The
Galveston Weekly News, April 26, 1865
Blockade runners were not warships; with
no means of defense, if cornered they almost always surrendered without a fight. One
exception was the Laird-built paddle steamer Lark, which made four successful
round trips through the blockade between Galveston and Havana. On one run into
Galveston, possibly in early April, Lark went aground near the harbor entrance
and was attacked by boats from the Federal blockading squadron. As related below, Lark's
crew, assisted by Confederate troops, successfully drove off the attack, a rare event in
the history of blockade running.
On her last run she slipped into Galveston
before dawn on May 24, the same morning Denbigh was burned. When she arrived at
the wharf, she was overrun and stripped by civilians. She picked up Denbigh's
crew and dashed out to sea again, the very last blockade runner to clear a Confederate
port.
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You
recently had an account of a blockade runner which got aground in sight of this city, and
within the reach of the Yankee fleet, who sent launches within speaking distance but did
not board the stranded vessel, which afterwards got off. The forbearance of the foe was
not the result of his magnanimity; but a little lesson he had just learned. When the
steamer Lark was aground, previously, near the same place, the enemy sent two
launches, heavily manned and armed, to board and burn that vessel. A little guard had been
placed aboard by order of Major Von Harten. They allowed the Yankees to approach within
pistol shot, before giving any intimation that the attack was expected. The enemy made the
attempt, at two o'clock in the morning, and approached in the darkness with muffled oars,
backing in their boats in the most profound silence. The guard on board the Lark
consisted of but eight men, one of whom had a gun which would not fire. When the stealthy
foe was nearly under the sides of the steamer, the order -was given to the little guard on
board to fire. With the first discharge came the exclamations from the launches of
"Oh, God!" and "Give way! Give way!" to the men at the oars. It turns
out that the lieutenant in command of the expedition and two men were killed, and seven
others wounded. The guard reloaded and fired as fast as possible. The Yankees only
answered these discharges by random fire, after they were some hundred yards on their
retreat, and the only evidence they left of their marksmanship was a bullethole in the
smoke-stack of the Lark, some distance above the deck. Since then, the Yankees seem to
smell a cat in every meal-tub they approach.
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| Thanks
to Valerie Buford of Galveston, Texas. |
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