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Chapter
6 Battle
of Corpus
Christi That
new year of 1862 would prove how strong and resilient Jane could be in
the face
of danger and loss. On March 1, 1861,
she had given birth to a son named Somerville Ware, naming him in honor
of her
mother’s maiden name.
Three
months later, in the hot month of August, there was a battle with the
Yankees
that hit very close to home. Corpus
Christi came under siege by northern troops, and while James was in the
midst
of the fighting, it was left to Jane to evacuate her home, leave all
her
belongings, and travel with two small children (Somerville only 1 year
old) to
a place of safety. 69 As
General Bee wrote in a letter dated later that month: “Too
much praise cannot be given
to the patriotic citizens of Corpus Christi. They removed out into the
woods
with their families out of fire, and in tents and under trees calmly
and
confidently awaited the result. They have suffered many inconveniences
and
privations, especially for want of water, as the drought of this
section has
been unprecedented, yet they have set a laudable example to their
countrymen
and added another to the many instances of patriotism which this war
has
elicited.”
(Reference:
War of
the
Rebellion:
Serial 009 Page 0620-621 Chapter XXI.
BOMBARDMENT OF CORPUS CHRISTI, TEX., Ohio State University)
Being
so close to the actual battle, Jane was a first hand witness to what
went on
during those days of the Battle of Corpus Christi.
It must have been terrifying to watch.
She clearly remembered it vividly (maybe even
took notes at the time) because she later wrote, in 1903, a wonderful
article
describing the events. 70 As
Dr. Norman Delaney wrote in his book titled The Maltby Brothers’
Civil War,
“Writing about the Battle of Corpus
Christi in 1903, Jane Ware, whose husband had played a conspicuous role
in
leading a cavalry charge proudly left little doubt about who she
considered ‘the
principal hero of the battle.’” (Ref.
3004) The
following pages are transcribed
copies of Jane’s article – kindly given us by Dr. Delaney.
When we visited together a while back, on a
trip to Corpus Christi, he very graciously showed us where the
historical
marker which mentions James’ name is placed.
He gave us a grand tour of the city and Bayview Cemetery,
and pointed us
to the wonderful museum in town which houses the sword that James took
from
Capt. Kittredge when he captured him (along with a painting by D. R.
Gamble
depicting the events of the day and showing James leading the cavalry
charge.) We currently own a duplicate
painting done by the same artist which was probably commissioned by
Jane.
Close
up view of
the corner of Gambel’s painting where he mentions Ware’s Cavalry 71
72
73
Property
of
Corpus Christi Museum
Property of James &
Judy Ware
Historical
Marker that mentions Capt. James A. Ware located
in
Corpus Christi Transcribed
copy
of Jane Ware’s firsthand account of the Battle of Corpus Christi kindly
offered
by Dr. Norman Delaney
78
(Ref. 3296) Major Hobby General
Bee’s report from Captain Ireland in which he compliments the actions
of
Captain Ware
For
their exploits, Major Hobby and Captains Ireland and Ware
were later congratulated by General Magruder in special orders. They also received a Resolution of Thanks by
the Texas Legislature that was made public in March 1863.
The
Confederate victory at Corpus Christi was greatly celebrated in the
area. In the local newspaper, “The
Ranchero, published
August 19, 1862, the single-page extra edition jubilantly proclaimed
Corpus
Christi as the ‘Vicksburg of Texas.’
Credited with the victory were Hobby, Captain Ware and his
company of
cavalry, Captain John Ireland’s infantry, and Neal’s artillery.” (Ref.
3004)\ The
local artist who painted the picture titled “The Defence [sic]
of Corpus Christi” did so while standing right on the
shoreline in the middle of the fighting.
His name was David R. Gambel. Dr.
Norman Delaney described some of the details of the artwork in his 2005
publication titled, Searching for Sergeant Gambel: David Reed
Gambel,
Soldier, and Painter, 1825 – 1874. “In
addition to Hobby’s infantrymen, a company of mounted cavalry, led by
Capt. James Ware with sword extended, advances.” He
goes on to mention James when he writes, “On the right
hand border of the painting is
the side view of a soldier identified only as ‘Old Tige,’ the nickname
of
Captain Ware, whose cavalymen were known as ‘Ware’s Tigers.” (Ref.
3258)
There
was another painting done later of an encounter with the Yankees on
December 7,
1862. This skirmish was officially called
the ‘Affair at Padre Island, Texas’. The
battle scene was “drawn from accurate
descriptions and observations by D. R. Gambel” and the original is
currently owned by James and Judy Ware.
83
This
minor
military encounter, was an insignificant rebel victory, but it did much
to
boost Corpus morale. There are two
addition panels of information on the painting that are highlighted
below.
84
On the top left-hand side of the painting 85 86
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