Texan brig Potomac
Encyclopedia
The Texan brig Potomac was a ship of the Second Texas Navy
that never sailed as a warship. For a while, in 1838, she was the only ship in the Texas Navy. She was decommissioned in 1843.
s: Invincible
, Brutus
, Independence
, and Liberty
. These ships, under the command of Commodore Charles Hawkins
, helped Texas
win independence by preventing a Mexican
blockade of the Texas coast
, seizing Mexican ships carrying reinforcements and supplies to its army, and sending their cargoes to the Texas volunteer army. Nevertheless, Mexico refused to recognize Texas as an independent country. By the middle of 1837, all of the ships had been lost at sea, run aground, captured, or sold. With no ships to impede a possible invasion by Mexico, Texas was vulnerable to attack.
In 1838, President Mirabeau B. Lamar
responded to this threat by forming a second Texas Navy. Unlike Sam Houston
, Lamar was an ardent supporter of the Texas Navy and saw the urgent need for its continuation. The second Texas Navy was placed under the command of Commodore Edwin Ward Moore
, an Alexandria Academy graduate who was recruited from the United States Navy
. One of the ships of this second navy was the Potomac.
was purchased in November 1838.
The Secretary of the Navy, Memucan Hunt, Jr.
spent over $10,000 equipping the Potomac for service, but as the sale had never been completed due to the Texas Congress not having approved the expenditure of funds to purchase Potomac, the work was suspended without being completed.
Eventually, President Lamar completed the purchase, but the Potomac was never completely fitted out for service. By 1840, her crew was ordered aboard the Wharton
and she was in use in Galveston as a receiving ship.
In 1843, with the Potomac unfit to serve as a warship, she was transferred to other public use with the Galveston Harbormaster as a pilot ship. She ended her career in the Texas Navy never having left port or fired a weapon in conflict.
Texas Navy
The Texas Navy was the official navy of the Republic of Texas. Two Texas Navies were naval fighting forces. There is a “Third and Honorary” Texas Navy, in which officers are commissioned by the Governor of Texas as Admirals, Commanders and Lieutenants....
that never sailed as a warship. For a while, in 1838, she was the only ship in the Texas Navy. She was decommissioned in 1843.
Background of the Texas Navy
The Texas Navy was officially formed in January 1836, with the purchase of four schoonerSchooner
A schooner is a type of sailing vessel characterized by the use of fore-and-aft sails on two or more masts with the forward mast being no taller than the rear masts....
s: Invincible
Texan schooner Invincible
The Texas schooner Invincible was one of the four schooners of the First Texas Navy . She began her service in January, 1836 and immediately began attacking ships supplying the Mexican army in Texas, including capturing the United States merchant vessel Pocket and later the British ship Eliza...
, Brutus
Texan schooner Brutus
The Texan schooner Brutus was one of the four ships of the First Texas Navy that wreaked havoc on towns along the coast of Mexico, blockaded Mexican ports, and captured ships bound for Mexico with goods and munitions of war during the Texas Revolution.Her final, and most controversial, voyage was...
, Independence
Texan schooner Independence
The Texan schooner Independence was one of the four schooners of the First Texas Navy . In 1836, Charles Hawkins, a veteran of the United States and Mexican navies, visited Texas Governor Henry Smith, seeking a commission in the new Texas Navy...
, and Liberty
Texan schooner Liberty
The Texas schooner Liberty was one of the four schooners of the First Texas Navy . She served in the Texas Navy for only about 6 months, capturing the Mexican brig Pelicano loaded with weapons for their army in Texas. Later that year, she sailed to New Orleans accompanying the wounded Sam Houston,...
. These ships, under the command of Commodore Charles Hawkins
Charles Hawkins
Charles Hawkins was an English professional cricketer who played first-class cricket from 1838 to 1845....
, helped Texas
Republic of Texas
The Republic of Texas was an independent nation in North America, bordering the United States and Mexico, that existed from 1836 to 1846.Formed as a break-away republic from Mexico by the Texas Revolution, the state claimed borders that encompassed an area that included all of the present U.S...
win independence by preventing a Mexican
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
blockade of the Texas coast
Gulf Coast of the United States
The Gulf Coast of the United States, sometimes referred to as the Gulf South, South Coast, or 3rd Coast, comprises the coasts of American states that are on the Gulf of Mexico, which includes Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida and are known as the Gulf States...
, seizing Mexican ships carrying reinforcements and supplies to its army, and sending their cargoes to the Texas volunteer army. Nevertheless, Mexico refused to recognize Texas as an independent country. By the middle of 1837, all of the ships had been lost at sea, run aground, captured, or sold. With no ships to impede a possible invasion by Mexico, Texas was vulnerable to attack.
In 1838, President Mirabeau B. Lamar
Mirabeau B. Lamar
Mirabeau Buonaparte Lamar was a Texas politician, diplomat and soldier who was a leading Texas political figure during the Texas Republic era. He was the second President of the Republic of Texas, after David G. Burnet and Sam Houston.-Early years:Lamar grew up at Fairfield, his father's...
responded to this threat by forming a second Texas Navy. Unlike Sam Houston
Sam Houston
Samuel Houston, known as Sam Houston , was a 19th-century American statesman, politician, and soldier. He was born in Timber Ridge in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia, of Scots-Irish descent. Houston became a key figure in the history of Texas and was elected as the first and third President of...
, Lamar was an ardent supporter of the Texas Navy and saw the urgent need for its continuation. The second Texas Navy was placed under the command of Commodore Edwin Ward Moore
Edwin Ward Moore
Edwin Ward Moore , was the commodore of the Second Navy for the Republic of Texas.-Early life:...
, an Alexandria Academy graduate who was recruited from the United States Navy
United States Navy
The United States Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven uniformed services of the United States. The U.S. Navy is the largest in the world; its battle fleet tonnage is greater than that of the next 13 largest navies combined. The U.S...
. One of the ships of this second navy was the Potomac.
History of the Potomac
The merchant brig Potomac was bought for the Texas Navy by the Secretary of the Navy the from Capt. L. M. Hitchcock in early 1838 for $8,000. It was the only ship in the navy until the Texan schooner ZavalaTexan schooner Zavala
The Texan steamship Zavala was a Texas Navy ship in Texas' second Navy after the Texas Revolution. She was the first steamship-of-war in the Texas Navy.-Background of the Texas Navy:...
was purchased in November 1838.
The Secretary of the Navy, Memucan Hunt, Jr.
Memucan Hunt, Jr.
Memucan Hunt was the first Minister of Texas to the United States, Secretary of the Texas Navy, and an unsuccessful candidate for Vice-President of the Republic of Texas.-Early life:Hunt was born on August 7, 1806...
spent over $10,000 equipping the Potomac for service, but as the sale had never been completed due to the Texas Congress not having approved the expenditure of funds to purchase Potomac, the work was suspended without being completed.
Eventually, President Lamar completed the purchase, but the Potomac was never completely fitted out for service. By 1840, her crew was ordered aboard the Wharton
Texan brig Wharton
The Texan brig Wharton was a two-masted brig of the Second Texas Navy from 1839-1846. She was the sister ship of the Archer. Accompanying the Texas flagship, Austin, she defeated a larger force of Mexican Navy steamships in the Naval Battle of Campeche in May 1843...
and she was in use in Galveston as a receiving ship.
In 1843, with the Potomac unfit to serve as a warship, she was transferred to other public use with the Galveston Harbormaster as a pilot ship. She ended her career in the Texas Navy never having left port or fired a weapon in conflict.