Battle of Corpus Christi The Battle of Corpus Christi was fought between August 12 and August 18 , 1862 , during the American Civil War . United States Navy forces blockading Texas fought a small land and sea engagement with Confederate forces in and around Corpus Christi Bay and bombarded Corpus Christi . Union forces defeated Confederate States Navy ships operating in the area but were repulsed when they landed on the coast . Background . Texas had been a main source of supplies for Confederate forces during the American Civil War . Union naval operations to blockade the Texas coast began . Despite being in a Confederate state , Corpus Christi was home to both rebel and Union sympathizers . Five Union and four Confederate ships were involved in the battle . United States Navy vessels included the sloop USS " Belle Italia " , the steamer converted to a gunboat USS " Sachem " , the bark USS " Arthur " , the schooner USS " Reindeer " and an armed yacht named USS " Corypheus " . Confederate naval forces included at least two armed vessels , a sloop named CSS " Breaker " , a schooner named CSS " Elma " , another sloop named CSS " Hannah " and a merchant steamer , the " A . B . " or " A . Bee " . USS " Sachem " was originally commanded by Captain H . W . Morris , the former U . S . Navy commander of New Orleans , and was armed with one 20 lb ( 0 . 91 kg ) parrott rifle and four 32 pounder ( 15 kg ) cannon s . The size of her crew was about fifty ; she had also participated in several other historic naval engagements such as Hampton Roads and the Battle of Forts Jackson and St . Philip . Captain Morris is not believed to have fought in this battle . Lieutenant Amos Johnson commanded " Sachem " . Lieutenant John W . Kittredge was in charge of " Arthur " , which held over eighty men and was armed with six 32 pounder smooth - bore guns . Kittredge commanded the flotilla and " Arthur " was the flagship of the force . " Corypheus " mounted one 30 lb ( 14 kg ) rifled gun and one 24 pounder ( 11 kg ) howitzer . She had a crew of twenty - eight men and was commanded by Acting Master A . T . Spear . " Bella Italia " s armament and crew are not known . " Reindeer " mustered six 24 pounder howitzers . Little is known of the Confederate ships . The size of Corpus Christi ' s garrison included a few militia companies with two 6 pounder ( 2 . 7 kg ) cannons . They were later reinforced by militia , some mounted , another two 12 pounders ( 5 . 4 kg ) and one 18 pounder ( 8 . 2 kg ) gun . A total of 700 rebels were involved in the battle . The militia garrison was commanded by Colonel Charles G . Lovenskiold , but he handed his command over to Major Alfred M . Hobby when he arrived with reinforcements . The garrison was based at the citadel in Fort Kinney . Battle . Corpus Christi Raid . At noon on August 12 , just northwest of Corpus Christi , " Belle Italia " , " Sachem " , " Reindeer " and " Corypheus " were sailing from Aransas Bay through a canal into Corpus Christi Bay when they sighted CSS " Breaker " . The Union Navy vessels then gave chase to the sloop which was filled with sailors and several Confederate States Army soldiers who were returning from a reconnaissance mission . After a long pursuit the Union ships closed in on the Confederates and opened fire . The rebel commander chose to ground his sloop and then scuttle it by fire to prevent her capture . A boarding party from " Arthur " went to take the vessel and prevent the burning . By the time they arrived , the rebels had already lowered life boats and were escaping overland . The Union sailors boarded the " Breaker " and put out the fire . Having taken and refloated the prize ship and thus weakened the defenses of Corpus Christi , Union commanders felt it was now time to attack the Confederates defending the town . Knowing that " Breaker " was gone , Confederates in the bay scuttled CSS " Elma " and the sloop CSS " Hannah " . Blockade . After taking the " Breaker " , the Union vessels sailed southwest the short distance to Corpus Christi and established a blockade . " Sachem " and " Corypheus " were designated the first to bombard the Confederate fort . Lieutenant Kittredge transferred his flag to " Corypheus " from " Arthur " which he sent north to procure supplies such as ammunition and food . " Belle Italia " and " Reindeer " sat out of range as reserves and the captured " Breaker " was used as a hospital ship . The following morning on August 13 , Lieutenant Kittredge and a boarding party were ordered ashore to demand a Confederate surrender