Confederate Defenses at the Mouth of Caney Creek

Very little of the fort survives. Hurricanes, erosion, the Intracoastal Canal, a highway and a vacation subdivision took most of the works, and by the mid-1970s the main sand fortress lay several hundred yards out in the Gulf. A U-shaped trench of the rear redoubt could still be found on the west bank, and a zigzag trench on the east. The fort had mounted four 32-pound smoothbore guns and a rifled 32-pounder added on January 22, 1864. Two 11-inch shells picked up near it after the war now sit as sidewalk decorations in Bay City.

What the plaque says

Confederate Defenses at the Mouth of Caney Creek During the Civil War (1861-65), Federal forces tried several times to seize Texas ports. Galveston was taken on October 5, 1862, but recaptured by a Confederate army on January 1, 1863. Lt. Dick Dowling's troops stopped a Federal invasion at Sabine Pass on Sept. 8, 1863. Another thrust began on November 7, 1863, when a Federal expedition under Maj. Gen. N. P. Banks seized Brownsville, then moved up the coast, capturing Corpus Christi, Aransas Pass, Pass Cavallo, and Port Lavaca (Dec. 26). Maj. Gen. John B. Magruder, Confederate commander of Texas, ordered fortification of the mouth of Caney Creek in an attempt to halt the invasion. In Jan. 1864, an earthen fortress, rifle pits, trench works, and four redoubts were erected near this site. Defended by 4000-6000 Confederates, the area was bombarded by Federal gunboats during January and February. No ground combat occurred at Caney Creek, but the preparations deterred a further Federal advance. In March 1864, Gen. Banks moved most of his troops to Louisiana and launched an unsuccessful invasion along Texas' eastern border. Removal of Federal forces from key Texas ports allowed blockade runners to continue transporting needed materials to Civil War Texas. (1976)

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Levi Jordan Plantation State Historic Site — 16 mi
  A sugar and cotton plantation on the San Bernard River whose enslaved builders and their descendants left one of the best-preserved African American archeological sites in Texas.
• Brazoria National Wildlife Refuge — 27 mi
  Coastal prairie, salt marsh and bays between Freeport and Christmas Bay, where an auto tour along Big Slough passes wintering geese, ducks and wading birds in the tens of thousands.

More markers nearby

• Bethlehem Christian Church — 7.3 mi
• Cedar Lake Salt Works — 9.1 mi
• St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church — 11 mi
• Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church — 13 mi