Civil War Bombardment of Port Lavaca

The man who refused the surrender was an Irish-born sailor. Daniel D. Shea, born in 1831, had settled in Calhoun County and was working as a steamship captain in 1860. In the summer of 1861 he raised an artillery battery, the Van Dorn Guards, and took two companies to Fort Esperanza on Matagorda Island; renamed the Fourth Texas Artillery Battalion, it fought Union ships that winter. Promoted to lieutenant colonel in May 1863, he was set to arming the steamer Lucy Gwin at Lavaca. He died in San Antonio in May 1864, apparently of illness.

What the plaque says

Civil War Bombardment of Port Lavaca As part of the U. S. naval initiative to control Texas Confederate ports, the gunboats "Clifton" and "Westfield" turned to the town then known as Lavaca after easily taking Galveston and Indianola. On October 31, 1862, under a flag of truce, Commander William B. Crenshaw demanded the surrender of Lavaca. Maj. Gen. Daniel D. Shea refused. After an evacuation period of merely 90 minutes, Renshaw's ships attacked the town. The city garrison returned the fire. Partially disabled, the Union boats fell back, but rained a steady barrage upon the town until night came. They resumed shelling the following morning, then retreated. The city streets were ravaged by gunfire, but Port Lavaca remained in Confederate hands until December 1863. (1998)

Where it stands

More markers nearby

• Civil War Torpedo Works — steps away
• Beach Hotel — 0.2 mi
• Alsatian Immigration Through Lavaca Bay — 0.4 mi
• San Antonio and Mexican Gulf Railroad — 0.4 mi