Edwin Ward Moore
Edwin Ward Moore | |
|---|---|
 Moore as depicted in portrait at the courthouse in Moore County, Texas | |
| Born | July 15, 1810 Alexandria, Virginia |
| Died | October 5, 1865 (aged 55) New York City, New York |
| Buried | |
| Allegiance |  United States of America Republic of Texas |
| Service/ |  United States Navy Texas Navy |
| Years of service | US Navy - 1825-1839 Texas Navy - 1839-1843 |
| Rank | Commodore of the Texas Navy |
Edwin Ward Moore (July 15, 1810 – October 5, 1865), was an American naval officer who also served as commander-in-chief of the Navy of the Republic of Texas.
Early life
Moore was born in Alexandria, Virginia. His grandfather and uncle had served in the American Revolution. Moore was a classmate of Robert E. Lee's at the Alexandria Academy.
Moore entered the United States Navy as a midshipman in 1825 at the age of 15.
His first assignment came when he was posted to the
In September 1836, the Boston captured the Texas privateer Terrible off the coast of New Orleans. The Texas ship was sent to Pensacola, Florida, on piracy charges. This contact with the Texans is believed to have prompted Moore to re-evaluate his military career. Promotion within the U.S. Navy at this time was a slow process, as many of the officers who served in the War of 1812 still held rank above Moore.
In 1839, Moore was accused of recruiting officers and up to 80 sailors from the Boston to join him in enlisting with the
U.S. Secretary of the Navy, John Forsyth, tried to bring charges against Moore based on his violation of the Neutrality Act of 1819, but Moore resigned his commission before any trial was held.
From 1840–1841, he sailed off the Mexican coast to hasten peace negotiations between the Republic of Texas and
Invasion of Tabasco
In September 1840, Moore invaded the Mexican state of Tabasco in support to the Tabasco federalist forces, collaborating in the overthrow of the centralist governor José Ignacio Gutierrez, capturing the state capital San Juan Bautista on November 17, 1840.
Subsequently, and due to a disagreement with the new federalist government, for the lack of a payment of $25,000 Mexican pesos promised to Moore, on December 14, 1840, he bombarded the capital again, until he reached a new agreement with the government of Tabasco for the payment of the debt.
President Sam Houston
Upon becoming President of the Republic of Texas, Sam Houston suspended the treaty with the Yucatán and ordered the fleet to return to Texas. Houston was not a big supporter of the Texas Navy. When funds for naval repairs, approved by the Texas Congress, were withheld by Houston, Moore reinstated the treaty with the Yucatán in defiance of Houston's orders. Moore and two other Texas ships, along with a few from the Yucatán navy, engaged the Mexican fleet in May 1843 in the Battle of Campeche. Mexico's naval fleet consisted of the British-built ironclad steam-powered warship the Guadalupe and was the most advanced fleet ever assembled in the Gulf of Mexico at that time. Their battle was determined a draw, though Mexico suffered high casualties. The Mexican government even coined a medal of bravery for their sailors. Mexican Commodore Francisco de Paula Lopez, a naval veteran, was recalled for his failure to defeat a smaller and out-gunned force, and was court-martialed.
End of career
On January 16, 1843, the Texas Congress ordered the sale of the Texas fleet. On June 1, 1843, Moore and the fleet had received Houston's proclamation accusing them of disobedience and piracy and suspending Moore from the Texas Navy. Houston even went so far as to ask for any friendly nation to capture and execute the Texas fleet. Moore returned to Galveston on July 14, and turned himself in at the port of Menard's Wharf, a hero to the people of Texas, and demanded a trial.
Later years
After the dissolution of the Texas Navy, Moore spent many years in prosecuting financial claims against Texas. In 1844, the
In 1850, Moore and other officers petitioned the U.S. Navy to recognize their rank as officers with the Texas Navy. The House Naval Affairs Committee supported their claim, but the
He was in New York City for a time attempting to perfect a machine to revolutionize marine engineering. His quarrel with Sam Houston over the justice of his suspension from the navy continued during Houston's term as
In 1860, Moore returned to Galveston, where he built the Galveston Customhouse. Moore died in New York City on October 5, 1865, of apoplexy, and is buried in the Ivy Hill Cemetery in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.[2]
Memorials
- Texas Panhandle is named for him. An exhibit honoring Moore is at the Window on the Plains Museum in Dumas, the county seatof Moore County.
See also
References
- ^ Abbott, Benjamin Vaughan (1885). A Digest of the Reports of the United States Courts: From the Organization of the Government to the Year 1884. George S. Diossy. p. 389. Retrieved March 19, 2016.
- ^ "Como Edwin Ward Moore (1810-1865) - Find A Grave..." www.findagrave.com. Retrieved March 26, 2018.
Sources
Edwin Ward Moore in the Handbook of Texas
Further reading
- Bauer, K. Jack, (1969). Surfboats and Horse Marines: U.S. Naval Operations in the Mexican War, 1846-1848,
United States Naval Institute. pp. 291 Url - Brockmann, R. John, (2009). Commodore ISBN 978-1-60497-630-4, Url
- Douglas, Claude Leroy, (1936). Thunder on the gulf: or, The story of the Texas navy,
Publisher, pp. 128, Url - Dienst, Alex (2007). The Texas Navy
Fireship Press,ISBN 1934757047, Url - Fischer, Earnest G (1900). Robert Potter: Founder of the Texas Navy,
Pelican Publishing Company Incorporated, pp. 320,ISBN 0882890808, Url - Garrison, George P., Editor, (1910). The Quarterly of the Texas State Historical Association, Volume 13,
Texas State Historical Association, pp. 344, Url - Hill, Jim Dan (1987). The Texas Navy: in forgotten battles and shirtsleeve diplomacy,
State House Press, pp. 224,ISBN 0938349171, Url - Meed, Douglas (2001). The Fighting Texas Navy, 1832-1843
Republic of Texas Press, Plano, TX,ISBN 978-1-55622-885-8, Url - Sullivan, Roy F. (2010). The Texas Navies,
AuthorHouse, Bloomington, IN, pp. 176,ISBN 1449052584, Url - United States (Government), Naval History Division, (1968), The Texas Navy, Volume 2; Volume 31,
U.S. Government Printing Office, pp. 40, Url
Notes
- ^ Originally published by Dienst in 1909 as The Navy of the Republic of Texas
External links
- Texas Navy hosted by The Portal to Texas History. A survey of the Texas Navy during the Texas Revolution and the Republic Era. Includes maps, sketches, a list of ships of the Texas Navy, and a chronology. Also includes photographs of 20th century U.S. Navy ships named after Texans or Texas locations.
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