subsequently stonewalled the islanders ' requests for several months , but Chincoteague remained loyal , despite growing Confederate forces at the county seat , Drummondtown . However , during a September 2 cabinet meeting , President Lincoln was handed a letter by Treasury Secretary Salmon P . Chase . Addressed to Flag Officer Stringham , it read : Secretary of the Navy Welles jumped to his feet : " If no action is pending then Stringham will be replaced . " General Winfield Scott suggested that the U . S . Army send several thousand troops immediately for the relief of Chincoteague . On September 19 , Captain L . M . Goldsborough relieved Stringham as flag officer . Battle . On the evening of September 28 , eight small boats were spotted rowing toward Chincoteague Inlet from the mainland . An alarm bell was rung in front of W . H . Watson and Company warehouse , and 94 armed men from Chincoteague responded , taking up positions along their warehouses and docks . It soon became clear that the boats were not attacking Chincoteague , but marking the channel with lanterns , so two sloops and a large schooner could enter the inlet . By dawn , the three ships had anchored near Cockle Creek and a British flag that had been flying from the schooner , " Venus " , had been replaced by the Confederate banner . On the afternoon of the 25th , an oyster sloop commanded by Edward Whaley , Jr . , and crewed by William Lynch , John Jester , Henry Savage , and Robert Snead set off to Hampton Roads to again warn the Navy . Whaley and crew were escorted in guard boats to the flagship , USS " Minnesota " , and presented to Captain Goldsborough ; they then ate with their host in " Minnesota " ' s great cabin . Four sailors from " Minnesota " , armed with rifles and cutlasses , accompanied the men back to Chincoteague with the pledge of immediate aid . On September 30 , Navy Lt . Commander Alexander Murray arrived off Chincoteague with 90 men in the recently built , propeller - driven iron hull steamer , USS " Louisiana " . Meanwhile , " Venus " had rapidly been converted into a privateer of ten guns : in addition to cannon , 1 , 000 New England rifles , shot , and three tons of powder had been put aboard . The 135 ft . schooner , with her broad beam and shoal draft , would have been ideal to prey on shipping entering or leaving Delaware Bay . However , at 9 a . m . on October 5 , two boats from " Louisiana " were launched and attacked " Venus " with howitzers . " Louisiana " herself was then piloted through Chincoteague Inlet and opened fire with her 32 - pounder . Next , a Virginian force of 300 cut off the " Louisiana " ' s boats , but the Federal crews attacked and boarded " Venus " . The heavy fire from " Louisiana " shut down the Virginian defenses , and the Federal boarding party set fire to " Venus " , which burned to the water line before sinking in Cockle Creek . The two accompanying sloops were captured and taken to Norfolk as prizes of war . On hearing the news , Winfield Scott is said to have ordered Chincoteague oysters and Bermuda onions at Willard ' s Hotel . In early December , " Venus " ' rifles and cannon were salvaged from the wreck ; her gear is likely still buried in her so - far - undiscovered hull . Aftermath . " Louisiana " remained at Chincoteague until late December . Two days after the battle , she captured the schooner " S . T . Carrison " with a cargo of wood near Wallops Island . On 14 October " Louisiana " ′ s Commander Murray witnessed the administration of the oath of allegiance to the United States to Chincoteague ' s citizens . " Louisiana " ′ s boats , led by Lt . Alfred Hopkins , surprised and burned three Confederate vessels at Chincoteague Inlet on October 28 and 29 . On December 8 , 4 , 000 Federal troops secured the remainder of the Eastern Shore of Virginia for the Union . Although a minor skirmish , the Battle of Cockle Creek eliminated the Confederate threat to Delaware Bay and strengthened Union control over Maryland ' s and Virginia ' s Eastern Shores . References . Rew , Lillian Mears , " Assateague & Chincoteague : As I Remember Them " ( 1980 ) , n . p . , quoted in " Chincoteague During Wartime " , Chincoteague Chamber of Commerce History Notes , accessed 31 August 2010 .