of the port town on the Nueces river . He was also ordered to allow a forty - eight hour truce for the evacuation of women and children should the rebels decide to make a stand . As expected , the rebels refused to surrender . The Union continued the blockade for the next forty - eight hours . On the 16th when the truce ended , Kittredge for unknown reasons , failed to begin his attack , so the Confederates used the time to continue strengthening their fort . Attack on Fort Kinney . When the rebels evacuated the town of civilians and finished working on the fort , they attacked the Union vessels at dawn on August 17 . Lieutenant Kittredge responded with counter battery fire and silenced the guns temporarily . Whenever the Union ships ceased firing , the Confederates would man the battery again and continue fighting . This process of repeatedly silencing the fort lasted all day and night until Kittredge withdrew his ships due to the darkness . " Sachem " and " Corypheus " were both damaged slightly , " Bella Italia " is known to have been hit as well , the shot wounded a petty officer on deck . Near midnight on the 17th , " Belle Italia " sent a shore party of thirty sailors and a 12 pounder howitzer to attack the fort ; seventy other sailors were available for landing but only " Bella Italia " s thirty men were sent ashore . That same night rebel forces scuttled " A . B . " in the shallow channel that leads to Nueces Bay . Kittredge in " Corypheus " repeatedly tried to tow the ship out of the channel before it burned completely , this was undertaken either to take the ship as a prize or to prevent the ship from sinking and blocking the narrow channel . The Union ships stayed as far away as possible which helped prevent casualties on both sides . The distance of the ships from the fort meant both forces had to fire at maximum range , thus decreasing the effectiveness of their shots . The Confederate gunners were also untrained ; a shortage of gunpowder left them without the ability to practice before the engagement . The next morning the landing force advanced until within cannon and musket range of the fort ; fighting again commenced and soon the ships resumed bombarding the rebel guns . At this time Major Hobby and twenty - five infantrymen advanced in order to defend the battery . Cavalry under Lieutenant James A . Ware were held in reserve but eventually joined - in the attack . Skirmishing continued for a time ; the Union sailors held out due to their ships which supported them with artillery fire . After a prolonged skirmish , the Union forces on land began to run low on ammunition so they started an organized retreat back to " Bella Italia " with help from the blockade . Fort Kinney was not taken but it was silenced by Union fire at this time . The Confederates defeated the shore party and withdrew to the town . Crewmen of United States Navy ships saw this movement so Kittredge ordered the bombardment of the coastal buildings to where the rebels had withdrawn . Most of the damaged buildings were houses and stores . After all the ammunition aboard the warships had been expended , the battle was over and Kittredge ordered his ships north into Aransas Bay . During the bombardment a Unionist living in Corpus Christi named John Dix , grabbed his American flag and headed for the roof of his Water Street home . Dix intended to wave the flag at the United States ships as a sign of surrender , but before he could get to his roof his daughter - in - law stopped him . She was married to Dix ' s son who was fighting for the Confederacy , the daughter carried a shotgun and pointed it at her father - in - law until the flag was put away . When the shelling was over , the Confederates in town were very angry and many of the Unionists were happy . Anger over the attack led to the looting of several houses belonging to Union supporters . Aftermath . Casualties of the engagement are mostly unknown , two Union men were wounded , one aboard " Bella Italia " . At least one rebel was killed in action , Major Hobby was slightly wounded . Once in Aransas Bay , the ships reunited with " Arthur " which had left the blockade earlier . The battle ended as a tactical victory for the United States ; they overcame Confederate naval activity in the area and silenced the enemy fort protecting Corpus Christi and the bay . Confederate forces did defeat the Union shore party , they also continued to hold the town and the silenced fort after the battle . Order of battle . United States Navy Confederate States Navy