Sinking Site of the Blockade Runner "Acadia"
Surfside, Brazoria County, Texas
Marker Inscription
The sidewheel steamer "Acadia", owned by Canadians, set out on her maiden voyage in Dec. 1864 for Nassau, Havana, and vera Cruz. Loaded with food, hardware, and clothing, she braved the Federal blockade to bring the goods to suffering Texans. Early on feb. 6, 1865, in heavy fog she grounded in sticky clay 300 yards off this beach. Her crew and cargo came safely ashore. When the fog lifted, the foe sighted and shelled her, but could not board and burn the crippled ship, as Confederate Cavalry defended her from the shore. The "Acadia" then became a coastal landmark.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
The Canadian-owned sidewheel steamer Acadia set out on her maiden voyage in December 1864, running the Federal blockade to carry food, hardware, and clothing to hard-pressed Texans. In heavy fog on February 6, 1865, she grounded in sticky clay just offshore here; her crew and cargo reached the beach safely. When the fog cleared, Union guns shelled the stranded ship, but Confederate cavalry on shore kept the enemy from boarding and burning her, and the wreck became a coastal landmark.
Why it matters
The Acadia dramatizes the blockade-running lifeline that sustained the Confederacy's Gulf coast and the tightening Union grip that made every voyage a gamble.
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Related events
- · Grounding of the blockade runner Acadia (1865)
- · Union blockade of the Gulf coast
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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