Action of April 3, 1836

Battle off Brazos Santiago
Part of Texas War of Independence
File:Texas Schooner Invincible.jpg Invincible at her final battle.
Date April 3, 1836 Location off Brazos Santiago, Texas, Gulf of Mexico Result Texan victory
Belligerents
Mexico	Republic of Texas
Commanders and leaders
unknown	Jeremiah Brown
Strength
1 brig	1 schooner
Casualties and losses
1 brig sunk	1 schooner damaged

The Battle off Brazos Santiago was a naval engagement during the Texas War of Independence on April 3, 1836 between one ship of the Mexican Navy and one of the Texas Navy. The Mexican ship was outmaneuvered and repeatedly hit before running aground and abandoned.

Background

The Invincible was purchased by the Texan government, then in rebellion, which was disturbed by the appearance of Mexican naval raiders along the Gulf Coast. Captain Jeremiah Brown was given command of the Invincible on March 12, 1836 in Galveston.

Captain Brown was tasked with defending the Texas coast, and neutralizing the Mexican man-of-war Montezuma. The Invincible cruised south to the mouth of the Rio Grande, where on April 3, 1836, she encountered the ten gun Mexican brig in the Port of Matamoros, also known as Brazos Santiago, now Boca Chica at the mouth of the Laguna Madre.

Battle

Montezuma had two 68-pounder guns, eight 32-pounder paixhans guns and had a crew of about 75 men. Montezuma's Paixhans guns fired a shell that exploded on impact, creating a shower of shrapnel over the target. The Invincible had two 18-pounder guns, two 9-pounder guns and four 6-pounder guns with a smaller crew than Montezuma. After the approach and raising of the Texas colors at 10:00 am, Captain Jeremiah Brown ordered his artillerists to open fire on the Montezuma. For a short while the two warships exchanged broadsides, scoring some hits as Invincible outmaneuvered Montezuma by sailing in circles around the Mexican vessel, firing broadsides the entire time. Invincible only made two passes before the slower Mexican cruiser was in flames. Eventually the Montezuma ran aground on a sandbar, sealing her fate. The Mexican officers and crew quickly escaped into the water from the severely damaged vessel and made it ashore on the enemy coast. The Invincible continued to barrage the Mexican cruiser until she was destroyed. Casualties are unknown.

Aftermath

The Texans emerged victorious, having destroyed the Montezuma. Later that day, the Invincible encountered an American merchant vessel, the Pocket. After engaging and capturing the Pocket, Captain Brown discovered a cache of weapons, as well as supplies being shipped to the Mexican Army. Accompanying the supplies were Mexican naval officers and a considerable amount of military documents, all in Spanish. The Pocket was sent to Galveston under a prize crew. The supplies aboard the Pocket were sent to General Sam Houston's army, where the general used them against the Mexicans at San Jacinto.

References

• "Montezuma". Official website of the Texas Navies. The Texas Navy Association Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
• "Invincible". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
• Neu, C.T. (April, 1909), "The Case of the Brig Pocket", Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association 12: 276–295
• "Jeremiah Brown". Handbook of Texas Online. Texas State Historical Association Retrieved on 2007-09-25.
• Hill, Jim Dan (1937). The Texas Navy, in Forgotten Battles and Shirtsleeve Diplomacy. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
• Mark (summer, 2007), "Reading the Papers", TCU Magazine
• "Invincible". National Undersea Marine Agency Retrieved on 2007-09-25.